HORSE SENSE IN HORSE POWER

foreign ER was a girl there was no such thing as a traffic problem the speed limits that trotting pace and when Grandpa got tired of driving all he had to do was tie the reins around the whip socket and give old mod her head then came the dawn of the motor age the horse was transformed into horsepower and imprisoned under a shiny Hood of course these early Horseless carriages were anything but dependable and when two of these ancient gas buggies met there was a traffic problem only Steely nerves and a firm grip on the wheel could avoid disaster or even under the most fortunate circumstances guiding these temperamental mechanical grasshoppers was as much a matter of luck as skill the rutted lanes of a generation ago are now smooth ribbons of concrete bringing once distant cities within a few short hours linking the nation together with the greatest Highway transportation system in the world American Highway Builders have done their work well conquering road hazards controlling the traffic flow and keeping the driver constantly informed like the engineer of a cracked Railroad train of driving conditions ahead wherever the road leads there you will find the outposts of that great Army of protection the highway police an army of National Defense trained and equipped to keep All Quiet on thy wave front on the job 24 hours a day with the finest and best controlled highway traffic system in the world it would seem almost ridiculous that highway accidents should happen well there are still accidents all too many of them but they are never ridiculous and they don't just happen who is at fault here of course each driver blames the other but let's reenact the events leading up to this crash and judge for ourselves here he comes traveling along a super highway he's on his own side of the roads his brakes are good enough to stop within the assured clear distance ahead at least he thinks they are and here is the other car traveling slowly toward the intersection at the intersection the driver stops he sees the approaching car but then there's plenty of time but is there watch out and there is another motoring accident added to the list of more than a million which occur on American streets and highways every year who is to blame after all it really doesn't matter no the important point is that this tragic accident need never have occurred if one driver had been willing to spare just a few seconds and if the other driver had been sure that his brakes were equal to his speed analyzing the causes of all accidents we find that inability to stop in time is by all odd the outstanding reason for motoring mishap how quickly can you stop at 20 miles per hour with the world's safest brakes this car stops in 14 feet police safety standards are more liberal demanding that you'll be able to stop within 22 feet after the brakes are applied but wait a minute another element enters into this problem of safe stopping the interval between recognition of an emergency and the application of the brakes for instance at 20 miles per hour your car will actually travel 22 feet before you react to the need for stopping thus the distance covered during reaction and braking time equals 40 feet at 40 miles per hour it requires 44 feet to shift from accelerator to break and 71 feet to stop totaling 115 feet and at 60 miles per hour the reaction time is equal to 66 feet braking requires 160 feet and the total stopping distance is 226 feet in this era of high-speed driving only the best brakes are good enough yet police tests reveal that more than half of all cars tested are faulty in this vital safety Factor to be trustworthy your brakes must be perfectly and permanently equalized without properly equalized stopping power on all four wheels you are bound to meet trouble sooner or later on the open road for instance here is a chap whose brakes are good enough for City driving and he thinks they are good enough for high speed but in an emergency when he stamps on the brakes the car skids and dives into the dish and it might have been worse here we are at the Indianapolis Speedway The Roaring Road of speed few of you indeed would care to take the risks which these drivers accept as a matter of course in their record chasing indeed some of the driving habits You observe every day on the highway are too risky for these Daredevils of the speedway for example the common practice of crowding the center line on the highway would put a Speedway Champion's hair right up on end you're traveling at 50 miles an hour the approaching driver is traveling at the same speed that's virtually 100 miles an hour and within handshaking distance and how many times have you started to pass up some slower car and then squeak through by the skin of your teeth if that car is traveling at 50 miles per hour it represents the same obstacle as 10 parked cars the chance is not so inviting now is it railroad crossing signals are installed as a warning not as a challenge yet there is always some inpatient motorist willing to gamble if he wins it means only the saving of a few seconds if he loses people do you think those seconds were worth the risk alcohol in the radiator of a motor car is a necessity but alcohol in the operator is one of the outstanding causes of accidents you wouldn't ride with an airplane pilot who had taken even one cocktail and a drink on the road may be just as hazardous as a drink in the air Public Enemy Number One always shows up in the most unexpected places you can look for him to appear on the wrong side of the road passing another car on a hill another of his favorite haunts is blind turns as usual he's on the wrong side of the road on narrow country lanes he takes the whole road to himself what about you well you can either meet him head on or take the ditch and take the consequences and on a pleasant Sunday afternoon on any crowded Highway when you see a long line of delayed traffic you can make up your mind that Mr J Rhodes Hogg is holding up the procession a nuisance indeed and more important a deadly menace to General traffic for anyone who attempts to pass does so at his own risk and the risk of all oncoming cars uh at last this traffic Menace is removed from the highway and let's hope they pen him up for good hey wait a minute can this be the desperate Public Enemy of safe Motoring not a bad looking fellow in fact if you hadn't witnessed the results of his driving you'd say he'd make a pretty good neighbor hmm here's something to think about the next time you and I are tempted to ignore the rules of courteous driving as a matter of fact there will be no highway traffic problem if you and I some 30 or 40 million of us observe the golden rule of the open road and mix some Horse Sense with our horsepower most car manufacturers are doing their part giving us cars so safe and simple to operate that they should make expert drivers of us all the most modern of the new cars have powerful self-equalizing brakes that furnish the stopping power to avoid accidents low center of gravity draws this car back to earth like a magnet even when tilted to an extreme angle modern design gives a new degree of stability and sure-footed performance under all driving conditions new scientific weight distribution and springing makes possible an entirely new conception of riding comfort and handling ease entirely free from steering wheel fight no matter how rough the road what's this catastrophe oh no merely a demonstration of strength and safety of the new type of Steel bodies by The Men Who break up automobiles to build them better in this thrilling testing these drivers are not suggesting that you try to imitate their performance they are experts strapped in their seats and experienced in this fine art of motor car mauling and what does it prove just that in the event of an inescapable accident the modern car offers you the safety of a mighty armor of tough steel welded to Steel the ultimate in protective coachcraft no car however well designed and built is any safer than its driver indeed as some jokester once remarked the most important part of any automobile is a nut that holds the steering wheel and the best rule of the road is be prepared for the unexpected [Music] foreign [Music] saved as a penny earned said A wise man and these men are saving fellows for they never have to have their pants pressed but to quote another old saying Pennywise and pound foolish for a thrift is not altogether sensible in every case as with this inexperienced cook who might better buy a cake from the baker so two we could all save money by going back to the days of candles but meanwhile we'd be ruining our eyes this fellow is saving the cost of the paper hanger service but look at the result here's another example of misdirected Thrift he's cleaning his shirt with gasoline instead of sending it to the laundry that's the trouble with some sorts of saving they involve discomfort and inconvenience and in the long run they don't really save at all he looks pretty good doesn't he but he's still worried about that spot