Down-size Your Driving (1983)

[Music] today more and more small cars are traveling our roads and highways the advantages of these smaller cars are many they have better maneuverability they require less Road and parking space they are easier to park cost less have lower maintenance costs and have the ability to travel up to five times farther on a gallon of gas if you already own a small car chances are your next car will be even smaller and more fuele efficient if you have never driven a small car before you are in for a pleasant surprise but driving these small cars safely requires a different driving technique many driving habits must be changed in other words you must downsize your [Music] driving [Music] we stated that smaller cars have better maneuverability this means they can turn sharper Corner flatter and are quicker to respond to your slightest touch advantages definitely but this ability if misused can cause absolute havoc in traffic regardless of the size of the car it's the driver's ability and behavior that determine whether or not a car is being driven safely defensive driving and common courtesy toward the other driver will make your trip more pleasant and safer here are some hints for downsizing that will make driving a small car safer and more enjoyable by far the best safety tip we could give you is to wear your seat belt it is a natural law of physics that if a larger vehicle hits a smaller vehicle the smaller vehicle and its passengers will suffer the greatest damage with safety belts you are six times safer than without [Music] them make sure you are seen visibility not seeing or not being seen is probably the largest cause of small car accidents drivers of larger cars Vans pickups and especially trucks simply cannot see small cars when they are running along beside them or close behind them the driver of a small car is sitting as much as 9 in lower than in a full-sized car and about 5 ft lower than a semi which incidentally weighs about 60 times as much as the compact try to avoid running along beside big trucks especially on the freeway the semi May suddenly change LS not even realizing you are there don't follow these larger vehicles too closely either because they can't see you behind them and neither can the driver of the approaching vehicle who just might want to take a left turn as soon as he passes drivers of larger vehicles have a tendency to follow smaller cars much more closely than they would follow larger cars maybe it is because they can easily see over the smaller cars or maybe they are trying to intimidate them if the situation permits pull over and let him pass for in an emergency you could stop more quickly on dry pavement than he could if the roads are wet or slippery a heavier vehicle can stop more quickly so try to maintain a space cushion around you at all times would you come charging out of this alley onto a cross street when you can't see vehicles coming certainly not but here is a situation not altogether different that we Face almost every day a line of cars is stopped we can't see over these vehicles and a Crossing car cannot see us slow down even if you think you have the right of way or a green light don't come charging out of this blind alley because in a small car you are lower there are many times when other vehicles will totally block your vision of traffic lights or stop sides be cautious it is better to stop when not necessary than not to stop when it's too late there is no problem seeing around this curve in a full-sized car but down here where you sit 9 in lower you can't see over this barrier consequently your visibility distance is limited if possible change lanes to move away from the wall or slow down while we're on on the subject of barriers this brings up another safety hint these barriers were designed to repel large cars with bulging body sides small cars hitting these are very apt to roll over other pieces of Highway Furniture like these road signs and light poles don't always break away as they were designed to do with 3,000 to 4,000 lb cars the resulting damage to the sub compact can be quite severe always please stay alert and keep your car well under control at all times many drivers are used to taking a quick glance down the road a glance that would tell them a big full-sized car was coming they will sometimes miss a small subc compact for years motorcycles have been faced with the same problem they travel at all times with their lights on in order to make themselves more visible you too can turn on your lights for greater safety during the day it's amazing how much more visible you will be with lights on especially during inclement weather cars capable of getting 30 to 50 MP gallon have much smaller engines and they simply don't have the gas burning pickup and acceleration of the older cars therefore when you decide to pass another vehicle make sure you have plenty of room being 9 in lower to the ground means you cannot see as far ahead particularly at the crest of a hill or if the road has a slight dip your headlights are also lower to the ground restricting your night visibility in inclement weather being closer to the ground means getting more glare off the wet pavement from oncoming headlights smaller cars are more affected by strong winds than our heavier Vehicles when you meet a semi on a windy day the blast can be strong enough to literally blow a light car off the road when passing a semi or bus is pushing a large wave of air that will force you aside and just about the time you correct your steering to get back into your lane the low pressure along the sides of the truck will want to pull you in when being passed or when meeting a large vehicle like this even if it isn't windy keep both hands on the wheel and stay as far away in your own lane as possible this will minimize the turbulence [Music] because of smaller engines and less pickup it is vital when merging onto a freeway to start accelerating as soon as you are on the entrance ramp don't stop step on it get up to freeway speed it's easy to back off a little if necessary to merge into the traffic once on that freeway remember that overhead directional signs can be much harder to see when you sit up to 9 in lower another good reason to try to maintain maintain that space cushion around you at all times yes the hazards in a small car can be formidable but as we have shown most of these can be minimized by correctly adjusting your driving habits wear your seat built make sure you are seen don't come charging out of this blind alley try to avoid running along beside big trucks don't follow these larger vehicles too closely either when being past or when meeting a large vehicle like this keep both hands on the wheel and stay as far away in your own lane as possible try to maintain a space cushion around you at all times when you decide to pass another vehicle make sure you have plenty of room it is vital when merging onto a freeway to start accelerating as soon as you are on the entrance ramp don't stop step on it always stay alert and keep your car well under control at all times times defensive driving and common courtesy toward the other driver will make your trip more pleasant and safer the day of the small car has definitely arrived the advantages of these cars are many not the least of which is saving money and they are a lot safer to drive if you downsize your [Music] driving