STAY RIGHT STAY SAFE

[Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] this is the center line of a highway a few inches of paint which separate opposing lanes of traffic now it's not a steel fence or a brick wall it can't prevent drivers from crossing to the wrong side of the road as a result there are thousands of head-on collisions every year and this type of accident has an extremely high fatality rate why did they happen they happen because someone crosses over this center line and into the path of the vehicle approaching now you've heard fellows kid about close calls they say that wasn't the width of a cigarette paper between us or if there'd been another coat of paint we'd have scraped well these stories might seem funny if there wasn't so much truth to them have you ever stopped to think how close you are to danger when you drive near this center line now look here's a fender's eye view of traffic coming at you a moment's lapse by the driver can bring any one of these cars over the line and into your vehicle suppose one of these drivers sneezes or a bug flies into his car or something gets into his eye any one of these drivers might be sick or sleepy or even have a heart attack any of these things can send his vehicle over to your side i just don't see how people have nerve enough to crowd the center line in today's traffic but just picture it two vehicles racing toward each other at the cumulative speed of up to 120 miles an hour fenders less than two feet apart that's not for me and it's so unnecessary too because these centerline crowders leave four or five feet of good pavement unused on the other side this is where i want to be as far to the right as possible and it's where you want to be too regardless of how many lanes of traffic in each direction then if a vehicle from the opposite direction crosses over that center line you're not going to be in his way any way you look at it you're better off as far to the right as possible now another thing no one can pass you on your right side that means you have only your left side passes to worry about and in most city and suburban traffic you make better time if you stay in the right hand lane i just watched the flow of traffic at any busy intersection notice what happens when the light turns green i can guarantee you it'll be something like this vehicles in the left lane have to wait for all the left turners who are held up by traffic from the opposite direction the vehicles on the right are not delayed so long or so often they move at a more constant speed there's less starting and stopping less wear and tear on you and less chance for accidents try it gentlemen and i think you'll agree that the right place for you is in that right-hand lane now on one of your trips out to the amusement park have you ever been in one of those contraptions that whirls you around the floor drops out from under you and you're held to the wall by centrifugal force well here's a movie of it just watch what happens notice that the bottom is dropped away yet the folks are held firmly by centrifugal force well this is the same centrifugal force that affects your vehicle when you're rounding a curve and which can get you into trouble with the vehicle approaching from the opposite direction when you're making a right hand curve you know that this force pulls you toward the center of the highway and can even be so great as to pull you over the center line in a left-hand curve it can pull you into the ditch so frequently many drivers over compensate by hugging the center line that's why it's dangerous to take a curve at high speed if you're going too fast you won't be able to hold your vehicle in the proper lane so when entering a curve decrease your speed then gradually pick up speed as the curve permits then if you're going around a right-hand curve like this stay to the right near the inside lane and if you're going around a left-hand curve keep in the middle of your traffic lane like this if you do these things centrifugal force won't pull or trick you into an accident another thing when you're rounding a curve keep a sharp eye out for what the approaching vehicle is doing expect vehicle approaching drop off the pavement when this happens that driver is liable to get flustered he may over correct and swing over into your lane so keep your eyes open slow down and be ready to do whatever you can to prevent a collision so far we've talked about vehicles approaching us on the straightaway and on the curb now let's see about vehicles approaching us when we make a left-hand turn let's say that you're over here in the left lane your left wheel's near the center line you're the lead car and you're waiting for and let's say the question is who goes first what's that the guy who's quickest on the draw you say the one who can make it first make your turn it's foolish to try to beat anyone to the draw since with the vehicle approaching they can be prevented these few pointers will prove mighty help on the string this as professional drivers let's have a healthy respect for that line down the center of the road it's often the dividing line between life and death [Music] [Applause] [Music] you