| Breaking the accident chain of events is
easier that it might seem, because any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In this case, if Harry had been a little more alert he probably would have
realized that the safety cone was in the area for a reason.
| Link
1 |
If he had started
to slow down, he would have broken the chain at
Link 1. |
| Link
2 |
If the driver who
had hit the cone last night had been courteous enough
to have put the cone back up or told the police
it was down, the chain would have been broken at
Link 2. |
| Link
3 |
If Paula had not
been distracted by her phone call the chain would
have been broken at Link 3. |
| Link
4 |
If Paula had controlled
her speed more effectively the chain would have
been broken at Link 4. |
| Link
5 |
Of all five links
in this accident chain of events, only Link 5,
the location of the construction on the curve of
the road, was beyond the control of the drivers.
|
You only have to break one link in the chain of events to
prevent the accident.
Although just one action by any driver would have stopped the
accident, we are rarely aware that an accident chain of events is forming.
There is a solution:
If drivers pay attention and accept
the responsibility for driving safely, most accident
links will be broken before the chains that cause accidents
can even begin.
Let’s take a look at another accident chain of events.
| Link
1 |
Like many drivers,
Diane, driver #1, is a little nervous about merging
onto a freeway. Her anxiety prevents her from making
decisive driving decisions. This indecisiveness
is the first link. |
| Link
2 |
At a nearby bar
we find Driver #2, Pete, who is on his way home
after a couple of drinks. He is not stumbling or
passing out, but alcohol impairs a person’s
ability to drive long before that person is legally
drunk. Pete’s impaired senses and reflexes
are the second link. |
| Link
3 |
Driver #3, Jeff,
is one of those drivers who forgets to look over
his shoulder before he changes lanes. This cavalier
attitude to lane changes is the third link. |
| Link
4 |
Driver #4, Chuck,
is coming home from work, and he is a little tired
-- the fourth link. |
| Link
5 |
It is around dusk
when these four drivers come together to form the
accident chain. Some of our drivers haven’t
decided whether to turn on their lights yet. The
decreased visibility of their vehicles is the fifth
link. |
How do those five links form to create a chain that leads to an
accident?
Diane is waiting on the ramp waiting to merge, Pete is getting
impatient because by his standards she has missed several good opportunities.
Jeff is driving in the right lane of the freeway bearing down on the
entrance ramp and Chuck is cruising without headlights in Jeff’s blind spot.
Jeff sees Diane on the entrance ramp and he signals his intentions
to move over and make room for her, but he fails to check before changing lanes.
Chuck watches Jeff pull in front of him and gets angry that anyone
would cut him off that way, so Chuck accelerates to pass Jeff on the right.
Diane sees Jeff’s signal and is pleased that he is making room
for her so she begins to enter the freeway just as Chuck begins to pass Jeff on the right.
Diane catches a glimpse of him and panics, slamming on her brakes.
Pete, on his way home from happy hour and happy that Diane is
finally moving, begins to move forward and turns his back and also sees Chuck -- but too
late, he can’t stop. He hits Diane from behind!
Chuck and Jeff go on, they are both oblivious to the accident. Chuck
is left totally unaware that his reckless maneuver has been the most important link in an
accident chain of events.
| Link
1 |
Diane should have been more assertive
in merging, eliminating Link 1. |
| Link
2 |
The alcohol in Pete’s veins
slowed down his reflexes just enough to cause an
accident. Had he been completely sober it would
have eliminated Link 2. |
| Link
3 |
If Jeff would have made a proper
"head check" before changing lanes, he
would have noticed Chuck and postponed changing
lanes, thus eliminating Link 3. |
| Link
4 |
Chuck’s hurried reckless driving
put everyone at risk. If he had slowed down and
obeyed existing traffic laws, he would have eliminated
Link 4. |
| Link
5 |
Only one link, Link 5 --
the time of day -- was beyond the driver's control.
If all the drivers had had their lights turned on,
maybe the accident would have been averted. |
The links that made up this chain are all too common.
No one can keep all the individual links from forming;
there are just too many of them.
The only way to keep the accident chain from forming
is for individual drivers to break the links around
them, and the only way to do that is by:
 |
Driving carefully |
|
Staying sober |
|
Learning how and when to make decisive
driving decisions |
|
Always checking blind
spots before changing lanes. |
And that is everybody’s responsibility.
return |
