THE IRON GRAVEYARD

nobody ever walks in reverence through an automobile graveyard nobody mourns nobody tens flowers in fact nobody goes there except to dump another wreck but these battered rusting monuments to our recklessness say more about bad driving practices than all the casts and amputations and widows of the careless drivers they don't heal they won't go they just accumulate as tragic debris reminders of mistakes drivers make [Music] I can't say that I like this job I ain't never seen anything uglier than a wreck but you know I know why they're here it's because of that doggone City over there and I know what it's like because I've been there horns blowing cars neck-and-neck hurry up drivers scooting in and out so many signs and signals you often don't have time enough to read them it's a decision a minute how can you make decisions with all that distraction but you gotta understand it and deal with it because it's part of your job and the only hire pros to do it you're part of it for better or for here take the expressway exits are only tough for the guys that aren't paying attention you gotta know your route know the exit you want and the one before it too when you see it signal and change lanes carefully so you don't have to cut through traffic at the last minute get in the deceleration Lane at minimum expressway speed then slow down to ramp speed as soon as you're off the expressway sounds simple but a lot of drivers get into trouble at exits one guy last week overshot the exit now you don't need to lose a few minutes going on to the next one but he wasn't too much of a hurry oh he came through it okay but he sure caused a lot of trouble for the people behind him [Applause] I got three cars out of that one professional drivers in the city of gotta be a special kind of person the whole picture in front of you and all around you keeps changing second by second and you gotta stay with it eyes right eyes left eyes ahead eyes behind you gotta know what's going on all around you all the time the safe way is to pick your lane and stay there and move with the traffic keep your distance because in the city sudden stops aren't the exception they're the rule so get that one fact you end up here stay in your lane even if it seems slower you'll probably get there about the same time but when you have to change lanes change mighty carefully put on your turn signal check the side you want to turn to mirrors blind spots and get ready when you see your opening move like you mean it don't dawdle across to the next Lane move like you mean it we get a lot of cars in here from streets with parallel parking here's where professional drivers seem to have to protect everyone else someone gets out on the driver's side you stop in time but the guy behind you can't and I've got another wreck most of the pros have stayed out of here by watching for a little telltale sign that give you a pretty good idea of what a park driver may do a person behind the wheel sure he's gonna pull out a turn signal be careful he may be ready to move a little smoke from the exhaust his engines running watch out or even a brake light maybe he's holding waiting to pull out good drivers keep their eyes shifting from car to car as they pass parallel Parkers trying to anticipate what each one of them is about to do angle parking is even tougher you can't see if anyone's in the driver's seat but again smoke from the exhaust is a pretty good sign that something's about to happen a backup light will tell you for sure but sometimes there just isn't any signal and unless you're sure it's up to the pros to be careful to protect themselves and everyone else another thing the pros most of them know is how to park safely they see their spot and start slowing down of course they're in the proper lane to begin with they signal a stop and give the guy behind a chance to brake then the good pros pause if the traffic behind them wants to move around they can and when it's clear behind the good driver backs into the space as quickly as he can oh it takes practice but all good pros practice you know if I had to guess I'd say about half of the wrecks in here come from accidents at intersections that's where most of the trouble seems to happen but the good pros the ones who stay out of here don't take anything for granted they try to see into every cross street if they can't see maybe a hundred feet up the other street you can be sure they've got one foot covering the brake they're ready for someone that comes zipping out from behind that wall otherwise I get another customer you know you'd think that intersections that where four-way stops would be as safe as could be but I got a couple of wrecks in here that proven ain't so that one that a rolling stop that guy over there didn't wait for his turn a pro has to protect himself and the best way is to make eye contact with all other vehicles at the intersection make sure he sees you make sure he knows you see him then make your move when you see he is stopped with his brakes on and he's waiting for you here's an easy mistake to make kind of embarrassing but the only thing to do is to stay put don't back up because people are already adjusting to your mistake just sweat it out and remember to be more alert stoplights did you ever notice how many wrecks got it from the right front well I got a theory about it left turns ever see a guy pull into an intersection and turn his front wheels to the left while he's waiting often without his foot on the brake well what happens if he gets hit from the rear he shoved right into the oncoming traffic and I've got another customer the pros don't turn their wheels while they're waiting for the chance to make a left they keep the wheel straight when they can move then they turn their wheels and they move like they mean it no hesitation a professional driver is expected to protect pedestrians too it seems it's mostly old people in the very young that caused most of the trouble old people get confused in traffic you never know which way they're gonna go don't blast them with the horn that only turns confusion into panic best thing to do is hold back until they make up their minds and the kids they dart out from nowhere especially from between parked cars kids move fast and are often hard to see so the only defense you have is anticipate them and be ready and kids aren't all that's hard to see look at this little guy small cars can move so fast you never know when one of them is gonna try to squeeze past when you have to swing wide for a buttonhook right turn when you're turning right in the city check your right mirror then close off that right lane before you start your turn never forget give a small car or a motorcycle a little room and they may try to take it like I said I'm not crazy about this job I wish I never had to open that gate and I probably wouldn't have to open it that often if drivers would just remember the rules keep a complete picture of traffic all around pick your lane and stay in it move with the traffic signal to change lanes wait for an opening and then move like you mean it treat parked cars like vehicles getting ready to move watch out for pedestrians be alert for stops because traffic in the city is more often stopped than gold well it sounds like somebody else made a mistake looks like a rear ender to me oh yeah I know them all I've been there once too often that's mine over there [Music]