A Humble mode of Transport
We generally think in terms of road casualties resulting in death, as that seems to be the worst case concerning vehicle crashes, but perhaps there is something far worse. Yes, we are aware that people sustain injuries in the course of collisions on the road, but curiously, that stastic receives little emphasis. The truth is that even an injury received from a minor accident can cause the person who has to live with it, discomfort and disfigurement for the rest of their life.
However, there are those who are very aware of personal damages received. They are the insurance companies to whom we turn to request help in coping with our disabilities. The human body is the most fragile participant in a collision and the least able to be returned to the situation in which they were before the occurrance. Here in Spain young children under the age of 14 are the greatest group affected, followed closely by the over age 65. Most of the people in these groups are hit during daylight hours, within cities, and the months of April and June are the worst months for such happenings. The Spanish insurance giant Mapfre has reported these findings from their research, which, they say arise from general carelessness, high speed on the part of drivers, and a loss of awareness on both the parts of children and senior citizens.
Adults get hit usually during the evening between six and nine pm. These are the hours when children are mainly at home and adults are leaving work after a hard day at the office. Perhaps they are still preoccupied with office-type things on their minds and they simply fail to realise they are about to step out into the path of traffic. I personally experienced this situation as a driver, when a lady simply stepped off the sidewalk. I had another car on my right, so my movement was restricted. Had she taken two steps more I would have had no choice but to hit her. Fortunately another person yelled at her and awoke her from her reverie.
As a pedestrian I only knew I had to cross the road, and I was at a pedestrian crossing about to step out into the path of an oncoming car. Fortunately for me a man grabbed me by the arm and saved me some serious pain. Can I explain that? No! I have no idea where my mind was. I have fallen from my motorcycle, the last time resulting in permanent screws in my leg. I have been very lucky in comparison with so many other people who are confined to their wheelchairs without even the hope of being released to be able to walk again.
Unfortunately, many very young men and women are injured for life in their teens. Perhaps it was because they rode too fast, or took unreasonable chances, because that is what you do when you are young and indestructable. The truth is that we are mere mortals and we break all too easy. To find out the hard way is a lesson we can do without.
I'm thinking about a young man who lived in my native country who had a massive crash that left him paralysed in a wheelchair. He lived in a full-service home located close to the sea, and several times security found him leaving the home at night. He would be returned to his room. Finally, one night when the security officer was busy with something this young man glided soundlessly out the door, and drove his electric chair along the roadway for three kilometros until he arrived at a boat launching ramp. With determination he drove his chair into the sea where he was electrocuted and drowned.
Being confined to a bed or wheelchair is no laughing matter, especially if its a life sentence. Let us spare a thought for people in these situations, and especially be careful when driving where there are people about.
If you can avoid injuring someone because you moderated your speed, or thought ahead, that would be a very fine thing indeed. If we all do that, you may be the one to be spared the agony of an existence worst than death.
Copyright (c) 2012 Eugene Carmichael
