Car Torque has been going for over 20 years and, for much of the time, constructive criticism or ideas have been put forward, based on 58 years of active motoring and a stint as traffic management consultant within the ADT (Malta Transport Authority).
You may be driving a vehicle weighing over 1,800 kg and there are four tyres with possibly aslittle as 12 cm of rubber on each... think about it and quail with fear
However, I have reached the point where I no longer care if the Traffic Management section within Transport Malta does anything constructive or not.
Frankly, my entire motoring family and all our motoring friends can cope most adequately with the conditions that the TM team of traffic experts has willedupon us.
There are no fewer than five old Landrovers within the immediate family. These willing, work horses can cope with deep floods, totally destroyed roads and, of course, they can be driven down country lanes so that their destination is reached in reasonable time, where other motorists would fear to go.
The somewhat over-abundant collection of road signs on the Naxxar-Salina road are generally laughed at and applauded. Signs in Maltese only are ignored, as concentrating on the immediate road ahead is far more serious than wondering why in a country with two languages of importance, only one language is suddenly perceived as being more than barely adequate.
I am currently more concerned with the appalling standard of driving, or parking that has reared its mudguards towards the end of summer and, of course, during the storm we experienced earlier this month.
Thousands of drivers will have passed their driving exam during the dry months and will have absolutely no idea how monumentally dangerous even a small car can become if driven in dry mode ona wet day.
There are basic things to check before the wet weather comes round. Tyres and brakes need to be in first-class condition, plenty of tread on good-quality tyres, and this is where many people go wrong. It is a very foolish exercise if tyres are purchased because they are cheap.
Low-cost means invariably far less-skid resistance, and through the winter months skid resistance is of vital,life-saving importance.
You may be driving a vehicle weighing in at over 1,800 kg and there are four tyres with possibly as little as 12 cm of rubber on each in contact with the road. Think about it and quail with fear.
Brake linings need to be in excellent condition and, if possible, there needs to be progressive movement when the brake pedal is pushed. Harsh, grabbing brakes induce skids most frightfully easily in damp conditions and even in spanking new vehicles with a host of automatic skid-controlling wizardry, the laws of physics cannot, in the final analysis, be overcome.
There are thousands of older vehiclesin regular use, excluding the classicswhose owners are often most highlyqualified to drive 40-year-old cars without power steering, brakes or any othergadgetry, in complete safety and appalling conditions.
Drivers of many cars made about20 years ago really need to take care,learn how to control the vehicle in any conditions, because these cars areby no means so forgiving as the thousands of cars basking in their first 10 yearsof life.
All drivers should be able to control their vehicle once it begins to skid, because skid it will at some point, or in some cases in almost any slippery or muddy conditions.
Skid control must be patiently learnt, and, in my time, diligently practised until the car can be confidently driven when the weather conditions are dreadful.
Remember the two-second stopping rule? Double the stopping distance in the wet and drive at a speed where you know you can stop if things go wrong aheadof you.
There is absolutely nothing that induces road rage so quickly as the driver who smacks into the car ahead.
If you are in a line of traffic, use your mirrors every 10 seconds or less andgauge when the car behind is comingtoo close.
I slow down ever so gently in those conditions, constantly checking the mirror for signs of the car behind doing something even sillier, and then accelerate to maintain my own distance from the car ahead, hoping, often forlornly, that the driverbehind will realise the mistake and keep their distance.
Always remember your tyres, the road surface, your speed and just how long it will take to stop, and you may then drive with a reasonable degree of confidence.