FREEWAY DRIVING TACTICS, 2nd Edition

Let's [Music] drive. >> It is beautiful. I could drive all day. [Music] >> Sure beat the old route. How did we ever get to work before we had priests? [Music] >> Keeping your mind on driving is tough enough without a car full of children. Well, at least there aren't any cross streets to watch. [Music] >> This traffic goes too fast. Makes me nervous as a bird. A day of this is work in anybody's book. You really have to drive with your head up. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Fast, safe, dangerous. These are the reactions of people to the thousands of miles of freeways. Years ago, HG Wells visualized roads such as these in his science fiction fantasies, and today they're a reality, and travel is easier for millions. Most drivers are skilled and careful. Highway and traffic engineers have made expressways the safest place to drive. [Music] High speed and close formation traffic, however, have introduced new problems. Problems inherent to an age of speed. I wish they'd slow down. I'll never be able to make it. Maybe now. Nope. That was close. Those fools are driving too fast. Approaching and then merging with the flow of traffic too slowly is a common error. [Music] Stopping makes the problem even more difficult and dangerous. Use a flashing turn signal to indicate your intention to enter the traffic flow. And be sure you merge at or near the speed of approaching vehicles. While George made a better entrance, his jack rabbit lane changing and speeding habits could cause an accident. Lane changing should be done smoothly and with the flow of traffic. That stupid clown. Why doesn't he learn to drive? Drive it or get off the road. Why don't you drive it or park it? [Music] Any emergency, whether it be an accident or running out of gas or a flat, demands that the driver get his car out of the traveled lanes as quickly as possible. [Music] If at all possible, avoid stopping in the median or the center divider area. Repairing damages or towing a car from the median is dangerous and next to impossible in heavy traffic. Changing lanes should be done with caution, one lane at a time. This is no time to worry about things like tire damage. It's better to lose a tire than your life. [Music] The idle curiosity of other drivers, multiplied by the danger of following too closely, can turn a minor emergency into a major tragedy. I could walk for help, but that would be dangerous with this traffic. I'd better just wait. There should be a patrol car along soon. [Music] Where call boxes are not available, raise the hood and wait in your car for a patrolman. [Applause] Mirrors sometimes reveal more than meets the eye, but on a car, mirrors only tell you part of the story. Small cars and motorcycles are all around us. Sometimes you miss them in your mirror. So remember, when you want to make a lane change, there's no substitute for a quick look over your shoulder. [Music] What the boy? If there's anything that burns me up, it's tailgating. That guy can't see around this rig. He's got no idea what's out ahead of me. If I had to hit my brakes, he'd plow right into me. Not that it would hurt me much, but I'd sure hate to go through all that paperwork. [Music] By far the greatest freeway hazard is the problem driver who follows too closely. Most of us can control our cars at high speed even in close formation. If the speed of traffic remains constant, but the traffic flow changes. When one driver changes speed even for a moment, the balance of speed and distance in the formation is radically changed and a chain reaction is set in motion. The situation quickly gets out of control. [Music] Put yourself in George's shoes with this simulator. Imagine your right foot on the gas pedal. Your brake pedal is a few inches to the left. When you see the brake light come on, lift the accelerator and stomp down on the brake pedal. The clock will start the instant the red light flashes. A full sweep is 1 second. Check your reaction time as you hit the brake. [Music] Now, let's move the brake light back to the point where George first saw it at approximately 28 ft. Remember, lift your foot from the imaginary accelerator and stomp on the brake pedal. Now, take your queue from the light. You ready? Let's try it. [Music] Because you were expecting it, you probably did pretty well. But in an emergency with its distractions, you probably would not do as well. Let's try it again. [Music] Average reaction time under emergency conditions is approximately 3/4 of a second. [Music] Now, this may not seem very long, but when you're traveling at 50 m an hour, 3/4 of a second translated into reaction distance is 55 critical feet of roadway. We'll assume both vehicles stop equally well. Let's see what happened to George. He was following the truck at a distance of 28 ft. Although they were both doing 50 mph when the truck driver hit the brakes. George reacted 1/2 second later, which was better than average, but it still cost him 36 valuable feet. The distance lost in reaction time forced George well beyond the point of a safe recovery. [Music] Motion picture stuntmen are going to drive two cars at 50 m an hour. But to make certain that we can number two's following distance, a rope between the cars is measured and marked at 60 ft. If the rope remains taut, car number two will be following with 5 ft to spare. When car number one, remember there's 3/4 of a second reaction time, 55 ft of reaction distance. So, as a margin of safety to prevent impact, we're allowing 60 ft. All set. Let's go. [Music] Braking lights on car number one will be the cue to react. All right, we're up to speed. 50 mph. The final stopping distance between the two cars is 5 ft. We started out with 60. The difference 55 ft was used in reacting to the situation. We'll try it once more. Only this time, we're going to cut our 60 ft rope to 50. From a normal reaction distance of 55 ft, we're going to lose 5 ft. The drivers are ready. They're off. Quickly up to speed. The tail lights flash. Tailgating at any speed does not make sense, even for stunt drivers. They're okay, but the cars are not. Obviously, you can't drive one automobile 3 ft into the side of another one and expect them to be the same. [Music] Experts recommend that you leave a minimum of one car length between you and the car in front for each 10 m of speed you're traveling, four lengths at 40 mph, five lengths at 50, and so on. At night or in bad weather, of course, the following distance should be increased and the speed reduced to maintain the same measure of reaction control. Limited visibility, the mechanical condition of the car, and your own physical condition may also be reasons for increasing the distance between cars. With this extra margin of safety, you'll be more relaxed. You'll feel less tense, and you'll be amazed at how much more enjoyable driving can be. [Music] You'd be surprised at how many people don't know where they're going on a freeway and don't even know which exit they're looking for. Mr. Willoughby is poorly prepared for any emergency. He should have both hands on the wheel. He should have planned his route and known exactly the name of his off-ramp before he got on the freeway. So, pay particular attention to the speed posted and the curve indication shown. [Music] Exits differ in many ways. [Music] [Music] Driving is never a part-time job. Even the best of us can occasionally get into trouble. [Music] The low accident rate on expressways is undoubtedly due to the good sense and skill that most drivers display. Remember, know where you're going before you get on the freeway. Get up to speed on the entrance and merge smoothly into the traffic. Don't be a creeper. And don't be a jack rabbit. Once you're on the freeway and whenever you're traveling in the outside lane, be sure to remember to be considerate and allow others to enter the flow of traffic. Know your emergency procedures and get out of the way of traffic when your car is disabled. Don't change lanes unnecessarily. When you do change lanes, plan ahead and give other drivers a legal signal. And above all, don't be a tailgator. It isn't safe at any speed. Our country is being opened up to fast, safe travel beyond our wildest dreams. Let's keep it a dream and not a nightmare. Practice good driving habits. Enjoy fast, safe freeway driving. [Music] [Music]