Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1961-08-30

Tor his skill. don't believe ",
would have made it"
Inc governor WAS speaking
oi a throat catching traffic en-
periencc he and his family en-
dured soon after the Inaugural
ton. 1t. LLOYD Burchctte. the
governors aide and driver.
Was returning the first family,
from Fayetteville when a drunk
driver nearly smashed head-on
INTO the states handsome lin
cuisine. No. |. Superior drivin,
skill and an unmatched sense
. of doing the right thing" say
ca the governors party from
, what seemed immincn; disa>-
GER.
It's been that way through
out the Is wear career of 1t.
Burchettc who has helped plan
and execute motor travel for
four governors.
He learned most of his de-
!enSive driving tactics as re-
gular road patrolman before
taking over his gubcrnatoria.
duties part way through the
/ Hodges administration.
ITS the traffic emergencies. -
1t. Burchcttc says. with no
false modeSty. that scpara;a
the really expert drivers from
those who are just average. I'm
less drivers are Self-traincd
and prepared to meet uncxpcct-
ed hazards. they motor at the
risk of their lives"
Gov. Sanford. who assumed
office with belligerent. un-
compromising attitude toward
highway killing. has said he
would like to see at least 100
deaths clipped from the annual
traffic toll.
Journeyman driving is one
way to achieve it. says 1t. Bur
Ghetto who. on every Official
trip, combines craftsmanship
and preparedness as his chief
defense against unexpected and
hazardous traffic situations.
! In a recent interview he docu-
mented number of fairly
common emergency situations
and his suggestions for meet
ing each of them.
For example. you hit a curve
trifle too fast and get panic
ky.
1t. Burchettc says cmphati-
cally not to slam on the brake.
With the wheels turned you
| may slide into a ditch. Instead,
Straighten the wheels for a
moment. brake briefly. let up.
turn to stay on the road. Re-
peat several times if necessary.
Sometimes you can accelerate
carefully and the rear wheels
will pitch YOU around a
curve. Avoid over steering 49,
that is. jecking the wheel
sharply to compensate for poor
maneuvering.
A front tire blows.
In this emergency. fight the
instinct to step on the brake.
Grip the wheel firmly and let
i the engine cut your speed
| gradually. Ease off the road
onto the shoulder when your
speed is down and park well
off the hardtop.
What it a back tire blows al
a fairly high speed.
Again. don't touch the brake.
If the car fiShtailS back and
fourth. steer to keep it in line.
but guard against over-corrcc-
ton. Careful use of the gas
pedal may help you regain con-
troll by relieving engine drag.
for an instant. on a flat tire.
| If the gas pedal sticks. then
what?
1t. Burchette recommends
that you throw i'm the clutch.
or in an automatic-shi car 60
TO neutral. apply brakes and
cut the ignition. If you have
power steering and brakes
leave the ignition on or your
brakes won't function. The en-.
CINE may race but you'll be
safe.
If the brakes fail completely
what should you do?
Try the emergency brake. II
that fails to hold. rev the ~
CINE and shift into next lower
gear. and let the enginc-dra
slow you down. Rev the en-
CINE again and shift into low
or low-drive range for maxi
mum dcceleration and con-
trolled stop.
Traffic autroities say emer.
gencies like those described
are more common than most
people think. Many drivers and
passengers arc killed and in