From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Copy of J.B. English's report on an accident involving car 31-EX.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 113\1\ scan0198 | |
Date | 21th November 1935 | |
X1002 Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/KW.21.11.35. ACCIDENT to 31-EX. We give below a copy of J.B. English's report on an accident to the above car :- "I was driving on the main road from Chateauroux in the direction of Tours, at a speed of 60 to 70 m.p.h. The road is straight and wide where the accident occurred, and there are no side turnings. I was driving on the right-hand side of the road, and I saw a cyclist riding on the opposite side of the road. When I was about 200 yards away from the cyclist, I realised he was going in the same direction as myself. As soon as I realised this I braked hard, and blew the horn continuously, as he was on his wrong side. The cyclist kept well in to the left-hand side of the road, a few inches from the grass verge, and he rode straight on as though determined to stay on that side of the road. I was blowing the horn all the time, and he kept right in to the left-hand side of the road. As he did not seem willing to come over to his correct side, I released the brakes for a fraction of a second, with the intention of accelerating and passing the cyclist safely, as he was still riding a few inches from the left-hand side of the road. As soon as I released the brake he started to serve over to the right-hand side of the road. I immediately braked as hard as possible, blowing the horn all the time. The cyclist rode across the road so slowly and in such an uncertain manner, that it was impossible to tell whether he would come right across or go back to the left-hand side. Under these circumstances I decided to keep to the right-hand side, as I would have had to swerve very hard to the left with the brakes hard on, which would have meant either skidding into the cyclist or overturning the car, most probably the former. There is a grass verge on the right-hand side about 10 feet wide, so I went as far as possible onto this in an attempt to get past the cyclist. I got the front of the car past him safely, but he rode straight into the nearside of the car, and the nearside rear door handle caught his head. There is a line of trees on the grass verge, as shown on the sketch, and the car skidded on the grass straight towards one of the trees. | ||