As though there was not enough to concentrate on with the every day dangers of the road, there are other perils awaiting us in the evil minds of the highwaymen who seek to relieve us of our possessions. Added to that there are a number of things to keep in mind as simple precautions to avoid having one’s day spoilt.
By simply taking the moment to buckle up we increase our chances of surviving the day in the event of a collision by a significant percent. The late, Princess Di gave her very life to make that point. The least that we can do is to heed her final warning.
It’s not just us as adults. When I see parents driving along with their children moving about the car I absolutely cringe. All that it would take is an incident where the driver has to brake sharply to avoid a crash, and while the crash may be avoided the consequences to anything or anybody not held in place by a seatbelt or other restraint could be catastrophic.
The drill before setting your car in motion should be to ask yourself whether everything in the car will stop at the same as the car does, particularly in an emergency.
- Will you, and all of your passengers stop with the car, or will one or more continue moving forward when all else had stopped?
- Will your pet stop with the car, or will the poor thing be flung out the window to the absolute horror of everyone else in the car?
- Will your shopping stop, or will the car suddenly become filled with flying objects that might well kill?
Consider for a moment what actually happens when you bring your car to a screeching halt: If the vehicle is moving at only 5 kilometres per hour and you press down hard on the brake, if you had an item, such as an umbrella sitting on the area behind the rear seats, it might amaze you how far it would travel, and the force with which it would be propelled.
Now consider what would happen if you have all sorts of shopping sat on the rear seats, and you have to brake very hard to stop while driving at 80 km/h. What a mess with broken bottles, probably a smashed windscreen as stuff goes flying through it. Got eggs and milk? Doesn’t bear thinking about, does it? Place the groceries in the boot.
As for your child that is not properly strapped in, the child would, at 80 to 120 km/h take on the force of an object weighing about 3,000 kilos and would sail out into space with the impact of falling at least three stories. I emphasize properly strapped in, because if not the force can actually pull or push the wearer right out through the harness, if not being worn as designed.
Pets should never be allowed to freely roam around the car. They have no sense of what is involved and could cause your death just because they want to climb in your lap at a crucial moment. They too become flying missiles if not properly restrained. That means they should be carried behind a secure net. To restrain them by attaching their lead to their collar and the other end tied to an anchor point in the car could result in a broken neck for the animal.
Passengers in the rear seats that were not wearing their seat belts have been known to have killed the driver and or passenger in the front seats who were wearing theirs. It is therefore expressly in the interest of the driver to make sure that everyone is properly buckled up.
You are advised not to leave packages of any description in the car. That will be one less reason for the opportunistic thief to break into your car. He cannot know that the package he sees only contains your soiled laundry.
When carrying a handbag or briefcase, it is normal to place the item on the front passenger seat. There it sits as temptation to a would-be thief who waits for you at the traffic lights. To discourage him simply thread your seatbelt through the strap of the bag. This will restrain the bag, and he will see that you are not co-operating with him.
When travelling on a long journey of more than two hours you will need to stop and rest. There are organised rest stops where one can use the facilities, and get something to eat and drink. What they don’t usually do is provide security for your vehicle. It may be better to avoid these stops in favour of a simple petrol station if you are travelling alone.
Otherwise, if there are two or more adults it is much more secure that at least one adult stay with the car. There may be organised criminals waiting for you. They may break into your car there and then, or they may simply let most of the air from a tyre, only to follow you and to alert you that you have a soft tyre. When you pull over they will distract you while robbing you of your valuables.
If you ever return to your car that you left in the commercial centre car park and you notice that there is a piece of paper taped to your rear window, it is best not to remove it immediately, but rather to drive away until you reach a well populated place. Then stop your car, turn the engine off, lock the door, and then remove the piece of paper.
Normally, you only notice the paper when you have started the car, and when you step out to remove it two men will suddenly appear and jump into your car that has the motor running, and they will drive off with everything that you had, leaving you with a piece of paper in your hand. If they have a sense of humour they will have written on it “Sucker!”
Be road Smart! Don’t be a Victim. Use Common Sense.
Copyright (c) 2008 Eugene Carmichael
