Whltby Fre Preas, Wednesdy, March 20, 1996 ,Page il by JiI Mclntosh Auto lingo Language - like fashion and automotive styling - cornes and goes as quilky as the weather. Terms that used te b. on everyone's tengue, such as "flivver" or Uin Lizzie" (narnes for the Model T Ford) are long gone. Sorne bave held on for the long haul, though, and many of the narnes and phrases we use today date from the days of the horseless carniage, aud sometimes even before. When we reminisce, we are "looking in the rear view miirror"- if we've had enough of doing that, we "put on the brakes." If we've got the situation under control, we say we're "in the driver's seat," although strangely enough, the truly influential -are said te hold the "reins of poweir." A dated but stili occasionally used phraseis, "Itfs a doozyl" That one's easy te trace; it favourably compares fine items te tth. Duesenberg, an Indiana-built car generally considered te b. North America's ail-Urne greateet. When it originafly appeared in print, it was spelled "lt's a Duesey." W. still use- the term. "horsepower" te measure an engine's output; it dates from the' 1700s sud was coined by James Watt. lJsing a system of pulleys, he barnessed a hors. to a weight and measured how far the hos. could lift It within a *specified time period. Thils formula was firet used te calculate the strength of steam engines, whieh Watt help.d te perfect. (Good thing he didn't use a champion couuty fair pulling- hors., or your ueighbour's Firefiy rnlght b. rated at 3,000 hors.!) Horses are aiso immortalized in some of aur car' parts teday: headlights and tail-lights date back frmtthe Urne that your basic mode of transportation did indeed have a head and a tail. W. oeil the rear sterage compartment a "trunk" because ornginally that's what it was. Cars of the 1920s and 1930s didn't have theni; the rear seat was right against the. back of the car, with no provision for carrying bulky items. Fancy car solved this by tepping the. rear bumper with a flip-down luggage rack - a name stili, used teday, foi: an item no one ever uses te carry luggage. A leather trunk, similar te ones found in homes, was mounted, on the rack. It was expensive but very elegant. Early cars used wooden, carniage-style spoked wheels mounted on a straight aie. As with carniages, the hube (the ends of tue aile) stock out beyond the wheels and were eovered with ornate metal hub-caps. The. name. bas stayed with us, although it ls generally misued. A modern hub- cap covers only tue centre of the, wheel; the. more familiar full dises, reaching right te tue tire, are properly called wheel dises or wheel covers. Those terins are antique also, froni when cars ürrned %i-m spoked wooden wheels te solid metal ones which could accept a fil cover. Many of our body-style ternis corne fromn horse-drawu carniages: coupe, cabriolet, roadater, sedan. The terni "station wagon" is a littIe of botu. Ini tue 1930s, the. well-to- SEE PAGE 13 DRI VINO SAFELY4 with RANDY RANDY MVcLEAN US A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIC SAFETY. Mr. McLean has reviewed thousands- of individuai Motor vehicie accident reports and his close working relationships wlth police agencles, governmrrents, safety associations, industry and thre public, have given hlm a true overview of traffic safety issues, problemrs and solutions ln Canada. REMEMBE WHBPES TO hM a aeft turn at an intersection la a very cormon dùving manoeuvre. It is such a common event that we often forget how potentially dangerous it can be. Why is this common manoeuvre dangerou8? Wheoempleting this manoeuvre w. turn our ca boaade across the path of one or more lanes Of onoeming lraffic. Other than the roof of oui car, the sides are the most vuinerable part of the vehicle. The front and rear ends both have energy-absorbing crushable matrijal to protect us in a collision. Byr comparison, the door frame offers relatively le protection in side-irnpact accidents.,vhcewegngevaltusn Ontoievhce egin eeatosn pounds andl travelling at or above the posted speed limit toward oui exposed weak side are an *obvious danger to us and oui passengers. But we are not the only ones at risk. * Pedestrians are often the innocent victims of poorly executed left turn manoeuvres. Consider the tillowing, not so uncommon; situation. You see a short gap in the opposing traffic flow and start to make l turonly tofind your way blocked by a pedestrian crossing the road. You are also aware than an oncorning vehicle is approchlng qulcki 1Choice #1: Too frightened te stand stfllyou accelerate out of the path of the apraen vehicle and hope the pedestrian can get out or your waLy in Urne. *Cholce f2: Too frlghtened to move, you shlow the. pedestrian te cross and hope the approalng vehicle can stop in tinie There lus no good cholce, for youý or the. pedestrian. In choice 01, you risk dellberately hlttlngthe pedestrian. In éthoiéef2, if the birocng vehicle strikes your Cr you will elide or spMn. uncontrollably through the intersection., Pedestrians in the crosswalk and even somie standing on the sidewalk have been struck and injured or kflled by secondary Impacts fr>m out- of-control vehieles. Either way both you and the pedestrian may lose. A similar situation occurs, when one motorist tries to. take advantage. of a, very short gap in opposing trà ffic by tailgating another- vehicle through a left turn manoeuvre.-If the first vehiele cornes te an abrupt haIt - te shlow a pedestrian to cros, look for a pring spaoe, read a street name sign, or any othter reason - the second vehicle - etsrne nthe intersection, with its broadside exposed its forward advaùce blocked and oncoring traiÉc approachin qulckly. Hie or she maty feel ile a lenmng that fias just stepped over the .dge of a eliff. Most of these accidents occur either because we did not pay enough attention or only paid attention to sorne aspects of the turning *manoeuvre. Intersections are complex environiments. Bofore turning left, check the traffic signal indication, look for gaps in opposing traffic, watch for turning vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and anyùn else that might obstructyour turn. The golden rule i makinç a sie left turn is: Neyver begin te turn until you re certain that the entire manoeuvre can be completed without stoppn~ Remember, when you make a left 4tin te wi est and one of the weakest parts oyu vehicle is exposed te oncomîng tralffc. The less Urne you are exposed, the safer you are. Don't rely on a pedestrian to sae up or another rnotorist te slow down for your.own safety. You may b. lucky, but then again-'you may flot. Drive safely. Govemmont, truckbng asscation: Programs improve truck safety. Tiie trnsportation ministry and Ontario Trucking Assocation have jointly developed training and certification program for truck air brake adjustment and wheel installation. Developed with the Ministry of Education and Training, mandatery training programs will ho held lu these areas. The association will chair an advisory group of truc]king industry stakeholders,, including mauacuers and tire dealers., The. group will identify what skilîs a truck driver needs te adjust a vehicl.'s air bralces at the roadside, as well as skills required by people who install or* repair truck-tires and wheels. Based on this information, the group will develop a recommended training program, which must'ho approved by the mInistries of transportation and education and training. * The. advisory group will also make recommendations- on prograni delivery sud certification criteria. Following acceptance of the iudustry programs, the SEE PAGE 13 so ilc m o h rc..adsa for-the servic! 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