BE AN A*C*E DRIVER

a meet Rosemary dunway of Little Rock Arkansas America's Junior myths for 1967 hi that's Rick he's been teaching me some of the finer points of slot car racing at least he was until he got carried away with a competitive Spirit Rick knows if he makes a mistake here he'll only lose the race but make the same mistake on the road in a real car oh well there's a lot more at stake to be tops here or on the road you have to drive with your mind in gear know what you're doing and be able to do it it takes skill technique control the qualities that go into becoming an all round Ace driver okay gang let's go come on here we go hey nice Rick's an all round Ace driver the kind you can trust if you're in the passenger seat but what does being an ace driver or an ace at anything really mean being an ace had a special meaning for Rosemary when she was competing for the junior miss crowd it meant she had to be alert at all times ready to handle anything that came her way she also had to be courteous to do the things expected of her and to make it easier and more pleasant for others education to is a most important phase of the junior misjudging Rosemary's High School grades were one of the determining factors in her being ACC claimed America's Junior Miss for 1967 being an ace had a special meaning for Rosemary during the Junior Miss Pageant and when you stop to think about it being an ace driver is a lot like being an Ace and anything else an ace driver alert courteous educated if every driver met these three qualifications traffic accidents wouldn't be the problem they are today many of today's Ace drivers have built Sound Driving habits on the skills and knowledge gained in high school driver education courses an alert driver able to read the danger signs of the road and take the correct action to avoid trouble for example that parked car up ahead only the man in that car knows what he's going to do but an alert driver has to be ready for anything he might do like suddenly deciding to get out of the car this is the checkpoint for an alert driver the point where he has to identify the danger consider the Alternatives and take action in this case by breaking quickly and smoothly checking traffic to the side and rear and moving past the hazard the alert driver also watches for danger signs off the street like children playing close by another checkpoint an alert driver knows when a ball rolls into the street there could be a child running after it the proper action break quickly while sounding horn then signal to warn other motorists when it's safe to do so motion the child to get the ball the alert driver's ability to recognize warning signs is his best insurance for avoiding trouble checkpoint a double parked truck hiding a car ready to pull out checkpoint a hot tailpipe of a parked car ready to move into traffic these are tricks of the trade for the alert driver while the alert driver uses selective vision for spotting trouble he's also aware of the dangers of Target Fascination anything that captures and holds the driver's attention limits his ability to recognize and react to Danger checking the rearview mirror is a necessary driving habit but a quick look is a safe look the same holds true for the instrument panel a long look at the speedometer can literally throw a cement wall in front of the car if the driver misses his reaction checkpoint a tachometer can tell a lot about the way a car is performing however if you count every RPM you could end up with an rip the truck up ahead seems to go into reverse when you take your eyes off it for a few seconds the result it's usually too late to do anything about it a radio can be just as dead ly lean over to find a station and you tend to steer in the direction your head is turned not the direction of the road it's almost impossible to control a speeding car on grass or gravel you'll just have to go along for the ride the pinpoint vision of Target Fascination is a real enemy that every driver has to fight the big picture is the safe driver's view central vision identifies what the eye sees Fringe Vision alerts the driver to possible danger use both and take a comprehensive look at the road but don't let the big picture get out of control highway hypnosis is dangerous just as dangerous as Target Fascination the steady pace of monotonous highspeed driving on a highway can lull the driver's eyes and mind off the road the wide pav and separation from oncoming traffic puts the whole picture out of focus the feeling of speed is lost as the driver drifts toward disaster however in reality speed increases judgment and alertness become dull the road is meaningless until it's lost an alert driver combats highway hypnosis with Selective seeing awareness of the distance from the car ahead and behind Quick Check of the instruments a fast glance at a billboard and a coffee stop when drowsy you can also beat highway hypnosis by observing and obeying traffic signs by your speedometer not by the way you feel you might make it at 45 mph but unexpected loose gravel on the road can quickly stack the odds against you and send your car into the guard rail out of control the alert driver is not only on the lookout for the mistakes of others he helps other drivers avoid trouble by showing courtesy on the road he knows that one of the trade secrets of defensive driving is the one aead technique the common courtesy like slowing to allow a car to merge with freeway traffic helps the ace driver stay out of trouble and the other driver is usually ready to return the favor maybe by dropping back to let another car change lanes in heavy traffic being a nice guy on the road is infectious but being a nice guy a polite driver is also a follow-up technique to Defensive Driving courtesy helps the other driver make the right move a tight passing situation can put everyone in a tough spot unless someone is courteous enough to give the other fellow a break and if the other driver can't make up his mind give him the whole Road it's plain common sense to keep a confused driver out of trouble that may involve you remember courtesy is part of defensive driving even if the other guy won't play the game a tailgator can be a real agitator don't let him get to you give him the road and hope he wises up before he ends up in trouble there's nothing Square about being a courteous driver it's just plain common sense and another step toward becoming a real Ace finally the True Ace driver is the educated driver educated in the classroom and on the road he knows what to do and how to do it with poise and precision even a relatively simple maneuver like turning requires know how many drivers turn too soon clipping a car in the other lane or bouncing off a curb other drivers turn with a full windup of the steering wheel not prepared for the backlash that can send their car into the other lane of traffic the right line for turning a corner carries the car smoothly between other cars in the curb with the least amount of steering effort it takes practice just like Precision parking driving head first into a space isn't much of a problem but today's driving situations demand how to do it knowledge of all parking techniques parallel parking pull even with a car in front of the empty space leaving about 18 in between the cars cut the steering wheel to the right and back slowly into the space until your car is on a 45° angle to the curb and your right front fender is lined up with the left rear fender of the parked car ahead of the space now cut the steering wheel left and back into the space bringing the left side of your car in line with the other parked cars finally line your car up with the curb leaving equal space between the cars in front and behind parallel parking is tricky but angle parking also takes a bit of knoow the main thing here is get the car on the same angle with the other parked cars turn in on an angle using the fender point of the car beyond the space as a guide stop don't try to curve into an angle parking space it's too easy to leave a fender hanging over the line back up and ease into the space centering your car between the lines once you've mastered Straight Ahead an angle parking you shouldn't have much trouble in a parking lot until you find a lot where you have to back straight into a parking slot go just beyond the empty space while turning away from it leave sufficient room from the row in front to be able to swing your car in cut the wheel back sharply and move slowly into the space checking the parked cars once you're in the space line your car up with the other parked cars go by the book it's easy to become the ace driver alert courteous educated the driver who can't get into trouble right wrong there's one more factor that every Ace driver must consider his car it's up to every Ace driver to be certain his car can meet the demands he places on it because his safety and the safety of others depends on the condition of his car the shortest distance from one point to another is the safe driving line the line and Ace driver always follows now you've got the whole story the alert driver able to recognize trouble and avoid it the courteous driver helping himself by helping other drivers the educated driver with the skills and knowledge of the road and his car to stay on the safe side join a thousand of young drivers like Rick try some of the techniques you've seen today stay alert behind the wheel be courteous to the other drivers and learn all you can in the classroom and on the road you'll be well on your way headed in the right direction toward becoming a real Ace driver than