This color driver’s ed film from the National Safety Council uses footage of staged car crashes alongside real life photos of horrific accidents and interviews with traumatized survivors to impress the importance of safe driving upon viewers potentially desensitized to vehicular violence. Hosted by professional stunt performer Kay Whipple, known for her work in such films as: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Untouchables, and Backdraft, the educational short focuses on strategies for avoiding head-on collisions (TRT: 9:27).
An opening montage of outrageous automotive stunts from professional “Hollywood” movie shoots, including jumps, crashes, and aggressive driving (0:08). Still photos from actual car accidents, ending in a gruesome fatality (0:30). Our host Kay Whipple introduces herself in a driver’s suit, leaning on a red stunt car, mentioning the importance of passing safely (0:37). Opening titles: “National Safety Council Presents It’s Not Hollywood” (1:09). A clapboard scene marker for “Safe Passing.” Stuntwoman Kay Whipple drives while explaining safe passing. She looks over her shoulder to check her blind spots before passing a car on a mostly empty road (1:19). The same pass, but with a less attentive driver and a tap of the horn (2:44). Photos from the aftermath of a head-on collision. An interview with Brent Johnston, Illinois State Coordinator, who recently lost a friend to a car accident. A woman named Marti Page, survivor of a drunk driving accident, describes reconstructive surgery following a crash (3:55). A man named Roy Stewart describes the tragic loss of his daughter in a head-on collision (5:29). Head-on avoidance. The Four R’s: Read the road ahead, Ride to the right, Reduce speed, Ride right off the road (6:08). A view from a camera mounted on the side of the stunt car shows the oncoming car approaching. A turn to the right dodges the accident. A stunt turn to the left shows a potential collision ending in a near miss. A sudden turn onto the shoulder from the driver’s POV (7:29). Kay Whipple speaks in closeup about choosing a glancing blow over a head-on collision (8:25). End titles. A green cross from the National Safety Council. The logo of the Defensive Driving Course (DDC). “Vehicles provided courtesy of the Hertz Corporation” Thank you’s include the residents of Snyder, Illinois, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.), The Illinois State Police, and the Midwest Stunt Association. Credited stunt drivers: Rick LeFevour, Stacy Logan, Aaron Norris, Gary Pike, Mike Tillman, Kay Whipple. Photographs courtesy of the California Highway Patrolman (8:53).
More than 38,000 people die each year in car crashes on United States roadways. An additional 4.4 million are injured, requiring hospitalization.
The National Safety Council (NSC) was founded in 1913, and was granted a congressional charter in 1953. It is a public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States, focusing on issues such as workplace safety, medication abuse, and driver’s safety. The NSC is based in Ithaca, Illinois.
Kay Whipple most recently provided stunts for episodes of TV’s Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
