Stop, Look and Think, 2nd edition

[Music] so [Music] to get from one place to another there's usually a best way to go the ones who use the best way soon start a trail that is easy to follow in america the first trails were made by animals and then indians used the old animal trails and made more of their own [Music] the first settlers who came to america followed these trails and opened still more of their own when the settlers began to use wagons trails became roads the early automobiles had a hard time on dirt roads so they were paved [Music] roads never really end you can go from any street in america to any other street in any other town [Music] cars aren't the only vehicles that use streets what others can you think of [Music] [Music] but what about people on foot [Applause] well people on foot still have trails sidewalks but sidewalks don't go on and on sidewalks stop when they come to a street ever since the old days people on foot have learned that they have to look out for what is moving in the street [Music] if there isn't one there already you have to imagine a stop sign when you come to a street stop to be sure you don't try to use the street while an automobile is using it [Music] drivers sometimes can't help running into you if you're in the street at the wrong time a sheriff's car will show us how hard it is for a car to stop quickly and why a driver may hit you even though he doesn't want to the car is going only 30 miles an hour that's how fast the car usually travels on neighborhood streets if the driver sees someone step out in front of him it takes almost a second for him to put his foot on the brake during this time only one second the car has already moved 33 feet after he starts to break it takes another 45 feet to bring the car to a stop so if the person on foot had stepped out while the car was less than 78 feet away the car would have hit him and there would have been nothing the driver could have done about it the car is here when the person steps out this is where the driver sees him and here's where he puts his foot on the brake [Music] and this is how far it's going to take for the car to stop now what if the person who stepped out had known where the car was going to stop he wouldn't have stepped out would he so when you don't know how long it will take for a car to stop it's best to just let it go by the sheriff's car has good brakes [Music] and it took 45 feet to stop many cars do not have good brakes and they'll take even longer to stop [Music] you might think even if the car can't stop i can stop it takes longer than you think a young person walking normally suddenly sees a car coming it takes a second or so to see the car and decide what to do then she stops actually it's taken six to eight feet to come to a stop and running it takes about 16 feet to stop this is why you should always walk across the street [Music] remember everything depends on whether the driver can see you [Music] and the driver see this girl about to cross the street no from where the driver's sitting the corner post of the car makes a blind spot now there is one way to be sure you are not in a blind spot and that the driver can see you if you can see his eyes you can tell if he can see you along the street you can often be in a blind spot [Music] if you're behind a tree or a bush [Music] or if you're behind a parked car you are in a blind spot [Music] many people are struck by cars when they suddenly appear from behind something in the middle of the block the driver tries not to hit them but it takes time to stop a car even at only 30 miles an hour and if the car is going faster it's going to take even longer to stop the driver doesn't expect anyone to be crossing the street here and it's always dangerous to cross anywhere but at a corner or a painted crosswalk [Music] remember to get from one place to another there's usually a best way to go [Music] the best way to get from one side of the street to another is to go safely this means that a corner or a crosswalk it means if there's a traffic light wait for new green light that has just changed to green or a new walk sign [Music] to give you time to look both ways to be sure all cars have stopped [Music] to give you time to look behind you to see if there's a car coming that will turn at the corner [Music] at any corner the driver may start up if she doesn't see you [Music] keep watching and thinking while you're crossing the street even though one car stopped another might not [Music] because trees fences and parked cars make blind spots it's dangerous to cross in the middle of the block we found out that you can't stop fast [Music] and we've seen that it takes a driver a long ways to stop and that he may hit you even though he tries not to so you always cross where it's safe and you stop because even the sidewalk stops when it comes to the street you get into the habit of crossing safely and it becomes easier to do it [Music] because even though it seems you're safe at the stop sign at the stop light in the crosswalks never take chances use your eyes and ears always stop look and think [Music] you