TECHNIQUES OF DEFENSIVE DRIVING: DRIVING THE EXPRESSWAYS

[Music] super highways have taken many of the usual hazards out of the traffic picture but let's see whether all of the six basic positions of the two-car crash can still be found in this new kind of driving you can protect yourself and others on the expressways by applying all of the principles of defensive driving you've learned knowledge alertness foresight judgment and skill are increasingly important as your speed increases in addition to knowing the rules and traffic regulations of your state you should be aware of any differences in regulations in the states you may be passing through and be familiar with general rules of the road as well as the particular laws and customs of the expressway you're traveling [Music] for example if you have three lanes going your way it is customary for the fastest traffic to take the left lane the slowest to take the right but avoid using the right lane when you're approaching an entrance or exit ramp [Music] if there are only two lanes going each way you should keep to the right unless you are passing if there happened to be four lanes going one way drive in one of the two center lanes to avoid any conflicts with very fast moving or slower moving vehicles in the left and right lanes be sure you know the name of the exit that comes just before the one you want to take not only does it save time and sometimes many miles of driving but if you don't plan your exit well ahead you may find yourself trying to make this kind of dangerous maneuver if you miss your exit never stop on a super highway above all never back up even on the shoulder [Music] a real knowledge of how long it takes to stop at super highway speeds is a life-saving factor that not many drivers are able to grasp [Music] at 65 miles an hour your car is traveling nearly 100 feet a second during the time you perceive the emergency and move your foot from accelerator to brake your car travels 71 feet if your natural reactions are good you need at least 300 feet the length of a football field to bring your car to a stop if an emergency occurs in front of you at 65 miles an hour on a heavily traveled super highway the defensive driver watches not only the first car directly in front of him but the actions and the brake lights of the second third and fourth car ahead plus the cars ahead in the adjoining traffic lanes to make up for his lack of space he must be unusually alert checking carefully for clues showing any changes in speed ahead in a split second the whole situation can change drastically at super highway speeds if you want to read a map count your coins light a cigarette or turn to say something to a passenger you'd better save it for another time or have a co-pilot do it if you have opened a fairly safe gap and another car cuts into your following space just ease up on the gas without irritation and know that you are protecting yourself and preventing a very possible accident judgment alertness and foresight are the defenses that can help prevent collisions with the vehicle ahead the first of the six types of two-car crash along with its twin collisions with the vehicle behind this same direction type of accident makes up about two-thirds of all the multiple car super highway crashes although the super highways are generally designed for faster travel with safety one hazard becomes more dangerous under super highway conditions the tailgater is a constant menace that the defensive driver must cope with successfully to prevent accidents with the vehicles behind when someone drives too close to your rear bumper at high speed he has a weapon at your back get him to pass you either by slowing down or pulling over signal your intention to change lanes and check to see that someone else isn't coming up on you in the next lane and anytime you have to slow or stop give all the advance warning you can with hand signals and intermittently flashing brake lights if possible [Music] now if you thought the separated traffic engineering of the super highways made the deadly head-on crash impossible don't ever let your guard down wrong-way drivers still somehow come in through exit ramps and there's two-car collision type three staring you in the face it still kills people on super highways so be aware of the possibility [Music] of course limited access road design means that there are no intersections for hundreds of miles but that doesn't mean there can't be conflicts with drivers coming at you from the side there can and the chain reaction can be disastrous if you don't watch the situation all around you use foresight and show good judgment in your avoidance maneuvers when you are entering super highways as soon as you see it's clear to go accelerate briskly so that you can get up to the speed of expressway traffic [Music] if you don't pick up speed fast enough you will be out of tempo with the rest of the cars and cause trouble when you try to merge with the stream [Music] the slow moving driver is one of the biggest menaces on the super highway when you are going to pass a car on a super highway make all your moves gradually and with plenty of preparation stay well back where you can see everything until you're ready to make your move check behind you and to the sides put on your turn signal turn gradually without swerving and get plenty of lead on the past car before you change lanes again [Music] so and when someone passes you even if he's playing the hot shot cooperate don't race him that stuff is for idiots have the good sense to have your car ready for the super highway in decent mechanical condition with good tires properly inflated and with enough gasoline in the tank don't be one of those roadside hazards if you have taken your lessons in defensive driving to heart you won't right now you are better trained than the average driver if you find others who are ready to discuss what you have learned pass on whatever information attitudes and ideas you've picked up so that more people can become acquainted with defensive driving and the concept of preventability as the first responsibility of every driver but above all use what you have learned practice it every time you get behind the wheel of a car you