Traffic Trials: Heaven Won't Wait

you know to me one of the great things about this wonderful world of ours is the fact that it's made up of so many different kinds of people but there is one thing most of us have in common these days it seems everyone drives an automobile fortunately over the years we've seen major improvements in the design and engineering of automobiles and the streets on which we ride there is also a growing awareness on the part of drivers of the real skills required to operate a vehicle safely and saintly but despite all the progress the hard truth still remains that every year tens of thousands of lives are lost on the road needlessly in fact auto accidents rank as the number one cause of death the number one cause of death among men and women on the 40. clearly something has to be done by each of us to end this tragic waste of human lives perhaps this program featuring the major causes of accidents may help [Music] so [Music] where am i [Music] [Music] where am i this court will come to order this court will come to order by the authority duly invested in me i hereby declare this court in session and call the first defendant there must be some mistake mistake why yes indeed quite a few mistakes young lady in fact everyone here stands charged with an offense that carries with it the greatest possible consequences but i i was first defendant the court calls walter mcphee mr mcphee you've been charged with committing one of the most common of all driving errors the error of improper lookout but your honor if i may say the facts are here mr mcphee it was a typical weekday morning as usual you were running late [Music] and as usual you failed to check for traffic before backing into the street you got off easy that time your neighbor knows your habits and he was looking out for you but now we come to the corner of oak and third i know you travel this way every morning and there's rarely any traffic quick glance to your left all clear there now to the right okay let that guy go by then you give it the gas without checking your left again well mr mcphee no need to worry about getting to the office today i just wish i could say that yours is the first case like this it's passed through here but the truth is that almost a quarter of the automobile accidents down there are caused by people like you folks in a hurry are just plain careless folks who figured it was too much trouble to look before they leave [Music] well mr mcphee i have no choice but to find you guilty of improper lookout as charged [Music] your honor the next defendant is phil bandini [Music] mr bandini you stand charged with operating a motor vehicle at an excessive speed a charge which i presume you can test yeah your honor that's right i think i got burned on a bad deal well let's have a look at the record in fact let's start with this morning it was a great day for a ride wasn't it phil [Music] of course you figure that speeds that are unsafe for other drivers are perfectly okay for you because when it comes to driving you're a guy who can handle anything like those hairpin curves along route 205. [Music] [Music] too bad phil that was the end of the ride a fast car a bend in the road what's it add up to bad luck or simply a case of bad driving i'd like to say that this case was also unique but almost 20 percent of the folks who come before this bench are guilty of the same offense not that they always exceed the posted limit it's just that they fail to adjust their speed to the existing road traffic and weather conditions [Applause] speed phil it's no laughing matter i have no choice but to find you guilty [Music] the next defendant is carla cranston [Music] miss cranston you stand charged with the commission of another common offense distraction distraction from the important business of driving it seems you've just broken up with your boyfriend and to get away from it all you decided to spend the weekend with your sister in south king as many times as you'd been to your sisters you somehow got lost you forgot that to arrive alive you've got to stay alert behind the wheel let's look at what happened you were here when the car ahead slowed for a stop sign your following distance was adequate and normally there would have been plenty of time to stop you could have hit the brake and at your speed let's see it was 40 you would have come to a safe stop with distance to spare but because your attention was distracted you were already way up here before you got around to hitting the brake and by then quite short of the space needed to stop the results were inevitable i promise i'll never let it happen again again miss cranston i'm sorry i'm afraid for you there'll be no second chances your honor what [Music] oh i see this is highly unusual but it appears the court has acted hastily we're sending you back with a warning [Music] as it happens you were lucky a broken arm a fractured knee and a few bruises all in all a pretty light sentence considering the nature of your offense no one relishes this task one bit it seems no matter how many people file through here there's always more waiting for their day in court committing the same offenses over and over and over again as if none of them had learned that driving is a serious business they continually fail to observe the basic safety rules next defendant the court calls henry baker mr baker uh your honor i'm kind of like late for an appointment i've really got to go i've i of course mr baker we'll try not to take too much of your time but let me point out you stand charged with a very grave infraction but your honor yes mr baker i'm well aware of your defense your driving ability and the truth is your performance behind the wheel is commendable you're cautious and courteous you'll never take your mind off the road in fact you're about as conscientious as a driver can be so you're wondering how it is that you find yourself here [Music] the brakes remember brake imbalance causes swerves on sudden stops and yours should have been relined and adjusted some five thousand miles back but you kept putting it off [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] i'm afraid that improper maintenance is every bit as serious an offense as the previous cases [Music] now let's see who's next your honor raymond garcia [Music] mr garcia you stand charged with the crime of operating a motor vehicle while in the state of intoxication all i had was just a few drinks judge but but i wouldn't call it intoxication i'm not implying that you have a drinking problem mr garcia it's just that like so many others down there you found yourself in one of those awkward social situations like the going away party for your old friend eddie the food was good and there was plenty to drink [Music] [Applause] [Music] when it was over george who'd had the good sense to stay sober offered to give you a lift home but no you insisted you could drive after all was just a couple of miles [Music] [Music] [Applause] yes sir mr garcia i do hope you enjoyed yourself because that was very nearly your going away party too in fact half of the terminal cases we handle up here are drinking drivers like yourself and it's only in view of your past fine record that this court has decided to entertain your pleas for leniency consider this a warning [Music] that's right mr garcia this time you were lucky next time take george's advice from the start [Music] the court calls jennifer keane your honor is keen are also a pretty good driver you watch for traffic at intersections you're careful to adjust your speed to the conditions of the road you stay alert at the wheel and you never mix driving and drinking but for years you've been making one very simple but very important mistake a mistake made by five out of six of the drivers who pass through this court today that mistake finally caught up with you at a time when you needed it most your safety belt was unfastened now wearing the belt wouldn't have prevented the accident but it could have made a big difference in the way things turned out [Music] [Applause] [Music] i find you guilty as charged [Music] this court is in recess for one hour [Music] we've reviewed the cases of six serious traffic offenders who represented a cross section of drivers how do you rate against them [Music] you make it a point to look for traffic before you take action do you watch your speed adjusting it to the existing road traffic and weather conditions are you careful to stay alert behind the wheel giving the important business of driving the full attention it deserves do you do the sensible thing when you've had too much to drink let someone who's sober drive [Music] do you make it a rule to maintain your car in top condition with regular checkups and service finally do you care enough about staying alive to buckle your belt whenever you're in the car [Music] there they are six simple driving rules follow them conscientiously under this little chance that you will wind up in trouble our cars and highways are safer now than ever before but every year there are more and more drivers on the road and that means more and more problems how well you fare very likely will depend upon how well you drive [Music] you