Ensure a comfortable drive

By H. Kishie Singh

GOOD motoring means safe motoring. One of the pre-requisites of safe motoring is the comfort provided to the driver and passengers. If this is the criteria, there is no safe or good motoring in the country. Our public transport, buses, taxis and trucks are amongst the most miserable and wretched in the world. Many of our vehicles are without wipers, have bald tyres, and have no windows for protection against the elements. Some "deluxe" buses I have been in have holes in the floor boards. These vehicles are totally unsafe. In case of a collision or even hitting a bad bump at high speed they are likely to disintegrate and the passengers will be thrown helter-skelter like rag dolls. Road- related accidents claim about 60,000 lives a year in India — a horrific figure.

While there is very little that we can do about public transport, we can take care of our own personal transport. The new generation cars are all geared to provide the occupants safety and comfort. However, it is a very sad fact that no one — drivers, owners or occupants — care about personal safety or comfort.

Seat belts are one of the most effective safety equipments in your car. Use them. It should be second nature to get into the car and strap yourself in before starting the vehicle. Who knows, you may save your own life.

Another amazing sight is cars moving around with windows, and windscreens completely fogged up. Cars today have air conditioning plus heating as standard fitments. It is surprising that after spending lakhs of rupees on a car, the owner has not read the mannual. The driver is cleaning the windscreens with his hand, a child in the rear seat is wiping the condensation on the rear windows even though the window is electrically heated. To crown it all, the outside rear view mirror is closed. Visibility is severely restricted and the car interior is cold and uncomfortable. You are as far away as you can get from good motoring and safe motoring.

Let us study the controls and symbols on your dash board and make an attempt at good and safe motoring.

Figure I shows the out line of a car with an arrow coming in from outside and into the car. This means that when the control knob is in this position, fresh air can be brought into the car cabin without opening the windows. This ensures good ventilation.

Figure 2 shows the arrow in a circular motion, meaning the air inside is being re-circulated.

It is always recommended that fresh air is brought into the car. Re-circulated air will get stale and make the driver drowsy. This is to be used in times when the outside temperature is extremely cold i.e. below zero.

Then there is an another set of controls. The symbols are as follows:

Figure 3 represents a windscreen with air wafting up against it from the de-mist slots on the dashboard. With the controls set here the windscreens will be kept clear.

Figure 4 represents driver with an arrow pointing towards the face. The air flow is directed towards the face.

Figure 5 shows that bi-level air is being discharged through face vents and floor vents. This makes it possible for fresh cool air towards the face and warm air for the feet.

Figure 6 indicates that you can de-mist the windscreen plus keep your feet warm. The ideal setting.

Figure 7 shows a slide lever for temperature selection. It could be a rotary knob along a colour band. The colour red is for hot air, while blue is for cold air or A.C.

Keeping the control where the red is widest means hot air. Keeping it where red and blue merge means cooler temperature. All the way into blue is for summer months when the A.C. is functioning.

The final control for the ideal acclimitisation is the fan. This will usually have three settings — slow, medium and fast. You may regulate the speed at hot or cold.

Keep comfortable and happy motoring.