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what
you
can
do
•••
TII•1ELY
Tips and
Helpful
Suggestions for YOU and YOUR
fAit11L
Y
• Protect Your Home from Brush Fires
Recent Southern California brush fires destroyed ovcr
600 buildings. Most of them were homes. Many could have
been saved had certain fire prevention steps been taken.
If
you live in a fire hazard arca, you can take the following
steps to help protect your home from brush or forest fires.
Use fire-re sistant construction
materials
wherever
possible. Especially,
fireproof yottr roof.
A stone, tile or metal
Ambouodo< College Photo
los Angeles orea brush ftres in Septembe r destroyed
hundreds of unprotected structures.
roof provides excellcnt protection. Wooden shiogles are
usually highly flammable, and the installation of a roof-top
firc sprinkler systcm is advisable. Shake roof construction was
the main reason why many structures in the Southern Cali–
fornia brush fi res werc gutted.
If
building or remodeling,
consider us ing brick or stone for construction materials.
When repainting, use a fire-retardant paint.
Don' t
make it
easy for
a
fire
lo reach
your house.
Replace wood fences with stone or brick fences. Clear away
dry brush and shrubs from around your property. Remove
dead t rees and branches. Don't allow your lawn to dry out
or be taken over by ta ll weeds. Kecp it green and well
watered.
Rake up Jeaves that have accumulated under hedges or
trees. Don't keep piles of lumber or odds-and-ends near your
house. And remember, it's always wise to get additional
information about fue prevention from your local tire
department.
• Driving at Night
Two thirds of all traffic accidents occur at night. The
peak accident pcriod is between 4 and
7
p.m. Here are three
importaot principies that will help you avoid a nighttime
accident:
Don ' t
overdrive your headlight range .
At 70 mph
it takes the average dr iver 381 feet to stop under ideal con–
ditions. But effective headlight range is only between 200
and 300 feet. At 70 mph the average driver would not see
a dangerous situation in time to stop and avoid it.
Don' #
look directly into the headlights
of oncoming
vehicles.
Focus on your own lane. This will help you to
avoid glare and rnomentary loss of vision. If an approaching
cae has its bright l ights on, rapidly flick your high bcams
on and off to signa! the driver to switch to normal headlight
power. Likewise remember to dim your lights for the
approaching traffic at night.
Check
your
headlights
and
taillights.
Be sure they
are working properly. Driving with only one headlight is
extreme]y dangcrous and should
NOT
be done! An oncoming
car could mistake a one-headlight car for a motorcycle.
Likewise, driving without taillights at night could lcad to a
rear-end coll ision.
• Winter Driving Dangers
When driving in rain or snow a motorist needs to take
two precautions to avoid accidcnts:
Red;¡ce speed and
increase the di.rtanre
between himself and the car in front.
H ere's why:
A road becomes extremely slippcry during the first few
minutes of a fresh rain. This is caused by oil film and road
dust combining with water. Wet leaves and mud also make
the road extra slippery.
Rain can also decrease braking power by causing brake
drums to become wet. This problem can be remedied by
applying a light pressure on the brakes while still accelerat–
ing. Enough heat will be generated to dry out the brake
drums in just a few seconds, and normal braking power
should be restored.
Snow is also a driving hazard. Loose snow
oc
ice makes