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00:00 (upbeat music)
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00:18 - When the first settlers landed in America,
00:40 it was a vast unexplored wilderness.
00:42 Trails soon appeared, of course,
00:45 and eventually became tracks or wagon roads
00:48 during the westward expansion.
00:51 And these finally developed into a system of highways
00:54 with the coming of the automobile in the 20th century.
00:58 But in just the past few decades,
01:00 a new kind of road has begun to spread across the nation.
01:04 It is called thruway, or parkway,
01:07 or expressway, or freeway,
01:10 but the names all mean the same thing.
01:12 We shall call it freeway,
01:15 but whatever the name,
01:16 it is now a part of our way of life.
01:18 Freeways are already proving invaluable,
01:22 particularly around large population centers,
01:25 but they do pose some special problems
01:28 for the millions of drivers who use them.
01:30 Freeways are designed for the high-speed movement
01:34 of great numbers of automobiles,
01:37 and when used properly,
01:38 are safer than ordinary surface streets,
01:41 two and one-half times safer, in fact.
01:44 But the freeway is a new and different world,
01:48 a world which requires a new and different kind of driving
01:52 by those who use it.
01:53 Motorists here are bound together
01:56 by certain practical rules and courtesies
02:00 necessary for mutual protection,
02:02 and any individual who does not, or will not,
02:05 recognize this is a menace to everyone.
02:08 However, such drivers can usually be separated
02:12 into certain types, which can be illustrated
02:15 by a few rather extreme examples.
02:18 This specimen we shall call Driverius Timidicus,
02:24 the timid driver, a shy and retiring fellow.
02:28 Usually overcautious, he can be a definite menace
02:31 because he does not adjust to freeway driving demands.
02:35 For an example, observe the way he enters a freeway
02:39 on which the traffic is heavy but moving well.
02:42 Mr. T proceeds carefully along the entrance ramp,
02:46 which of course he should do.
02:47 Now he tries to keep one eye on the car ahead of him
02:52 and the other on his rear view mirror
02:54 to look for oncoming traffic,
02:56 but he doesn't really trust mirrors,
02:59 and he finds it confusing anyway,
03:01 so he slows down as he would
03:03 at an ordinary street intersection and takes a good look.
03:07 (car engine roaring)
03:10 The spaces seem very small,
03:14 so again, as he would at an intersection,
03:17 he stops to wait for a big opening.
03:20 This often comes as a surprise to drivers behind him
03:24 and can result in a sort of boxcar effect.
03:31 Now, while Timidicus watches for that big opening,
03:36 (car engine roaring)
03:39 let's go back a moment and see what he should have done.
03:42 With the entrance ramp clear ahead,
03:45 he should have been picking up speed
03:47 to begin to match that of cars in the traffic lanes.
03:51 His rear view mirror plus a quick glance back
03:54 would have covered any blind spots,
03:56 and he could have made final speed adjustments
03:59 in the merging or acceleration lane.
04:02 Now, showing firm intention,
04:04 he would need only a slight change in speed,
04:07 faster or slower, to slip easily into a small space.
04:12 Also, the driver behind is now able
04:15 to be courteous and let him in.
04:17 But getting back to Mr. T,
04:20 he has increased his own problem enormously
04:23 by stopping unnecessarily.
04:25 To go from a full stop to freeway speed,
04:28 say about 55 miles per hour,
04:31 would require over 500 feet.
04:34 Roughly twice the length of a football field
04:37 before he can merge safely.
04:39 And Mr. T must start at precisely the right instant
04:44 or the gap will close too quickly
04:46 and he will be in danger of a rear end collision.
04:49 The approaching driver will be forced to slow down.
04:52 And this can mushroom into a chain reaction.
04:57 Causing the boxcar effect again.
05:03 This time, far down the line of traffic.
05:06 But again, what about Tomiticus,
05:11 who at last finds himself on the freeway?
05:14 - Boo.
05:14 - High speed makes him nervous and apprehensive,
05:17 so he drives slowly.
05:19 If he keeps to the right and doesn't go too slow,
05:22 this causes little real trouble.
05:25 But all too often, he strays into the fast traffic lanes.
05:28 Mr. T, convinced that people shouldn't drive
05:32 so fast anyway, believes he is driving safely
05:36 and has no idea that he may be creating a problem.
05:40 But now, drivers behind him are forced to slow down quickly
05:45 to avoid a collision or rapidly change lanes,
05:48 which causes others to slow down.
05:50 This can result in the usual chain reaction
05:59 and boxcar effect.
06:01 (bell ringing)
06:03 And innocent drivers often pay
06:05 because Mr. T does not adjust to the freeway.
06:08 The delay and confusion that follows
06:12 invariably frays nerves and tempers
06:15 and reveals another freeway menace
06:17 we shall call Motoramus Fidgetus, the impatient motorist.
06:22 - God dang people that camp on the freeway.
06:26 Come on, come on, get going.
06:30 - Members of this species are usually excitable.
06:33 - What's the matter up there?
06:35 Move it, come on, move it.
06:37 - Explosive in nature.
06:39 - Get a horse.
06:41 - Or highly competitive in spirit.
06:44 - Oh yeah, well the same to you, buster.
06:47 - Mr. F usually displays an avid desire to get ahead.
06:51 And when free to do so, is an habitual lane changer.
06:55 Of course, a lane change is sometimes necessary.
06:59 And when it is, a signal should always be given first.
07:03 Next, a quick look to cover the blind spot.
07:07 Then speed up and move in well ahead of the car
07:11 in the next lane.
07:12 Freeway pros will cooperate by dropping back a bit
07:16 for they know that courtesy is a practical rule here.
07:18 But Fidgetus in his impatience
07:22 will cut sharply in front of other drivers,
07:25 forcing them to use their brakes.
07:27 (tires screeching)
07:28 The same chain reaction often results.
07:30 (tires screeching)
07:33 And Mr. F's progress can sometimes be measured
07:36 by the path of destruction he leaves behind.
07:39 But Mr. F occasionally finds himself unable
07:44 to pass the car ahead.
07:46 And now in irate frustration,
07:49 he is apt to move up bumper to bumper,
07:52 regardless of the speed.
07:53 - Come on, get going, get going.
07:57 - Get out of my way.
07:58 - Unfortunately, Mr. F doesn't realize
08:02 he's driving a potential engine of destruction
08:05 more powerful than the largest battering ram
08:08 ever to breach a castle wall.
08:09 To explain, let us pause a moment,
08:16 return him to his car,
08:18 and see some freeway facts of life.
08:21 Let's say Mr. F is traveling 60 miles per hour.
08:26 A figure equal to about half the number of miles per hour
08:30 added to that number gives the speed in feet per second.
08:33 Thus, at 60 miles per hour,
08:37 90 feet is approximately the distance
08:39 Mr. F's car travels in just one second.
08:43 On a football field,
08:45 it would move about 30 yards every second
08:48 and go from goal line to goal line
08:50 in just over three seconds.
08:52 But now let's go down to the field
08:54 for a little demonstration
08:56 in which Mr. F himself is the subject.
08:59 As he watches the scoreboard,
09:02 a signal suddenly flashes.
09:05 Now let's see what happens inside Mr. F.
09:08 First, his eyes receive the signal
09:10 and transmit it to certain centers in his brain.
09:14 There it is identified, analyzed, calculated, and computed.
09:18 And an action decision may be handed down.
09:26 - Stop, hit the brake!
09:29 - The message goes out to the legs and feet
09:33 and finally the brakes are applied.
09:35 If we run through it again with a stopwatch,
09:39 we find all this takes about one second.
09:42 - Stop, hit the brake!
09:45 - Now if Mr. F crosses the goal line at 60 miles per hour
09:50 just as a stop signal flashes,
09:53 he will travel a minimum of 30 yards
09:56 before he touches his brakes.
09:57 And even with good brakes and dry pavement,
10:02 he will still cover another 70 yards
10:05 to the opposite goal before finally stopping.
10:07 So Mr. F was actually preceded by a sort of danger zone
10:13 made up of his reaction distance plus his braking distance.
10:18 Now imagine he's on the freeway,
10:22 a bit behind and to one side of a car identical to his.
10:26 Let's go to slow motion and suppose that for some reason
10:31 the leading driver decides to stop
10:33 and applies his brakes here.
10:36 Mr. F reacts as soon as he sees
10:38 the flashing taillight ahead,
10:40 but he cannot apply his brakes until here,
10:43 past the point where the first driver began to stop.
10:47 The braking distances are the same
10:51 and Mr. F comes to a halt this much farther along.
10:56 Obviously, had Mr. F been in the same lane,
10:59 there would have been a jarring rear end collision.
11:02 (car crashing)
11:05 And possibly even others.
11:09 When behind another car on the freeway,
11:12 drop back as speed increases
11:15 to allow for reaction distance.
11:17 Under good conditions,
11:20 the usual rule of thumb is one car length
11:24 for every 10 miles per hour.
11:26 60 miles per hour, six car lengths.
11:30 When road conditions are poor, make it a bit more.
11:34 Now back to fidgetus.
11:38 Does he drop back as speed increases?
11:41 No, he's still bumper chasing.
11:44 Is he alert to movements several cars ahead of him
11:47 anticipating possible emergencies?
11:51 No, he's left himself no margin of safety because he...
11:56 (Mr. F panting)
11:57 Watch it!
11:58 Not now, look out for the car ahead, it's stopping.
12:02 (Mr. F sneezes)
12:05 (Mr. F gasps)
12:06 (car crashing)
12:09 Even if the impact speed is down to 30 miles per hour,
12:14 the result for Mr. F could be like driving off the roof
12:18 of a three-story building.
12:20 (car crashing)
12:22 (car honking)
12:27 Last but not least, we have the annoying type
12:31 called Neglectorus Maximus, the inattentive driver.
12:35 Often Mr. N is simply hypnotized by the drone of traffic
12:43 and carried off to dreamland.
12:46 (Mr. N humming)
12:48 Then again, he may suddenly decide that the freeway
12:58 is an ideal place to study his map.
13:01 You may see him enjoying a second cup of coffee
13:05 or even getting in a quick shave while driving.
13:15 Of course, his favorite pastime is conversation,
13:18 especially with someone in the backseat.
13:21 - Yeah, just picked her up this morning.
13:24 Well, flat out, she'll put down anything on the road.
13:28 (car crashing)
13:30 (Mr. N humming)
13:34 (car crashing)
13:44 Ouch!
13:45 - Neglectorus can be a problem to others,
13:52 even when not directly involved,
13:54 because he's usually a rubberneck.
13:56 (Mr. N growling)
13:59 And if some mishap slows traffic
14:03 on one side of the freeway,
14:05 he will jam the other side simply by being curious.
14:10 And Mr. N is particularly careless
14:14 regarding signs and directions.
14:16 Thus, he is usually almost past his exit
14:19 when he notices it,
14:21 has to change lanes quickly to make it,
14:23 and there's the same old chain reaction.
14:29 Finally, Mr. N often neglects his speedometer
14:36 and forgets he is moving at freeway speeds
14:39 as he reenters the world of surface streets.
14:42 (tires screeching)
14:45 (car crashing)
14:49 (birds chirping)
14:53 - Oh, hush up!
14:54 - So, on the freeway,
14:57 watch out for the driver types we have called
15:00 Neglectorus, Fidgetus, and Timidicus.
15:04 From time to time,
15:06 you're bound to see one of these characters,
15:09 and when you do, avoid them if you can.
15:13 - Yeah, and just make sure you never become one.
15:18 (tires screeching)
15:22 You see what I mean?
15:26 (upbeat music)
15:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
15:32 (engine revving)