Freeway driving

[Music] hello everybody this is LEL Thomas for many long years it has been my pleasure to bring you reports from the Far Corners of the globe these reports have ranged from Tibet to the Andes from the inner desert of Australia to the ice fields of the polar regions of course uh it's a good idea to stay at home once in a while if you don't you lose sight of the fact that some of the greatest stories of all are to be found right in your own backyard this perhaps is such a story for centuries as we all know men have been concerned with the building of Roads the Great Wall of China is one it not only served as a vast protective barrier but Men actually traveled on top of the Great Wall of China and still do and then of course there were those magnificent roads built by the Romans some of them are still in existence I've even traveled on ancient Roman roads in Arabia and then there's the aan way into Rome I've been over that several times in the last year or two it's still an operation perhaps one of the greatest road builders of all was that fellow Adolf Hitler his Blitz Creek concept of warfare depended on great roads hence the aaban the highways that still crisscross Germany all of these were roads of Conquest they were built for death and destruction to a considerable extent today we here in America are at work on road building a program which will dwarf any of the efforts of mankind in Years Gone by conceived not for war not for Conquest but designed for the peaceful enjoyment of all of us but will they perhaps be the bloodiest roads of all that depends it depends on you and on me unless the motoring public learns to use them properly for freeway driving well it's different from other driving we've got to learn how to get on them then how to drive on them and how to drive off them use them safely and then we can enjoy them to the fullest listen if you will to this traffic engineer thank you Mr Thomas yes freeway driving is different but it can be a wonderful experience and it's an experience more and more of us will be enjoying this map shows existing roads and those being built as you can see there are a lot of them now these New Roads call them what you will Super highways expressways freeways simply mean roads having free access they're easy to get onto and off of they're designed to eliminate traffic conflicts and to move traffic rapidly and safely let's take a look at some of yours first this divider strip it separates traffic moving in opposite directions Rises the danger of head-on collisions at night headlight glare is far less on our new freeways there are no steep Graves curves are easy lames are wide and you can see long distances ahead [Music] there are broad paved shoulders there are no Crossroads no stop signs or traffic lights before we discuss how to drive on a freeway we must first become familiar with how to get on them correctly now here's the way it works first observe the signs then select the right entrance for your destination this is important for once you're on the freeway you may not be able to go in the opposite direction for many miles the entrance ramp leads directly to the acceleration Lane here you increase your speed to about that of traffic already traveling on the freeway as you build up speed watch for a good safe Gap in the freeway traffic into which you can merge this merging involves give and take between the entering driver and those already traveling on the freeway but it's the responsibility of the entering driver to fit his car into the existing traffic stream without conflict now once you're on the freeway why is it any different than driving on any other good road well for one thing you must adjust to faster speeds at high speeds inattention for even a second can lead to trouble coming upon a barricade or Road repair equipment unexpectedly when traveling at high speeds can be fatal at any rate it calls for fast thinking when driving in heavy traffic on Urban freeways emergencies of any kind increase your need to be [Music] alert of course like on any road you must adjust your speed to driving conditions what might be be a safe speed on a bright Clear Day might be an unsafe speed under different conditions in heavy Smog or when it's foggy rainy or under snow and ice conditions slow up play it safe now here's another problem we all have to face up to honestly if we're to be safe drivers what about our personal limitations what about our hearing our eyesight our reactions at fast freeway speeds any emergency may require faster reactions than we can meet unless we make allowances for that possibility so we may have to change some of our driving habits you should never suddenly stop or slow down with no good reason if you should drive past the exit you intended to use don't break and slow down suddenly you might be struck by the car following maintain your speed because you'll have to go on to the next exit now a question often asked is which lane should I drive in well that depends somewhat on your speed generally speaking faster traffic uses the left lane slower traffic the right lane so select the proper lane and then adjust your speed to that of the traffic in your lane if you overtake and pass cars frequently either slow down to the lane speed or move to the faster Lane a steady flow of vehicles in the same Lane traveling at the same speed makes freeway driving Pleasant and moves traffic smoothly so keep the pace to change lanes increase your speed a bit and catch up to a traffic Gap rather than wait for a gap to catch up with you in extreme ly heavy traffic there may not be any gaps in that case you should signal and Edge over a bit to indicate you need a gap usually other drivers will let you in faster freeway speed means you must signal farther in advance than on an ordinary road to warn drivers behind you that you're going to move to the left before making your move check your mirrors check your blind spot when you're sure there's a long enough Gap start well back of the car ahead and move to the left lane in a smooth easy sweep now a question that's often asked what's a safe following distance on freeways well the highway rule is stay back one car length for every 10 Mi of speed for instance at 70 mph you should allow at least seven car lengths faster freeway driving makes this a must rule in fact you should stay back more than one car length if possible for every 10 m of speed but in heavy traffic in an around cities these distances simply aren't kept if you try to maintain proper distance other cars will cut in ahead and fill the gaps under these circumstances you must be especially Al alert and ready for an emergency stop for rear end collisions are the most frequent and serious of freeway accidents so keep your distance now something entirely different it's called freeway drowsiness or freeway hypnosis the very advantages that freeways offer contribute to this long straight stretches of Road no cross traffic your eyes fixed on a point straight ahead head mile after mile at sustained speed you become inattentive drowsy you begin to lose contact with [Music] reality at the very first sign of drowsiness get more air into the car then get off the freeway as soon as you can if there's a rest area pull in and Park walk around or take a nap [Music] the important thing is never ignore drowsiness or lapses of attention because the harder you try to stay awake the sleepier you're apt to become so don't fight it stop at once and take a break now another thing we need to know that's how to meet freeway emergencies no matter what the emergency engine trouble out of gas illness whatever it is never stop on the freeway always get off the road onto the shoulder as far as possible if you need help raise the hood tie something white to the radio antenna or the left front door handle wait for assistance never attempt to walk or hitch a ride freeways are no place for pedestrians of course the smart thing is to prevent emergencies your car should be in good condition always have good tires and keep them properly inflated have the attendant check your fan belt radiator level oil level and the battery and be sure you have ample fuel it's a good idea to refill when down to the last quarter tank remember the old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure well now that we've discussed getting on and driving on freeways the next question is how do we get off them correctly first know how to identify your exit learn its name or root number in advance also it's a good idea to know the exit just before yours so you can be alert for your exit when you spot your exit sign move to the right lane as you come to the deceleration Zone move over into it and then begin reducing your speed check your speedometer and be sure you have slowed to the posted speed for your exit ramp this is important because once off the freeway you will be sharing a smaller roadway with other cars coming toward you also there will be Crossroads with cars and pedestrians to watch for yes freeway driving is different and it's something all of us even the most experienced drivers must learn enjoy the one-way traffic the special purpose Lanes the easy grades and curves the controlled access roads build up speed on the acceleration Lane check traffic spot a gap merge at or near freeway speed be alert stay in your lane maintain proper speed overtake and pass correctly keep your distance at the first sign of drowsiness get off the road in case of emergency get completely off the road onto the shoulder stay with your car until help comes know your exit get into proper lane for your exit in advance reduce speed sufficiently on deceleration Lan our fine new freeways have been designed to provide a more convenient safer Journey for all of us getting the most out of our freeways in convenience in pleasure and safety that depends on you and on me let's do it so long [Music]