Crossroads Crash

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] Did you ever notice how people in a hurry tend to disobey the rules? Now, that can get them in a lot of trouble. If you happen to be in their way, it can also get [music] you in a lot of trouble. It isn't every day you run into a bank robber, but one out of three accidents occur at intersections. They happen every day and usually because somebody did something wrong. [music] Besides obeying the rules yourself, you've always got to look [music] out for the other guy. [music] An intersection is a place where traffic moves in many directions. This intersection is regulated by a traffic light. It is regulated but not controlled. The control comes from the drivers themselves. A traffic light is a timing device. It measures the time allotted for each line of traffic to move ahead. It says who must yield the right of way, but it does not prevent other drivers from being wrong. When they are, the results can be [music] disastrous. As a driver, your first job is to know the rules, your second to obey them, your third to guard against the mistakes of others. This intersection has no stop [music] signs or lights. It is unregulated. When two cars arrive at the same [music] time, the law dictates that the car on the left shall yield to the car on the right. But don't bet your life on it. Some drivers forget and nobody wins a tie. Occasionally at intersections regulated by four-way stop signs, four cars arrive at once. Then who goes first? The solution to this problem is courtesy and communication. [music] [music] A yield sign means that you must yield to cars on the intersecting roadway. If you roll through a yield sign and cause an accident, it's your fault. This car has just violated the law. The driver rolled through the stop sign. He did not stop completely. Now, this might be okay for a yield sign, but a stop sign means what it says. And you must stop at the line or before. If there is no line, then stop at the crosswalk. A flashing red light means the same as a stop sign. [music] A flashing yellow light is a warning signal and means proceed with caution. At [music] an intersection, it is similar to a yield sign. And this familiar sign, while it's the most useful of all, frequently means trouble. A lot of people play games with traffic [music] lights. One of the most common is trying to beat a stale green light. This driver knows that green light ahead is stale. [music] He knows it will shortly change, but he wants to beat it just for the fun of it or because he's impatient and he made it this time. Odds are the odds will catch up with him. If he's lucky, he'll get a ticket. If not, he'll get this. It's not smart to play games with two tons of steel. [music] The right way to approach an intersection is to get your speed down to the point where you can stop easily. Take your right foot off the accelerator and poise it over the brake pedal. That saves you vital reaction time [music] in case you need to stop. Before starting off at an intersection, look first to your left and then to [music] your right to make sure the cross traffic has stopped. There may be some joker coming your way who never heard of stale green. If you're going to [music] make a turn, show your intention well in advance. both by signal [music] and position. Get in your turning lane well in advance of the turn. In making a left turn, don't try to [music] dart in front of oncoming traffic. They have the right of way, and you must wait until there's a safe break in oncoming traffic. It's also a good idea to keep your wheels [music] pointed straight ahead while waiting to make a left turn. That way, if you're struck from behind, [music] you won't be shoved into the oncoming traffic. Make your turn briskly [music] but carefully. Pedestrians may dash into the crosswalk and force you to stop. Turn into the inside lane. Don't swing wide into the outside lane [music] where there may be a conflict with an oncoming vehicle making a right turn. When you make a left turn at an intersection, don't stop beyond the center as these cars are. They are hopelessly locked in the tangle turn. Instead, execute the tangent turn from a position short of the center. This permits traffic from both directions [music] to turn left at the same time. The expressway. No intersection problems here, right? Wrong. It's just a different kind of intersection with a whole new set of problems. Watch out for these signs. You're on an exit ramp instead of an entrance ramp [music] and on your way to a deadly head-on crash in high-speed traffic. When you [music] enter an expressway, it's an intersection of sorts. Speed up in [music] the acceleration lane and blend into the traffic stream smoothly. Approaching an interchange, move into the passing lane, [music] leaving the entry lane open for merging cars. Getting off, get in the deceleration lane well in advance and [music] signal. Slow down and enter the exit ramp at the posted speed. If by chance you should overshoot [music] your exit, you must go ahead to the next exit. Don't [music] try to back up and get on the ramp. When [music] you leave the expressway, shift your mental gears to prepare yourself for the slower cruising speeds of non-expressway driving. And remember, onethird of all accidents happen at intersections and most because of some kind [music] of carelessness. Know where you're going. Show where you're going. Slow for the intersection and go when it's safe. [music] That's the way defensive driving protects you [music] from the jokers of this world. [music] [music]