and in the event of the car running backwards when ascending a steep hill the vital importance of being able to steer it safely is obvious. Skill in this direction has great advantages. We recall an instance of an automobilist who, having had the misfortune to break the forward bevel driving wheel on his car, slipped in the reverse and drove into London some twenty miles steering the car backwards. He complained, however, of having a stiff neck for some days afterwards.
The novice should practise on some quiet wide country road until he attains sufficient proficiency to drive the car backwards at the rate of at least eight or nine miles an hour.
Test your Brakes.—Every wise chauffeur takes the precaution of testing his brakes immediately he starts driving. During a stop something may happen to the brakes so as to make them quite ineffective, or a portion of the brake mechanism may have broken. The driver who perhaps before luncheon has ascertained that his brakes are acting perfectly, after luncheon may start off in the same supposition, and perhaps not discover his error until, relying on his pedal brake to stop him in traffic, he finds that it has no effect, with the result that he probably goes through the back of a brougham.
The Sprag.—This is an adjunct fitted to most cars. In the early stages of driving, it is as well always to leave this down when ascending steep hills, so that in the event of the novice missing his change of speed, or if through any other cause the car tried to run backwards, it would be arrested in its early movement and damage obviated.
It should be borne in mind, however, that the sprag should be dropped before the car actually starts to run backwards; otherwise the momentum on the car may induce it to jump the sprag to the danger of the passengers and the great annoyance of the chauffeur, who finds that before being able to proceed he will have either to detach the sprag or cut it away. We remember seeing the owner of a large motor carriage in this predicament. After taking the precaution of having a solid sprag fitted, he spent some hours beneath his
