Dialling 112.
“Hello! I need to report a serious accident with at least three persons injured. The location is the AP-7, in the direction towards Valencia, between kilometre markers 616 and 615. There are three cars involved directly in this incident, and in my opinion all three cars will need to be towed away.”
With that basic and precise information this caller might have cut a full half-hour from the response time as the following will have occurred: While giving the information the operator will have typed the location into the computer. That will immediately alert the
team responsible in this case for dealing with north-bound traffic. The team will be scrambling while the operator is still talking with you.
An alternative scene could be one where the driver has no idea what road he is on, and has to walk back or forward to the nearest marker to ascertain those particulars. How long might that take? It’s difficult and time consuming trying to get the operator to figure out where you are by your description. Depending on where you are the operator might well be in Madrid. If you are within the Valencian Community the call centre is located in the very upmarket town of L´Eliana, twenty minutes outside downtown Valencia city.
If you were making your report in Spanish you might even get to speak to my friend Javi, but the centre also takes calls in English, French, and German. A 112 call made in Torrevieja will be answered by the call centre in L´Eliana, approximately 300 kilometers away.
Although this tale deals with driving in Spain, the same principle holds true regardless of what country you're in. If you really want emergency services to come to help, tell them precisely where you are.
Some reasons to know exactly where we are at any given time:
(a) In the event we have to call in the details of our own accident in which we have suffered injuries that would make walking to find the nearest marker difficult or impossible.
(b) In case of simple malfunction of the car. Especially in the case of women, the use of a mobile phone becomes very handy. Of course we need a battery with enough power remaining and sufficient credit to make the calls necessary. It is best if we do not need to leave the car except to put in place the warning triangles. At least one, placed 50 meters behind the car on a one-way road. On a two-way road, place one in front as well. (Don´t forget them when the grua arrives.)
(c) In the event of rainy weather the need and length of time to be out of the car should be limited.
How do we know the road identification? There will be road markers placed at one kilometre distances that give the road number, including the all-important alphabetical ID. When giving out this information be sure to include the letters and be certain that they are correct as Spain has a bewildering array of road systems. Some are designated Autonomous Network; others national roads, i.e. N-340 and N-332, roads that have gained a certain notoriety; and then there are the international roads, such as the A-7, also known on the European grid system as the E-15. That road enters Spain from France north of Girona, and carries on down to southern Spain. Along the toll stretches it is known as the AP-7, and when acting as a by-pass road around Valencia and Alicante, it becomes simply the A-7.
I refresh my memory as to the road information I need by noting each marker. It is now second nature to me and I have no need to think about it. Once or twice the information has come in handy when I have had to call on the grua, (tow truck) when the car refused to go the distance. I realize that it is not normal behaviour to be so aware. I am seeking to add another level of alertness to driving. If we ever really need this type of information we will need it immediately. While waiting for help to arrive the minutes tick by as though they were hours. Might as well help speed things up.
I don’t want to close this piece without paying tribute to the wonderful women and men who attend to the victims of carnage on these roads. I think that most of them would say that they love their jobs. There can really only be one aspect to that type of love, and that is when they arrive in time, and through their knowledge and experience take a broken human being and quickly transport that person to expert medical care. Later, if they receive a visit from a person at their station, and they hear with their own ears: “Thank you for saving my life!” That must be the equivalent of a King’s Medal.
You and I can be a part of such success stories if we take First-Aid and management of accident sites seriously. We can be instrumental in presenting to the para-medics a patient complete with detailed information observed while we cared for the person. They, the para-medics need to know whether the patient lost consciousness, and if so for how long. Preferably note down times and all pertinent information that will be useful in accurately treating the patient back in the emergency room.
It is the law that upon arriving at an accident site that is not adequately being cared for, we must stop and give assistance to the best of our abilities. I am prepared to do that in the hope that if I, or a member of my family are the ones needing assistance that we will receive it from someone equally dedicated. It is quite a responsibility, but when it is discharged well and to the best of one’s ability, simply knowing that we gave our best is enough.
Death on the roads? It doesn´t have to end that way!
Don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you.
Some reasons to know exactly where we are at any given time:
(a) In the event we have to call in the details of our own accident in which we have suffered injuries that would make walking to find the nearest marker difficult or impossible.
(b) In case of simple malfunction of the car. Especially in the case of women, the use of a mobile phone becomes very handy. Of course we need a battery with enough power remaining and sufficient credit to make the calls necessary. It is best if we do not need to leave the car except to put in place the warning triangles. At least one, placed 50 meters behind the car on a one-way road. On a two-way road, place one in front as well. (Don´t forget them when the grua arrives.)
(c) In the event of rainy weather the need and length of time to be out of the car should be limited.
How do we know the road identification? There will be road markers placed at one kilometre distances that give the road number, including the all-important alphabetical ID. When giving out this information be sure to include the letters and be certain that they are correct as Spain has a bewildering array of road systems. Some are designated Autonomous Network; others national roads, i.e. N-340 and N-332, roads that have gained a certain notoriety; and then there are the international roads, such as the A-7, also known on the European grid system as the E-15. That road enters Spain from France north of Girona, and carries on down to southern Spain. Along the toll stretches it is known as the AP-7, and when acting as a by-pass road around Valencia and Alicante, it becomes simply the A-7.
I refresh my memory as to the road information I need by noting each marker. It is now second nature to me and I have no need to think about it. Once or twice the information has come in handy when I have had to call on the grua, (tow truck) when the car refused to go the distance. I realize that it is not normal behaviour to be so aware. I am seeking to add another level of alertness to driving. If we ever really need this type of information we will need it immediately. While waiting for help to arrive the minutes tick by as though they were hours. Might as well help speed things up.
I don’t want to close this piece without paying tribute to the wonderful women and men who attend to the victims of carnage on these roads. I think that most of them would say that they love their jobs. There can really only be one aspect to that type of love, and that is when they arrive in time, and through their knowledge and experience take a broken human being and quickly transport that person to expert medical care. Later, if they receive a visit from a person at their station, and they hear with their own ears: “Thank you for saving my life!” That must be the equivalent of a King’s Medal.
You and I can be a part of such success stories if we take First-Aid and management of accident sites seriously. We can be instrumental in presenting to the para-medics a patient complete with detailed information observed while we cared for the person. They, the para-medics need to know whether the patient lost consciousness, and if so for how long. Preferably note down times and all pertinent information that will be useful in accurately treating the patient back in the emergency room.
It is the law that upon arriving at an accident site that is not adequately being cared for, we must stop and give assistance to the best of our abilities. I am prepared to do that in the hope that if I, or a member of my family are the ones needing assistance that we will receive it from someone equally dedicated. It is quite a responsibility, but when it is discharged well and to the best of one’s ability, simply knowing that we gave our best is enough.
Death on the roads? It doesn´t have to end that way!
Don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you.
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
