The bent axle has been mentioned as a result of skidding. It may also be a cause for skidding, for it sometimes happens that by hitting the curb hard, or the wheel of another car, or a street car, the rear axle gets out of true—perhaps the spring-seat bolt will shear off—and the wheels will not track with the front wheels. This will cause skidding.
When there is not snow during the cold months, often water is used to sweep or flush the streets. Wet asphalt is always slippery, whether it is warm or cold, but in cold weather it often freezes and the pavement is dangerous and skidding is almost certain unless care be taken. The street-car tracks are another cause of skidding. Often it is necessary to give the front wheels a considerable turn to get out of the track when necessary, and, especially if they are wet—and they are wet when other parts of the pavement are dry—the rear wheels will continue in the tracks, causing a bad skid. Under no circumstances should one habitually drive in the car tracks when the streets are wet.
If the brakes are adjusted unevenly, so that there is a little more pressure on the one wheel than the other and therefore stops it a little more, it will cause skidding. Another case may come from giving the steering wheel a little twist just as the brake is applied. Occasionally in an emergency stop the driver will give a hasty glance behind to see if a car is close upon him. The hands follow the eye, it is said, and this will often give the slight twist that causes the wheels to slide.
Some cars skid because the weight is not balanced on the wheels—that is, there is too much weight on front or rear wheels. There is a remarkable difference in cars in this respect and it might be well before buying a car to try it out on its likelihood to skid.
There are numerous designs of non-skid tires and they do prevent, or decrease, skidding to a very large degree on some cars. While they help in some cases, it is not well to depend upon them entirely. It is the general practice now to use non-skid chains. On muddy roads they are a necessity and on wet asphalt are almost as essential and chains should be used under such circumstances; but as they cause excessive wear on the tires, they should only be used when needed. The driver should not allow himself to be either too hurried or too lazy to put them on and take them off according to the condition of the pavement. Better to do this a dozen times a day rather than wear out a set of tires or skid into the curb or a street car.
They should be adjusted loosely, so they can creep around and wear the entire circumference of the tire slightly but evenly; if they are so tight they cannot creep, the cross chains will cut away the outer rubber right down to the fabric. A great many tires are ruined in that way. Tires cut this way cannot be turned back to the manufacturer for replacement, for the adjuster will know at once what caused the wear.
Be sure there are a sufficient number of cross chains so that it will not be possible for the brakes to stop the wheel between the cross links, for in that event it will slide just as badly as though no chains were used. As a car is more likely to skid going down grade than on the level, it follows that extra care should be exercised, and that the driver should slow speed for a stop farther away than would ordinarily be necessary, and that the stop should be gradual. One should watch closely on a hill, for there is a greater coasting momentum and a greater tendency for the rear wheels to slew around, because of the weight upon them.
After all, the greatest preventive of skidding is care. The driver who keeps his eyes and wits about him will have his car under control in situations which might possibly cause skidding. It is an essential of economy in tires and wheels and some other parts of the mechanism, and it is an essential in safety, for some very bad, even fatal, accidents have come from skidding at an unfortunate moment, when care would have prevented it. It is no fun to incur injury to person or car, or to pay for repairs or excessive renewals; he who would avoid causes for much of this should beware of skidding.
CHAPTER XIV
“CAN’T-SLIP HEELS” LESSEN SKIDDING
If your auto is not equipped with “Can’t-Slip Heels,” the green or pink plugged shock absorbers, the same as you wear on your own heels to keep from skidding over the sidewalk, perhaps it were well to look into it a little. Autos as well as men take to skidding quite easily, and not infrequently come to grief.