Accidents - Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Toronto Star carried another death-by-accident story this week, sadly, someone crushed between a rock and a hard place.

I am saddened, because this was NOT an accident, despite the report that “she was crushed in a bizarre car accident”.

My dictionary reads “Accident: An event that is without apparent cause, or is unexpected”.

Forty years ago in Adelaide South Australia, instructors at the state’s Advanced School of Driver Training taught me to apply the hand-brake (“parking brake”) whenever I came to a stop at traffic lights or in any kind of line-up.

I do that to this day. There are sound logical and physical reasons for doing this.

On arrival at a ticket kiosk (“she opened the door and got partially out to stick her ticket in the machine”), or waiting in line at the border crossing, or sitting at a red light, I habitually apply the parking brake, a passive device.

If Jennifer had applied the parking brake, she most likely would not have been pinned. Or at least, would have had more time available to scramble back into the car, or to get out of the way.

For every driver who does NOT apply the parking brake when stopped, a certain percentage will pay the consequences.

Sometimes the consequence is a run-away car and some smashed bricks, sometimes a bodily injury, sometimes death.

These events are NOT without apparent cause, and they ARE predictable.

They are not accidents.

They are a direct result of drivers not exercising care.

Please.

Use the parking brake.

It can save your life.

Search