| 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
|
