the air force journal of occupational, recreational, and

The Air Force Journal of Occupational, Recreational, and Driving Safety

Volume 12, Number 4 Fall 2000

AIR FORCE RECURRING PUBLICATION 91-2

Make Mine ‘Extra Crispy!’

A Conversation With the New Chief

Letters to the Editor

Death’s Door

A Sneaky Killer Strikes!

‘Squeeze Play’ on the Highway

A Little Sound Advice

Crash to Test — How Good are the NewSmall Cars?

Child Safety Takes a Backseat!

Aggressive Driving — Are You Part of theProblem?

A Passenger’s Tales of Terror!

Listen to the Bell

Taking A Fall

Don’t Become the ‘Hunted’

‘Splash’ One Hunter!

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page 20

Features

page 28

FALL 2000

The Air Force Journal of Occupational, Recreational, and Driving Safety

Volume 12, Number 4

page 14

Front cover and top photo, this page, courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Back cover photo by MSgt Perry Heimer

Vol. 12, Number 4 FALL 2000

Road & Rec ● Fall 2000 3

F. WHITTEN PETERSSecretary of the Air Force

GENERAL MICHAEL E. RYANChief of Staff, USAF

MAJOR GEN TIMOTHY A. PEPPEChief of Safety, USAF

COL WILLIAM M. COLLINSChief, Ground Safety DivisionDSN 246-0780

LT COL J. PAUL LANEChief, Safety Education and Media DivisionEditor-in-ChiefDSN 246-0922

BOB VAN ELSBERGManaging EditorDSN 246-0983

MRS. PAT RIDEOUTEditorial AssistantDSN 246-1983

FELICIA M. MORELANDElectronic Design DirectorDSN 246-5655

MSGT PERRY J. HEIMERPhotojournalistDSN 246-0986

Web page address for the Air Force Safety Center:http://www-afsc.saia.af.mil

Commercial Prefix (505) 846-XXXXE-Mail – vanelsbr @ kafb.saia.af.mil

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCECHIEF OF SAFETY, USAF

PURPOSE — Road & Rec is published quarterly for the prevention ofvehicle and other ground mishaps. The contents are not directive unlessso stated. REPRINTS — Air Force organizations may reprint articlesfrom Road & Rec without further authorization. Non-Air Force organi-zations must advise the Editor of the intended use of the material priorto reprinting. Such actions will ensure complete accuracy of materialamended in light of most recent developments. The inclusion of namesof any specific commercial product, commodity, or service in this pub-lication is for information purposes only and does not imply endorse-ment by the Air Force. Certain individuals shown in this publication arenot members of the Air Force and therefore do not conform to Air Forcegrooming standards. DISTRIBUTION — One copy for each five mem-bers of the USAF. Air Force units must contact Mrs. Pat Rideout at HQAFSC/SEMM, Voice – DSN 246-1983, Fax – DSN 246-0931, E-Mail –Patricia.Rideout @ kafb.saia.af.mil, or by letter to:

Road & Rec MagazineHQ Air Force Safety Center9700 G Avenue S.E., Ste 283AKirtland AFB NM 87117-5670

to establish or change requirements. Back issues of the magazine areon limited availability from HQ AFSC/SEMM.

POSTAL INFORMATION — Road & Rec (ISSN 1055-7725) is pub-lished quarterly by HQ AFSC/SEMM, 9700 “G” Avenue, S.E., KirtlandAFB NM 87117-5670. Periodicals postage paid at Albuquerque NM,and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Road & Rec, Attn: Editorial Assistant, HQ AFSC/SEMM, 9700 ”G”Avenue, S.E., Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5670.

CONTRIBUTIONSEditorRoad & RecHQ AFSC/SEMM9700 G Avenue S.E., Ste 285BKirtland AFB NM 87117-5670

O n May7, 2000, my brother wasburned fairly seriouslyover most of the right sideof his body by a flash fire

from his propane barbecue grill. Hedid ALMOST everything right, buthe was in a hurry -- and that’s whatgot him. The chain of events (a chainyou’ll want to avoid) is as follows:

My brother was outside workingon a project while his wife was try-ing to grill some steaks. The fire keptgoing out, so she called my brotherover to change the propane bottle.He put on the new propane bottle,

then went back to what he wasdoing. So far, so good.

The fire still didn’t seem to beburning properly, so my sister-in-law called my brother back to seewhat was wrong.

Mistake One: He was a bit irri-tated about the repeated interrup-tions, so he was in a bit of a hurry.

Mistake Two: She said the firehad died, so he DIDN’T LOOKinside the grill to see if there mightbe a residual grease fire. Instead, heimmediately checked the quick dis-connect (QD) connection to see if itwas properly seated.Mistake Three: He didn’t fullyclose the valve on the new -- and

fully charged -- bottle of propane.While he was working with theQD it hung up, holding thevalve open for a second or two.The high-pressure propane gasquickly found its way to thegrease fire on the grill, ignited,then created a fireball about 4-feet in diameter.

Mistake Number Four (ormaybe just bad luck): Mybrother wasn’t wearing any-

thing but a pair of shorts atthe time. Therefore, theright side of his bodywas unprotected as it

was engulfed by thefireball.Definitely Bad Luck: The

normal reaction to a big fire is toget out of the way -- which he did

with all available vigor.Unfortunately, his wife wasstanding behind him at the

time and, as he jumped outof the way, she went flying andlanded on her chin. That took 14stitches to fix.

All things considered, it couldhave been worse. Had the QD stuckwhen he was removing the old bot-tle, the low pressure in that tankcould have allowed the fire to travelback inside the bottle and cause it toexplode like a bomb. That wouldhave probably killed both of them.

Bottom Line: Before workingwith any gas line connection, do athorough check of the area for ANYsource of ignition. That could saveyou a lot of pain and down-time. ■

Editor’s Note: I love my propanebarbecue. No more stacking briquets,dousing them in starter fluid, tossing ina match, then waiting until the briquetsturn white. Now it’s just turn on thegas, press the ignitor and inmoments I’m ready to cook.However, every technical con-venience has its “dark side”--a gremlin waiting to grabits pound of flesh from theunwary. The followingstory came to me as ane-mail from Maj.Kevin L. Taylor ofthe Air ForceInspection Agencyhere at KirtlandAFB. Take a fewminutes andcheck it outb e c a u s eyou justmay seeyourself inhere. And, ohyes, watch outfor that gremlin!

Make MineExtra

Crispy!

4 Road & Rec ● Fall 2000

cyclist was being the safest person inthe world when an Italian car hithim, knocked him into a guardrail,then just blew right past. Also,trucks often pull out right in front ofmotorcycles. It’s the lack of protec-tion that bothers me.

I’ve been to more funerals than Iever wanted to and I’ve seen toomany parents and friends in thosecircumstances. It’s not worth it.Clearly, if you want longevity, gettingoff a motorcycle is the best way to go.

Road & Rec: Are there otherdriving safety issues that are ofparticular concern to you?

General Peppe: What bothers methe most in my short tenure here isthe loss of two lives in a motor vehi-cle accident where the driver worehis seat belt but didn’t make sure hispassengers wore theirs. Failure to useseat belts continues to cost Air Forcepersonnel and families their lives.

Road & Rec: Why do you thinkpeople do unsafe things when, inmany cases, they know better?

General Peppe: They just don’tunderstand the pain and agony thatgoes on after they’ve gone out andtried to prove that they’re invincible.They don’t think about the impacttheir actions or deaths have on otherpeople — be it their wives, mothers,dads, sisters, brothers, or the peoplewho live around them.

Sooner or later we can replacesome of the things that are lost, butyou can’t replace a human life. Thesuffering that results from a deathcaused by somebody’s recklessactions or inattention to detail justgoes on and on. We have to continueto talk risk management and tomake people as aware as we canabout how to do things safely.

Road & Rec: How do you reachpeople so that they will understandthe consequences of being unsafe?

General Peppe: The most effec-tive comments I’ve made were whenI discussed a Laughlin motorcycledeath and the aftermath with air-men. Going to the funeral with thehonor guard — most of whom livedin the same dorm as the victim —and dealing with the agony they allfelt at the church and the cemetery.Telling those airmen what it was like

rate on that, sir?General Peppe: The third day

that I was the ops officer for my unitat Zweibrucken we lost an airplane -- and it wasn’t the last. During mytour from November 1985 throughJuly 1988, we lost three more. Onewas due to crew error, while tworesulted from a centerline tank prob-lem where fuel sloshed back andforth and changed the center ofgravity. The fourth aircraft was shotdown by the Navy during DisplayDetermination in the fall of 1987.The guys ended up punching outand, luckily, were not hurt too badly.

Road & Rec: What about off-duty accidents?

General Peppe: As a two-timewing commander, I, unfortunately,had the opportunity to deal withseveral motorcycle, swimming, andPOV accidents which resulted indeaths. In one of these, a child wasn’tproperly strapped into a safety seat.At Laughlin AFB, Texas, we also hada suicide which quickly forced me tolearn about rebuilding the morale ofa squadron.

At Aviano, we had people living in171 different villages, some as muchas an hour away from the main base.They used little two-lane back roadsto get to and from the base. TheItalian roads were, in general, narrowand very slick during bad weather.Most people had at least one accidentduring their tour at Aviano.

I’ve also seen the nuclear suretyside, with NSIs (nuclear suretyinspections) and quantity-distance(Q-D) violations. I think all of theabove and two well-publicized air-craft accidents on foreign soil — theT-43 in Croatia and the EA-6B inItaly — have given me a reasonablefoundation for coming into this job.

Road & Rec: What is your mostpressing concern regarding off-duty safety?

General Peppe: Motorcycles —with what I’ve seen as a commander,I just don’t like them. I know they’refun and — if they were the ONLYthing out there — maybe they’d beall right. However, I’ve seen severalpeople lose their lives through nofault of their own because of some-thing somebody else did. A motor-

BOB VAN ELSBERGManaging Editor

Major General Timothy A.Peppe became the newAir Force Chief of Safetyand Commander of the

Air Force Safety Center during achange of command ceremonyheld 8 June, 2000, at KirtlandAFB, NM. The son of a careerArmy soldier who served inWorld War II, Korea and Vietnam,General Peppe has spent morethan 30 years in the Air Force.During that time his duties as agroup and wing commander havegiven him a passionate concernfor the safety of Air Force mem-bers on and off duty. In the fol-lowing interview, General Peppeoutlines some of those concerns.

Road & Rec: As you begin here asthe new Chief of Safety, what fromyour experience in the Air Forcemost prepared you for this job?

General Peppe: Being a comman-der at various levels and having todeal with some of the responsibili-ties that come with that job.

Road & Rec: Could you elabo-

A CONVERSATIONWITH THE NEW CHIEF

A CONVERSATIONWITH THE NEW CHIEF


to have the honor guard fold the flagin front of the parents, then watchme hand the flag to the father andmother. I just tell people that theyneed to think about the finality oftheir actions.

Road & Rec: What about our fly-ing safety efforts? Are there any areaswhere you are especially concerned?

General Peppe: I continue to beconcerned about the engine prob-lems in the F-16. You’ve got oneengine and if it goes bad, you’ve gotto get out. I think we’ve got a handleon that right now by virtue of thework we’ve done in the last year orso and the money that’s beinginvested in spare parts.

The other thing that you find in acouple of our accidents is the recur-ring theme of spatial disorientation.We need to continue to talk aboutthat and to remind people that it canhappen to them, in spite of whatthey might think.

Road & Rec: Our deploymentshave increased fourfold during thelast decade. Does that pose its ownsafety problems?

General Peppe: If you look backover the past few years, being in astrange place at a strange time withstrange weather has contributed toflight mishaps. So, from a risk man-agement point of view, our folksneed to constantly be aware of thesedangers. When they’re going into astrange airfield, they need to beespecially alert. This is particularlytrue when they deploy and are land-ing their airplane at the end of a verylong duty day. Obviously, theground environment at the deployedlocation is never the same. Ourguard must always be up.

Road & Rec: Do you have safetyconcerns about the support side ofour flying operations?

General Peppe: Probably theother place in flight safety that con-cerns me right now is the experiencelevel within our air traffic controlfield. We continue to lose many ofour experienced airmen and we’vegot a lot of young, inexperiencedkids coming in the pipeline. Thatgives us a tower and radar approachcontrol force much junior to any mypeers or I have ever seen. This is a

place where we have had some prob-lems. I would dare say there’s not anAir Force base in the world that has-n’t had HATRS (Hazardous AirTraffic Reports) where a minor mis-take has gotten some people closerthan we would like them to be.

The other issue that we’ve got tolook at is the crew force in the air-craft maintenance squadrons. AtAviano they were an extremelyyoung, dedicated bunch of kids.However, they were inexperienced.We were 150 to 160 percent mannedin 3-levels, but very sparselymanned in 5-levels and 7-levels.Our wings’ are younger than everbefore, so we must always put prop-er mission accomplishment, strongon-the-job-training, and safety atthe forefront.

Road & Rec: Despite the manychallenges, the past two years havebeen our safest on record in bothflight and ground safety. What doyou believe has led to that?

General Peppe: I think the lead-ership of the Air Force has talkedabout safety at great length. InUSAFE, when we had an accident —be it a ground or flight mishap, wetook a day off and talked about safe-ty. That’s a lot different from when Icame into the Air Force. The leader-ship, in forcing people to thinkabout safety, and the maturation ofOperational Risk Management, hashelped tremendously.

I think we’re all more aware of safe-ty and we’re pushing it down to thelowest level. Our civilians and enlist-ed force are doing a superb job. I thinkall of those have combined to give usthe great stats that we have now.

Road & Rec: You mentioned ORM,what role do you believe it has playedin reducing our mishaps?

General Peppe: I think that byvirtue of our teaching ORM in theofficer and NCO schools, our havinga web site that gets almost 8,000 hitsa day, coming up with a programlike TRACS (Total Risk Assessmentand Control System) which will leadyou through a risk managementevaluation — these have all had theeffect of making people think aboutthe way they do business. We justneed to get that down to the lowest,

most junior level — the young 18,19, and 20 year-old airman.

Road & Rec: What role does safe-ty play in preserving our combatreadiness, and what do we need tofocus on the most?

General Peppe: We know thatwe are a smaller, leaner force thanever before. Therefore, every personhas an important job to do. If they’renot there for that job, it means thoseat work have to pick up the paceand do 105 percent.

Therefore, I think the most obviousthing is taking care of our people —whether they are on duty or off duty— and also taking care of their fami-lies. As commanders, I think wehave a 24-hour-a-day responsibility.It’s not only for the preservation ofthe individual and his or her abilityto have a reasonable lifestyle, it’s alsothe preservation of our combat capa-bility and readiness.

The other issue, quite frankly, isthe preservation of our materielcapability in terms of airplanes andvehicles. There is no ‘free lunch’ outthere, we don’t have all of themoney we would like to have. Ourairplanes and ground vehicles are allaging at a substantial rate. They’reprobably older than they’ve everbeen in our Air Force’s history.

Road & Rec: When you’ve fin-ished your tenure here as Chief ofSafety, what would you like to haveaccomplished?

General Peppe: I think the num-ber one thing I would like to see ispeople becoming more aware ofwhat the Air Force Safety Center isand what we try to do for the AirForce, its people, and mission. I wantpeople to know that we’re here andwere ready to listen to their ideas.That’s why I am going out and tryingto talk to each of the MAJCOMs.

Even more importantly, in my per-sonal opinion, is going to visit the peo-ple who do the work where the rubbermeets the road — the wing safetyshops. I want to know — how are theymanned? How are they trained? Whatare they doing differently that works?What do they think we should change?I want them to know that if they havea good idea we will try to transformthat into a reality for the entire force. ■


Editor’s Note: This was e-mailedto me by Jeff Short, a civilian employ-ee with Headquarters, Department ofEnergy, Washington, D.C. He’d spot-ted this brief article written by acoworker in a DOE safety newsletterand felt it needed to be passed along.It makes an interesting point.

From the newsletter:

“While in travel status I took mylaptop computer onto the airplaneand stored it in the overhead bin. Ihad packed the spare battery in theoutside folder of the nylon computercase along with my DOE badge withthe metal neck chain. Unbeknownstto me, the chain (similar to a “dogtag” chain) came to rest balled upagainst the battery contacts andbecame very hot -- enough to turn thechain blue and melt a hole throughthe heavy nylon case.

“This could just as easily haveignited the papers that were also inthe folder which, being in the over-head bin, would likely have goneunnoticed until it caused a fire at35,000 feet. Not good!

“The moral of the story is tostore your (spare) computer bat-tery by itself and NEVER withanything metal. Now when I travelI put a piece of duct tape over thecontacts.”

Good point! Many of us travel pack-ing a laptop with at least one spare bat-tery. I had a similar experience (on amuch smaller scale) when I dumped a9-volt battery into my pocket along withmy keys. It wasn’t long before I noticed

something was getting hot. I fished mykeys and the battery out of my pocketand realized what was going on.However, that was nothing compared toa cabin fire onboard an aircraft at35,000 feet! Thanks for alerting us tothis danger.

The Editor

Editor’s Note: This came in as an e-mail to Mr. Paul Carlisle of the SafetyCenter’s Ground Safety division. Theoriginal e-mail, and Mr. Carlisle’sanswer, are very instructive. We’veall heated water or other liquids in amicrowave. This is a practice which,as it turns out, can be dangerous.

To Mr Carlisle:

“About five days ago my 26-year-old son decided to have a cup ofinstant coffee. He took a cup ofwater and put it in the microwave toheat it (something he had donenumerous times before). I am notsure how long he set the timer for,but he told me he wanted to bringthe water to a boil.

“When the timer shut off the oven,he removed the cup. As he lookedinto the cup, he noticed the waterwas not boiling. However, just thenthe cup blew up in his face. The cuphad remained intact, but all of thewater flew out into his face due to thebuildup of energy.

“His entire face was blistered andhe had first-and second-degree burnswhich may leave scarring. He mayalso lose partial sight in his left eye.

“While at the hospital, the doctor

who was attending to him stated thatthis is a fairly common occurrenceand that water (alone) should neverbe heated in a microwave oven. Thedoctor explained that if water is heat-ed in this manner, then somethingsuch as a wooden stir stick, tea bag,etc., should be placed in the cup todiffuse the energy. He said it is amuch safer choice to boil the water ina tea kettle.”

Mr. Carlisle’s Response:

“Microwave owner’s manuals pro-vide a caution/warning about heatingliquids. I quote from our manual here atthe Center:

‘WARNING: Liquids must bestirred briskly or poured (to mixin air) before being heated in amicrowave oven. If air is notmixed into a liquid, the liquidcan erupt in the oven or afterremoval from the oven.’

“Even after the heating cycle is com-plete, the product continues to cook dueto heat transference from the ‘cookingpot’ to the cooking ‘product’ …

“Wood may work, but I would notrecommend it since heating a com-bustible product (wood) in a heat-gen-erating device -- such as a microwave-- could cause a fire. I’d recommendafter the cooking cycle is complete,opening the microwave door andallowing one-to-two minutes of cool-ing time before handling the cup orremoving it from the microwave.”

Editor: Think this is a freak acci-dent that couldn’t happen to you?Check out this mishap narrativefrom earlier this year. The victim got14 days’ quarters.

“Participant was using amicrowave oven to heat a cup ofwater in a Pyrex glass measuringbowl. He set the timer for five min-utes then left to attend to otherchores. After five minutes heremoved the bowl from the ovenand was about to set it down whenthe super-heated water eruptedinto spray and splashed up onto hisface, neck and hands. Participantwas transported to a local hospitalwhere he was treated for secondand third degree burns.” ■


remember reading an article that told of asergeant crushing her head in a hangar door. Thearticle said that her coworkers could do nothing

but stand there and watch her die. It seemedunbelievable at the time. But almost a

year later, I witnessed another sergeant dothe same thing and fully understood howhelpless her coworkers must have felt.

As with all mishaps, there’s a chain ofevents that must occur to bring abouttragedy. In this case, there were several.First, the door controls had been wired il-logically. That is, the left switch movedthe hangar door to the right, and the rightswitch moved the door to the left. Thedoors were being repainted, and tape andpaper covered the outside switches. Also,the doors were open about one foot — areal no-no.

The sergeant needed to bring a craneinto the hangar, so he asked the painters ifhe could open the door. When they said yes,he reached through the opened doors and hit theswitch farthest from him.

He lived for another 15 agonizing minutes.The human skull is stronger than you would think.

Huge hangar doors won’t crush the skull — naturemade it strong, and it flexes quite a lot. Unfortunately,the tissue under the skull, like the sinus cavities and tem-ples, can’t take this kind of pressure. When the sinusesrupture, it’s impossible to stop the blood from flowing.Even if this happened in an operating room with the bestdoctors, you’re certain to bleed to death.

The Fire Department had to be called to wash away allthe blood. I now understand when historians write: “Thestreets were as a river of blood after the battle.”

Everything happened so fast, I didn’t have time to

mourn. That lasted until a few days later when I went toget a condolence card for his family. As I looked for thebest card, all I could think about was his wife and kidswithout him, and his mother and father not being able tosee their son anymore. I’m sure I was a sight, bitingdown on my hand as hard as I could to keep from cryingout in anguish.

As with most mishaps, this one would have beenavoided had the rules been followed. Maintenancetroops see the signs warning, “Hangar doors must befully closed or opened not less than ten feet.” But manyignore the warning and open the doors just enough to

get through — especially when cold weathersets in and they want to keep in the heat.As with most warnings, events have oc-

curred in the past that led to the logic behindthe warning. Hangar doors are definitely noexception.

If you haven’t applied the Operational RiskManagement formula to hangar doors, theprocess is long overdue. Take the time to talkabout scenarios with hangar doors thatmight lead to an unnecessary, hazardousrisk. Formulate a plan that helps reducethese risks and, ultimately, may help preventanother mishap.The bottom line is awareness and following

the established safety guidelines.The next time you see people opening

hangar doors just enough to get their toolboxthrough, tell them for their own safety to follow thewarning. If you are a supervisor, keep alert to the actionsof your people. It’s the little, seemingly unimportantthings that can cause a lot of heartache and end withhaving to explain to families why they are now widowsand orphans.

Don’t let complacency be in your epitaph. ■

(Mr. Simek is with the 325th Logistics Support Squadron at Tyndall AFB, FL.)

(AFOSHSTD 91-100, Aircraft Flightline Ground Operations andActivities, contains a section entitled “Hangar, Nose Dock, andShelter Door Design Guidance and Operations.” It provides basicAir Force policies for hangar door operation. It’s also likely your unithas established local Operating Instructions to govern hangar dooroperations. If you’re not sure what the local policies are, Quality As-surance should be able to help. Ed.)

MR. LAWRENCE SIMEKCourtesy Torch, Apr 00


G ordon had been suffering fromheadaches for several months. Hewas sleeping more than usual,and taking six aspirins a day. Hefelt sluggish much of the time.

Oddly, when his daughter came to visit, hisheadaches became contagious and she gotthem, too.

At the same time, Gordon noticed his

furnace was not producing sufficient heatand he called a repairman. The repairmanimmediately found a carbon monoxideleak, and told Gordon he was lucky to bealive.

A Sneaky KillerLast year approximately 250 Americans

died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.Many died because their fuel burning appli-ances weren’t operating properly and pro-duced fatal concentrations of CO. Becausethis can happen with very little warning, weneed to be especially alert.

Where It Comes FromThe most common source of dangerous CO

Courtesy Safety Times


levels in homes is an improperly maintainedfurnace. Have a qualified service personinspect all fuel-burning appliances annuallyin your home, trailer, camper or vacation site.This includes heating systems, water heaters,kitchen stoves and fireplaces.

Precautions◆ Buy only appliances that display the

mark of a recognized testing agency, such asthe American Gas Association, or theUnderwriters Laboratories (UL) label.

◆ Have a professional install all fuel-burn-ing appliances.

◆ Check your furnace filter monthly dur-ing the heating season to make sure it has-n’t become clogged. Clean or replace the

filter as needed.◆ Make sure burner flames on furnaces

and stoves are blue, burn evenly and have auniform shape. Flames with yellow tips andpoorly defined edges indicate incompletecombustion.

◆ No matter how cold it is, do not warm upyour car with the garage door closed.

◆ Do not work in a closed garage with thecar engine running.

◆ Never use charcoal for heating or cook-ing inside a house or other enclosed space.

◆ Use kerosene heaters only in well-venti-lated rooms. Open a window in the house.

◆ Don’t use the oven to heat your kitchen.◆ Problems suggesting improper appliance

operation include:- decreasing hot water supply;- furnace unable to heat house or runs con-

stantly;- unfamiliar or burning odor;- rusting or water streaking on vent or

chimney;- loose or disconnected vent or chimney

connections;- loose or missing furnace panels;- debris or soot falling from chimney, fire-

place, or appliances;- loose masonry on chimney;- moisture on inside windows may indi-

cate backdrafting.

Early DetectionSymptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

are similar to those of the flu except there isno fever. Symptoms include dizziness,fatigue, headache, nausea, and irregularbreathing. Your vision may become blurryand your reflexes may become slowed. Somepeople report a feeling of tightness acrosstheir chest.

If you have any of these symptoms whileyou’re inside your home and find that youfeel better when you go outside, you may besuffering from CO poisoning. Get a bloodtest to be sure.

The Consumer Product Safety Commissionsuggests at least one carbon monoxide detec-tor with an audible alarm be installed nearyour bedroom. For added protection, place adetector on every level in your home andoutside of individual bedrooms.

Detectors provide early warning beforethe deadly gas builds up to dangerous lev-els. Plug-in and corded 120-volt alarmshave proven most effective. Battery-operat-ed models can be placed in locations thatare too far away from an electrical outlet.Be sure your detectors have the UL label. ■


Every so often I read a mishapreport that stands out as a col-lection of bad decisions.Decisions driven, more oftenthan not, out of impatience or

the urge to hurry more than is prudent orsafe. Here’s a recent example. I have usedfictional names and vehicle descriptionsto make the story easier to read.However, this accident happened and,like so many, could have been prevented.

It was about 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon,April 16, and A1C Susan Morris, driving her

blue Toyota Corolla, was anxious to get up toGreenville, N.C. For a young airman sta-tioned at Seymour Johnson AFB, Greenvillewas the place to go for some “big city” fun.It was about a 35-mile drive, the first 18 or 19being on Highway 13, a single lane countryhighway with a posted speed limit of 55mph. Broken double yellow lines alloweddrivers to pass, giving them relief from slow-moving farm vehicles and elderly driverswho often impeded traffic. The drivethrough the peaceful farm country wasscenic -- even serene -- for those who tookthe time to enjoy it.

Being a Sunday afternoon, traffic was rela-tively light. Bill, a civilian driver, was alsoheaded north on Highway 13 in his brownChevy four door sedan. Ahead of him wasan older couple in a pickup. Like many oldermotorists, the man was driving cautiously,



averaging between 50 and 55 as the roadcurved through the countryside. Bill hatedbeing delayed, especially when he could do60 mph without worrying about being tick-eted. Also, he had an impatient driver gain-ing on his back bumper -- a girl in a blueToyota who seemed as anxious as he to pickup the pace.

Bill eased to the left in his lane andscanned the road ahead. It stretched outstraight for about a half-mile then curved tothe left. The oncoming lane was clear and,since it was legal to pass, he moved into theoncoming lane and began to accelerate. Noneed to jump on the gas, however. It wasn’tlike the elderly driver was going to race him.

As Bill pulled even with the pickup heglanced over at the driver. It was basically ahabit -- sizing up the other motorist. But theolder man didn’t even look back. Not muchto figure on there.

Bill needed to finish passing and get backinto his lane. As he looked ahead, however,he gasped. While he’d been distracted, a carhad rounded the curve and was comingstraight at him! Glancing at the pickup stillbeside him and at the space ahead, he knewhe didn’t have enough time to finish passing.Fixated on the onrushing car, Bill pulled hisfoot off the gas and began to brake. As soonas he dropped behind the pickup, Bill turnedthe wheel to the right to get back into hislane. But somebody was already there!

Susan had seen Bill pull into the oncominglane moments before and had accelerated totake his place behind the pickup. With a lit-tle luck, she, like Bill, could get around thepickup before the three vehicles reached thecurve ahead. But today, her luck ran out.

The red glare of Bill’s brake lights flasheda split-second before the big Chevy swervedback into the lane in front of Susan. The fewfeet between the vehicles disappearedinstantly as Bill rapidly slowed down andSusan frantically jumped on her brakes. Butjust as there wasn’t enough time or space forBill to pass, there wasn’t enough time orspace for Susan to slow down. As she lockedup all four wheels, her Toyota slammed intothe back of Bill’s Chevy. The impact firstthrew Susan forward into her shoulder strap,

then slammed her head backwards. In theChevy, Bill had the opposite experience asthe Toyota rear-ended him. Fortunately, nei-ther car slid out of control and, althoughshaken, both drivers were able to pull off theroad and onto the shoulder. Up ahead, thepickup disappeared into the distance, its dri-ver either unaware of the accident that hadjust happened just behind him or else notwanting to get involved. In a moment ofimpatience, two vehicles tried to fit in aspace only large enough for one. Both paidthe price.

Despite the harrowing experience, theinjuries, fortunately, were minor. For herrole in this highway “squeeze play,” Susanwould spend two days on quarters andseveral more in pain from the whiplashshe’d suffered. In retrospect, she and Billboth got off lightly -- it could have beenMUCH worse.

What lessons are there to learn from Billand Susan’s experience? There are basical-ly three:

Always expect the unexpected! If youwant to pass a vehicle and there is a curveahead, automatically expect someone to becoming around it. Ask yourself, “Do I haveenough time to pass in a worst-case sce-nario?” Also, take a look in the rearview mir-ror. Can you fall back into your lane or isthere a “speedy Susan” waiting to cut offyour escape route?

Space is life -- maybe YOURS! If you’re“Susan” in a passing situation, don’t roar upbehind the vehicle being passed. Not only istailgating dangerous, if you’re on a two-laneroad as in the story above, you may sudden-ly find yourself in the way of a “Bill” tryingto avoid a head-on collision. Don’t com-pound “Bill’s” problems by forcing him tohit you or run you off the road to save him-self. You don’t want to meet Bill that way.

Why hurry to an early grave? No matterhow much of a rush you may think you’rein, arriving late at your destination ALWAYSbeats arriving “on time” at the morgue. Billand Susan are lucky to be alive -- but luck isa poor substitute for “safe.” Like they say,“Haste makes waste.” Do you really want tolet haste “waste” you? ■


There are many reasons people buy small cars.For all their advantages, however, small carsgenerally absorb more force in a collision thana heavier car. According to the InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety, people in small

cars are injured more often and more severely than thosein larger vehicles. Still, like Suzy, many of us maintainour love affairs with our small cars. The challenge fordrivers is to make up in safety awareness what theirvehicle may lack in size and weight.

See And Be SeenIn a small car, you are sitting as much as nine inch-

es lower than the driver of a large car. Barriers, medi-ans, curbs, guardrails, and roadway obstacles maymake it harder for you to see and be seen. Most acci-dents involving small cars occur because drivers oflarger vehicles have trouble seeing smaller cars. Hereare a few suggestions to help you compensate for yoursize disadvantage:

◆ Realize that because you are closer to the ground,your range of vision is limited. You will also catch more

Courtesy Safety Times

Suzy loved her compact car. It was easy to maintain, effi-

cient, and very maneuverable. It was small, like her. She could

settle into the driver’s seat and feel the little car almost wrap

around her. She felt in total control. When she hit a pool of

water one fall morning, however, she lost control. The car

turned over, rolled three times and pinned Suzy to the steer-

ing wheel, inflicting fatal injuries on the young woman. The

strengths of her little car had become its greatest weakness.

A LITTLE SOUND ADVICEA LITTLE SOUND ADVICEPhotos by Robert Van Elsberg


glare off the road at night and in wet weather. Use cau-tion and be careful about those things you cannot see. Ifyour vision is restricted in any way, slow down!

◆ Leave a “cushion of space” between you and othervehicles. Your purpose is to defend yourself from thedangers around you.

◆ Be aware that the bumpers on many small vehiclesare lower than those of pickup trucks and sport utilityvehicles. This “bumper mismatch” -- as it is called -- canplace you at a big disadvantage in a collision.

◆ Drive with your lights on during the daylight hours,especially in inclement weather.

◆ Do not drive alongside or behind larger vehicles.You are likely to fall into one of their blind spots.

◆ Try to keep your car where it is visible in therearview mirror of the car ahead of you.

◆ Keep in mind that dark colors, such as black, dark

green, or brown, are less visible than bright colors.◆ If you think a larger vehicle does not see you, flash

your headlights on and off, or honk your horn.

You Win With Defense◆ When purchasing a car, pay special attention to safe-

ty features.◆ Always wear your safety belt. According to the

National Safety Council, lap and shoulder belts reducethe risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 per-cent, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50percent.

◆ Do not drive aggressively. Resist the temptation toweave or slip through tight spaces, even if you thinkyou can.

◆ Sudden changes in wind velocity or direction cangreatly affect your control of a small car. Such changescan occur when you’re being passed by a larger vehicle,or when you’re driving on a stretch of highway open towind gusts. Grip the steering wheel at the 9 and 3 o’clockpositions and move to the far side of your lane, awayfrom larger vehicles.

◆ Use the side and rearview mirrors constantly. Knowwhat is behind, beside, and ahead of your car at alltimes.

Highway Tips Most small cars do not have the engine power of larg-

er vehicles and most highways in the United States havebeen engineered for larger, more powerful cars. Withthat in mind:

◆ Small cars must accelerate rapidly on the entranceramp to a highway. Don’t wait until you reach theexpressway.

◆ For the same reason, allow plenty of distance andtime when passing a vehicle or merging. ■

Crash to Test --How Good Are the New Small Cars?


Editor’s Note: Periodically we publish the results of theInsurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crash tests. TheInstitute’s offset frontal crash test simulates two identicalvehicles striking each other head-on at 40 mph with theimpact focused on the driver’s side of the bumper. Whilethese tests don’t necessarily imitate exactly what might hap-pen in a car crash, they do allow vehicles of a given class tobe compared on some key safety issues. Those issues aredescribed in the paragraph below. Note: Any comments bythe editor added to the Institute’s actual report will be set offin italics. Also, the information below should not be con-strued as Air Force endorsement or criticism of any of thevehicles tested.

Crashworthiness PerformanceThree aspects of crashworthiness are assessed in the

Institute’s 40 mph frontal offset crash test: how well eachvehicle’s front end manages crash energy to limit occu-pant compartment intrusion, injury risk measured on an

average-size male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat,and how well the belt and airbag perform and interactwith the steering column and other vehicle parts to con-trol dummy kinematics (movement).

Volkswagen New Beetle 1998-2000 -- Overall Rating: GoodReincarnated for the 1998 model year, the Volkswagen

New Beetle has side airbags for both the driver and pas-senger plus dual-locking shoulder belts. Front-seatshoulder belts include crash tensioners to prevent slackfrom allowing excessive forward movement in a crash,and devices to limit belt forces on occupants. Antilockbrakes were optional on 1998 models, but became stan-dard beginning with the 1999s.

(NOTE: Following discussion about restraint systemperformance in an initial offset test, Volkswagenchanged the size of the airbag vent hole. Cars manufac-tured after June 1998 are equipped with the new airbagdesign. Information about when a specific vehicle wasmanufactured is on the certification label typicallyaffixed to the car on or near the driver door.) The

INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY

Photos courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety


Institute conducted a second crash test using a newBeetle equipped with the revised airbag. This evaluationcovers both tests. Ratings are based on the second test.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: GOODThere was minimal intrusion in the driver footwell

area and minimal rearward movement of the instrumentpanel in both tests.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: ACCEPTABLEIn both tests, the dummy’s head bottomed out the

airbag as the car rebounded from the barrier. In the sec-ond test, the dummy’s head brushed the window sill asit rebounded toward the driver seat. Otherwise, dummymovement was controlled reasonably well.

INJURY MEASURES: GOODMeasures taken from the neck, chest, and both legs

indicated a low risk of injury to these body regions. Highhead acceleration occurred when the dummy’s head hitthe steering wheel in the first test (rated acceptable), butacceleration was low in the second test with the modi-fied airbag.

OVERALL EVALUATION: GOODThe driver space was maintained well in both frontal

offset crash tests. Although measures in the first testindicated the possibility of a minor head injury, theredesigned airbag in the second test reduced this risk.Side airbags, belt crash tensioners, and daytime runninglights are pluses.

Volkswagen New Jetta/Gulf 1999-2000 -- Overall Rating:Acceptable

Redesigned during the 1999 model year (the olddesign continued into the early part of this model year),the Volkswagen New Jetta has front and side airbags forboth the driver and passenger plus dual-locking shoul-der belts. Front-seat shoulder belts include crash ten-sioners to prevent slack from allowing excessive forwardmovement in a crash, and devices to limit belt forces onoccupants. Antilock brakes and daytime running lightsare standard.

(Note: Immediately after the test there was a small fireat the base of the B-pillar (the B-pillar is the roof sup-port immediately behind the front door on eitherside of the vehicle). The pyrotechnic device in the belttensioner had ignited sound insulation material. Soonafter this incident, the manufacturer recalled all 1999Jetta/Gulf models to fix this problem, so it doesn’t affectthe crashworthiness evaluation.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: ACCEPTABLEThere was minimal-to-moderate intrusion into the dri-

ver footwell area, and moderate rearward movement ofthe instrument panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: ACCEPTABLEDummy movement was controlled reasonably well.

However, the dummy’s head bottomed out the airbagand contacted the steering wheel. During rebound, thedummy moved toward the driver door and its head con-tacted the B-pillar.

INJURY MEASURES: LEFT LEG ACCEPTABLEMeasures taken from the head, neck and chest indicat-

ed a low risk of injury to these body regions. Head accel-erations from the steering wheel and B-pillar contactswere low. However, forces on the left tibia indicated thepossibility of lower leg injury.

OVERALL EVALUATION: ACCEPTABLEThe driver space was maintained reasonably well in

the frontal offset crash test. However, footwell intrusioncontributed to the possibility of a lower leg injury. Sideairbags, belt crash tensioners, and daytime runninglights are pluses.

Honda Civic 1996-2000 -- Overall Rating: AcceptableRedesigned for the 1996 model year, the Honda Civic

has front airbags plus dual-locking shoulder belts. Front-seat shoulder belts include webbing grabbers designedto prevent belt slack on the storage wheel from allowingexcessive forward movement in a crash. Antilock brakesare optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: ACCEPTABLEThere was moderate intrusion in the driver footwell

area and minimal-to-moderate rearward movement ofthe instrument panel.

RESTRAINT/DUMMY KINEMATICS: GOODDummy movement was well-controlled, although the

dummy’s head did contact the B-pillar during rebound.

INJURY MEASURES: ACCEPTABLEMeasures taken from the head and neck during the off-

set test indicated a low risk of injury to these bodyregions. Head acceleration from the B-pillar was low.

continued on next page


Chest compression indicated the possibility of a chestinjury. Forces on the left tibia indicated the possibility oflower leg injury.


the frontal offset crash. However, measures indicated thepossibility of injury to the chest and left leg.

Toyota Corolla/Chevrolet Prizm 1998-2000 -- Overall Rating:Acceptable

Redesigned for the 1998 model year, the ToyotaCorolla has front airbags plus dual-locking shoulderbelts. Front-seat shoulder belts include crash tensionersdesigned to prevent slack from allowing excessive for-ward movement in a crash, and devices to limit beltforces on occupants. Daytime running lights are stan-dard. Antilock brakes, built-in child restraints, and sideairbags are optional.


ver footwell area and moderate rearward movement ofthe instrument panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: MARGINALAfter the dummy moved forward into the airbag, its

head leaned left through the open window. Duringrebound, the dummy’s head contacted the B-pillar.There was too much upward movement of the steeringcolumn, which could compromise restraint system per-formance in other crashes.

INJURY MEASURES -- LEFT LEG: MARGINALMeasures taken from the head, neck, and chest indi-

cated a low risk of injury to these body regions. Headacceleration from the B-pillar contact was too low torecord. Forces on the left tibia indicated the possibility ofa lower leg injury.


the frontal offset crash test. However, measures indicat-ed the possibility of injury to the left leg. Optional sideairbags, belt crash tensioners and daytime running lightsare pluses.

Hyundai Elantra 1996-2000 -- Overall Rating: AcceptableRedesigned for the 1996 model year (bumpers

improved beginning with 1999 models), the HyundaiElantra has front airbags plus dual-locking shoulderbelts. Beginning with the 1999 models, front-seat shoul-der belts include crash tensioners to prevent slack fromallowing excessive forward movement in a crash.Antilock brakes are optional


ver footwell area and moderate rearward movement of

the instrument panel.

RESTRAINT/DUMMY KINEMATICS: ACCEPTABLEAfter the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it

moved toward the driver door, which had bowed out-ward. During rebound the dummy’s head hit the B-pil-lar.

INJURY MEASURES: ACCEPTABLEHigh head acceleration occurred when the dummy’s

head hit the B-pillar, which indicated the possibility of ahead injury. The right tibia/femur displacement indicat-ed the possibility of injury to the knee joint.


the frontal offset crash test. However, measures indicat-ed the possibility of injury to the head and knee. Beltcrash tensioners are a plus.

Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer 1997-2000 -- Overall Rating:Acceptable

Redesigned for the 1997 model year, the Ford Escorthas front airbags plus dual-locking shoulder belts. Front-seat shoulder belts include webbing grabbers designedto prevent belt slack on the storage wheel from allowingexcessive forward movement in a crash. Built-in childrestraints are optional in 1998 and earlier models.Antilock brakes are optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: ACCEPTABLEThere was moderate intrusion into the driver footwell


RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: GOODDummy movement was well-controlled, although the

dummy’s head did contact the B-pillar during rebound.

Even in the highest position, the head restraint isn’t highenough to effectively protect an average-size male.


INJURY MEASURES -- RIGHT LEG: POORMeasures taken from the head, neck, and chest indicat-

ed a low risk of injury to these body regions. Head accel-eration from the B-pillar contact was low. Forces on theright tibia indicated the likelihood of lower leg injury.


the frontal offset crash test. However, intrusion into thefootwell area contributed to poor right leg injury results.

Saturn SL 1995-2000 -- Overall Rating: AcceptableIntroduced in the 1991 model year, the Saturn SL has

front airbags (standard beginning in 1995) plus dual-locking shoulder belts. Daytime running lights becamestandard beginning with the 1996 models, and antilockbrakes are optional.


ver footwell area and moderate rearward movement ofthe instrument panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: MARGINALAfter the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it

moved down and toward the driver door. Duringrebound, the dummy’s head contacted the windowframe and B-pillar. There was too much rearward move-ment of the steering column, which could compromiserestraint system performance in other crashes.

INJURY MEASURES: ACCEPTABLEMeasures taken from the head and neck indicated a

low risk of injury to these body regions. Head accelera-tions from the window frame and B-pillar were low.Chest compression indicated the possibility of a chestinjury. Forces on the left femur indicated the possibilityof injury to the upper leg or pelvis.


the frontal offset crash test. However, there was toomuch steering column movement, and measures indi-cated the possibility of injury to the chest and left leg.Daytime running lights are a plus.

Nissan Sentra 1998-1999 -- Overall Rating: AcceptableRedesigned in the 1995 model year and structurally

modified beginning with the 1998 models to improveoccupant protection in offset crashes, the Nissan Sentrahas front airbags plus dual-locking shoulder belts. Front-seat shoulder belts include webbing grabbers designedto prevent belt slack on the storage reel from allowingexcessive forward movement in a crash. Antilock brakesare optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: MARGINALThere was moderate intrusion into the driver footwell

area and minimal-to-moderate rearward movement of

the instrument panel. The dummy’s right foot wastrapped between the intruded toepan and a bracket infront of the center console.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: ACCEPTABLEAfter the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it

moved toward the driver door and its head wentthrough the open window. During rebound, thedummy’s head hit the B-pillar.

INJURY MEASURES -- LEFT LEG: MARGINALHigh head acceleration occurred when the dummy’s

head hit the B-pillar and indicated the possibility of ahead injury. The left tibia/femur displacement indicatedthe possibility of injury to the knee joint. Forces on theleft tibia indicated the possibility of a lower leg injury.


the frontal offset crash test. However, intrusion trappedthe dummy’s right foot, and measures indicated the pos-sibility of injury to the head, left knee and left leg.

Mazda Protege 1999-2000 -- Rating: AcceptableRedesigned for the 1999 model year, the Mazda

Protege has front airbags plus dual-locking shouldercontinued on next page

The Sentra’s occupant compartment did not protect thedummy’s left leg or right foot well during the tests.


belts. Front-seat shoulder belts include devices to limitbelt forces on occupants. Antilock brakes are optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: ACCEPTABLEThere was moderate intrusion into the driver footwell


RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: ACCEPTABLEDummy movement was reasonably well controlled.

During rebound, the dummy moved toward the driver’sdoor. Its head went part of the way out of the windowand approached, but didn’t contact, the window frame.

INJURY MEASURES -- RIGHT LEG: POORMeasures taken from the head, neck and chest indicat-

ed low risk of injury to these body regions. However,forces on the lower legs indicated the likelihood of aright leg injury and the possibility of injury to the leftleg.

OVERALL EVALUATION: ACCEPTABLEStructural performance in the frontal offset crash was

very similar to the performance of the predecessorProtege model. The driver space was maintained rea-sonably well. However, footwell intrusion contributed tothe likelihood of lower leg injury.

Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2000 -- Overall Rating: MarginalRedesigned for the 2000 model year, the Dodge Neon

has front airbags plus dual-locking shoulder belts in thefront seats. Front-seat shoulder belts also include devicesto limit belt forces on occupants. Antilock brakes areoptional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: MARGINALThere was moderate intrusion into the driver footwell

area and moderate rearward movement of the instru-ment panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: MARGINALDummy movement wasn’t well controlled. As the

dummy moved into the airbag, it also moved toward thedriver’s door, which had bowed outward. The dummy’shead approached but didn’t hit the window sill. Therewas too much rearward movement of the steering col-umn and during the impact the steering wheel broke offfrom the column.

INJURY MEASURES -- LEFT LEG: POORMeasures taken from the head, neck and chest indicat-

ed a low risk of injury to these body regions. However,sustained forces on the left femur indicated the likeli-hood of upper leg or pelvis injury. Forces on the left andright tibias indicated the possibility of lower leg injuries.

OVERALL EVALUATION: MARGINALThe redesigned Neon showed only a slight improve-

ment compared to the performance of the predecessor

model. There was somewhat less intrusion, but the dri-ver space still wasn’t maintained well. Footwell andinstrument panel intrusion contributed to the likelihoodof injuries to the upper left leg.

Mitsubishi Mirage 1997-2000 -- Overall Rating: PoorRedesigned for the 1997 model year, the Mitsubishi

Mirage has front airbags plus dual-locking shoulderbelts. Antilock brakes are optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: MARGINALThere was moderate-to-major intrusion into the driver

footwell area and moderate rearward movement of theinstrument panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: POORDummy movement wasn’t well controlled. There was

too much upward movement of the steering column,which contributed to the dummy’s head bottoming outthe airbag and striking the steering wheel. Duringrebound, the dummy moved toward the driver’s door --which had bowed outward -- and its head hit the B-pillar.

INJURY MEASURES -- RIGHT LEG: POORHigh head accelerations occurred when the dummy’s

head hit the steering wheel and B-pillar, indicating thepossibility of a head injury. Forces on the right tibia anda high right foot acceleration indicated the likelihood ofinjury to the lower leg or foot.

OVERALL EVALUATION: POORThe driver space wasn’t maintained well in the frontal

offset crash test. Intrusion into the footwell area con-tributed to poor right leg injury results. There was toomuch steering column movement, and the dummy’shead hit the steering wheel through the airbag.

Although redesigned since the Institute’s previous seriesof crash tests, the Neon still failed to do a good job of pro-tecting its driver.


Kia Sephia 1998-2000 -- Overall Rating:Poor

Redesigned for the 1998 modelyear, the Kia Sephia has frontairbags plus dual-locking shoulderbelts. Antilock brakes are optional.

STRUCTURE/SAFETY CAGE: MARGINALThere was moderate-to-major

intrusion into the driver footwellarea and moderate rearward move-ment of the instrument panel.

RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: MAR-GINAL

Dummy movement wasn’t wellcontrolled. During rebound, thedummy moved toward the driverdoor. The dummy’s head went partof the way out of the open windowand hit the B-pillar. There was alsotoo much upward movement of thesteering column, which could com-promise restraint system perfor-mance in other crashes.

INJURY MEASURES: HEAD/NECK -- POOR;LEFT AND RIGHT LEGS: MARGINAL

A high head injury criterionoccurred during the dummy’s inter-action with the airbag. Because theairbag distributed the forces acrossthe dummy’s head, the high resultmay not indicate a major injury suchas a skull fracture, but a serious headinjury is possible. A high head accel-eration also occurred duringrebound when the dummy’s headhit the B-pillar, indicating the possi-bility of another head injury. Forceson both tibias indicated the possibil-ity of lower leg injuries.

OVERALL EVALUATION: POORThe structural performance of the

new Sephia was somewhat betterthan its predecessor model’s in thefrontal offset crash test, but the driverspace still wasn’t maintained well.Measures indicated the likelihood ofhead injuries, and intrusion into thedriver footwell area contributed tothe possibility of leg injuries. ■

Crash testing indicated a high proba-bility of a driver head injury in theSephia.

were too loose or facing in the wrong direction. In somecases, the seats were the wrong size for the children.

Most parents want to keep their kids safe, however, it isdifficult to know just how to install a child car seat. Vehiclesand child safety seats aren’t always compatible, especiallythose vehicles which have captain’s chairs or bucket seats -- such as many minivans -- for the passengers in the back.Also, many passenger car backseats are not designed toallow a child safety seat to be effectively secured. However,changes during the next few years will mean that childsafety seats and car seats will be more compatible. In themeantime you need to be well-educated.

What should you know?❏ The backseat is the safest seat for any

passenger under the age of 13.❏ All infants less than one year old

should be in a rear-facing child safety seatfirmly installed in the vehicle’s backseat.Even if the child weighs 20 pounds before itis one year old, its neck is still not developedenough to support its head in a crash. If youhave an airbag, it is especially important thata child NOT be placed in the front seat.Infant fatalities have been reported by truckowners and others who’ve had children inthe front seat when the airbags deployed.

❏ Straps on a convertible child car seatshould be in the highest position when youuse the seat facing forward. This allows thereinforced steel bar in the seat to provideadded protection in a crash.

❏ The child safety seat should not movewhen it is properly installed. Put your knee inthe seat, then put all of your weight on it asyou pull the vehicle’s seat belt to tighten thesafety seat in-place.

❏ Boosters should be used for childrenwho weigh more than 40 pounds but who arenot yet tall enough to use the vehicle’s seatbelt properly. NEVER put the shoulder beltunder a child’s arm or behind its neck.

Some Other Safety Tips❏ If your child’s safety seat is in a crash,

don’t use it again. Most insurance compa-nies will replace them when they are claimedas damaged in a crash. A child safety seatmay have hairline fractures that can’t beseen, but can affect its ability to protect thechild in a second crash.

❏ Set a good example. Recent studiesdone by the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) show that parentswho don’t buckle-up have children whodon’t buckle-up.

For more information on selecting the proper childsafety seat or installing it correctly, check out the NHTSAwebsite at http://www.nhtsa.gov. This website alsooffers a complete list of child safety seat recalls. ■

It was a cold, snowy day in Idaho. My husband, ourtwo children and I were traveling along a slipperymountain highway when the tires hit an icy patch,sending our vehicle over a gravel shoulder androlling down an embankment. When we stopped,

both children were upside down, hanging safely fromtheir child safety seats. That day our vehicle was crushed,but our lives were saved because we had worn our seatbelts and used our child safety seats.

That leads to a question: Are you among the 10 percentof parents who buckle-up their children correctly? At arecent Child Car Seat Checkup I attended, nearly 90 per-cent of the children were improperly restrained. Themost common problems were child safety seats that


Photo by MSgt Perry Heimer

Child Safety Takes aBackseat!

BARBARA BOOTHWisconsin Department of TransportationRegional Program ManagerBureau of Transportation Safety


(Editor’s Note: Road rage differs from aggressivedriving in that road rage involves a violent trafficdispute (physical assault or vehicle contact).Aggressive drivers operate their vehicle in a bold orpushy manner, often violating traffic codes likespeeding, following too close, and making improperlane changes.)

You have seen it a thousand times. You’re dri-ving the speed limit in the slow lane, whensomeone comes up right behind you and hugsyour rear bumper? What do you do?

A recent American Automobile Association(AAA)/Gallup poll shows we fear aggressive driversmore than drunken drivers. The aggressive driver istypified by behavior such as cutting people off, tailgat-ing, speeding, and careless weaving in and out of lanes.All common descriptions of what we see in our dailycommute to work. Unfortunately, these actions put therest of us at risk.

Driving is a complex activitity and no one is perfect.Law enforcement agencies do their part to control ourcrowded roads, but there may not be any easy solu-tions to the cultural driving patterns, which areincreasingly leaning towards aggressive driving.Statistics show more and more that aggressive drivingcauses accidents.

How can we avoid being victims of aggressive drivers?The AAA Foundation provides three guiding principles:

● Don’t offend. Be courteous to other drivers by usingturn signals and by not cutting off other drivers. If youare driving slower than other traffic, use the right lane.Avoid making gestures that may anger other drivers.Avoid the urge to tailgate other vehicles.

● Don’t engage. Stay clear of angry drivers. Controlthe urge to retaliate from what may appear to you to bethe other driver’s lack of courtesy. Avoid eye contact,which may encourage the aggressive driver.

● Adjust your attitude. Avoid viewing the drivingactivity as a contest that requires you to win. Allowingmore time can remove the sense of urgency. Listen tosoothing music and practice relaxation techniques.

Violent and aggressive driving is increasingly on therise. You can avoid becoming a victim by using thesetips. You can also play a major role in making our road-ways safer by reporting aggressive driving incidents tothe appropriate law enforcement authorities. ■

CW4 Alfred L. RiceThird U.S. Army Safety OfficerHQ U.S. Army Forces Central CommandCOUNTERMEASURE, July 2000

Illustration by Mr. David Bear


MAJ STEPHANIE JOHNSONAFIT/CI/CSUFE Warren AFB, WY

When I tell passengers in my carthat I’ve been in five majorvehicle accidents in my life-

time (a mere 35 years!) sometimes theyget a look of panic on their face.To keepthem from jumping out at the next stop,I calmly explain the many lessonslearned. These lessons have made me amore defensive driver and leery ofspur-of-the moment actions. Each acci-dent was a result of senseless acts thatcould have been prevented. Each acci-dent has provided valuable lessons—lessons to pass on to others.

Singing the Same Tune“Don’t drink and drive ... drive

responsibly.” How often have weheard those words at commanderscalls and safety briefings? A civiliandriver needed to have heard thosewords back in 1968. I was four yearsold and just had finished a day offishing with my parents inGalveston, Texas. The sun hadbegun to set over our fishing pierand we loaded our Volkswagen“Bug” with our fishing gear andcatch of the day. My father drovewhile my 7 1/2 month pregnantmother sat beside him. I wasstretched out across the back seat,which was just comfortable enoughto take a nap. Unfortunately, ourvehicle did not have rear seat belts.

My next memory was of beingsmashed against the backs of my par-ents’ seats and hearing the sound ofmetal crashing and my parentsscreaming. A drunk driver had run ared light and hit my mother’s door.He’d barely left the bar before crash-ing into our car.

I can vividly remember peoplegetting us out of the car and bring-

ing us into the bar where the otherdriver had consumed his last drink.I was frightened for my mother andmy soon-to-be-born baby brother.Fortunately, we only had minorinjuries. My last memory of theaccident was seeing the car the nextday. It was a heap of metal. Thesteering wheel was bent where myfather hit it and the car reeked ofthe smell of our catch.

Like a record that keeps skipping,the message — ”don’t drink anddrive” — is one that needs to berepeated again and again.Strange Things in the Night

My second accident occurred 12years later. It was the kind of nightmost parents dread. I was 16 and myparents had given me permission togo out with some friends that nightin their car. I was ecstatic! The fourof us went to a popular mountainslide that provided a scary andexhilarating ride. Little did I know,however, that the scariest ride wasstill ahead of me that night.

After dropping off one of myfriends, the three of us headedhome. We approached a long curvein a neighborhood that had a lake.A boat owner had only shortlybefore unloaded his boat into thelake and parked his trailer too farout from the curb. We rounded thecurve too fast and hit a corner ofthe trailer.

From where I sat in the backseat,all I can remember is the car spin-ning. Later I woke up as paramedicsgrilled me with questions. The pas-sengers in the front seat thought Iwas dead — but I had only lost con-sciousness. I wound up with a con-cussion and the vehicle was totaled.

There were several lessons here:(1) New drivers often have moreenthusiasm than skill, (2) Drivingtoo fast for the road or the condi-tions can quickly get you into trou-ble, (3) Parked vehicles can be a real

A Passenger’s Tales of Terror!

Photo courtesy of author


hazard after dark; and (4)Passengers need to speak up whenthey think the driver is being unsafe.

The last lesson can be particularlyhard to learn. Being an assertive pas-senger takes courage and the fore-sight to see potentially dangeroussituations. At that time I was ateenager enjoying my first night outwith my friends in a car and did nothave the courage to speak up. That’snot true now — I recently had to tella friend who was showing off hisnew sports car on a road in the NapaValley to “slow it down.”What Did the Weather Report Say?

I was a junior in college when Ihad my third auto accident.Thanksgiving break was upon usand we were all excited. I was catch-ing a ride with a fellow ROTC cadetto my home, located about threehours south of the campus. Thesnowflakes began to fall as myfriend came by to pick me up. By thetime we left town, we were in adecent Colorado blizzard.

To this day I have no recollectionof what happened in the accident. Iremember that we were drivingthrough a town and then—the nextthing I knew—I was regaining con-sciousness in an emergency room. Icouldn’t remember the day, my par-ents’ phone number, or what hadhappened during the previous fivehours. I was in a state of panic! I wasbeing wheeled into an X-ray labwhen I noticed how swollen, bruisedand bloodied my face was. Before Iwent to sleep in the hospital thatnight, I found out that I’d broken mynose, sliced an ear, suffered a concus-sion and shattered a kneecap.

The next morning the police cameby and told me that a semi haulinggasoline had driven across the high-way in front of us and we had slidand become pinned underneath thetrailer. My friend, who had been dri-ving, was in intensive care withinternal injuries. The accident costhim his commission in the Air Forceand mine was in jeopardy. It tooknumerous doctor visits along withrehabilitation, and support from mydetachment commander to regainmy commission status.

“Get home-itis” had gotten the best

of us. That, coupled with our loss ofrespect for the bad weather, had ledto the semi’s driver not seeing ourVolkswagen “Bug” and our being ona slippery road that landed usbeneath the semi. Again, I shouldhave spoken up and told the driverthat we either needed to leave priorto the storm or wait it out. Passengersshould act as co-pilots, advising andbeing on the lookout for possible haz-ards. Oftentimes it’s the passengerwho was along for the ride who gotmore than they bargained for.Red Means Stop

Green means “go,” yellow means“caution” because a red light is com-ing, and red means “STOP”!Elementary driver’s education stuff,right? Apparently, some driversneed a refresher course.

I was stationed in Alaska andmaking preparations to close on ahouse. The day before we movedout of our rental, the bank called andrequested some additional paper-work for the closing. In order tokeep the closing on schedule, Iquickly obliged and loaded my twosmall children into our “Alaska-mobile” — a Chevy Suburban.Normally, I would have taken oursmaller Subaru, but I had justpacked the Suburban with the firstload to take to our new house, alongwith two car seats.

Driving on Anchorage Boulevard,I soon crossed paths with an inatten-tive driver. As I entered an intersec-tion, a large pickup ran a red lightand broadsided me. I suffered a bro-ken arm but, fortunately, my chil-dren escaped uninjured. I credit thatto the type of vehicle I was driving,the child seats, and the fact that theimpact was on my side.

However, at least there was ahappy ending. As I was lying in bedthe next morning recovering, myentire office showed up and movedall our belongings into our newhome.Give Them a Brake!

The last accident happened inMay of 1996. I was on emergencyleave in Seattle, Washington,because my father-in-law was hav-ing difficulties recovering frombypass surgery. After a long day at

the hospital, my mother-in-law and Iheaded back to her house to rest.

About 11:30 p.m. that night we gota call telling us that my father-in-lawhad died. A family friend came overand offered to drive us to the hospi-tal. We were traveling north onInterstate 5 when we came upon ahighway construction area. The con-struction site was well lit and hadplenty of warning signs, so ourfriend slowed down to about 5 mphas we merged into the one availablelane. However, an inattentive driverbehind us did not slow down andrearended us at 55 mph.

We were all loaded into an ambu-lance and, as it began to drive away,I asked what hospital we were goingto. When the paramedic asked why,I wanted to know, I told him we hadbeen on our way to ProvidenceHospital where my father-in-lawhad died. The ambulance quicklydiverted there.

We, and more importantly mymother-in-law, never got the oppor-tunity to see and say “goodbye” tomy father-in-law in the way we hadintended. The night would havebeen so much different had the otherdriver heeded the warning signs togive construction workers (andother drivers) a “brake.”In Conclusion

I never imagined I would have thistype of accident record — it’s stillhard for me to believe. Each of theseaccidents had physical, financial,and mental costs and could havebeen avoided, had other driversbeen more responsible and attentive.Also, as a passenger in four out ofthe five accidents, I could have beenmore responsible and not put myselfor allow other drivers put me in dan-gerous situations. Each occupant in avehicle must be proactive in makingsure the trip is safe.

The lessons learned are plentiful— don’t speed, always drive defen-sively and pay attention. Five acci-dents have shown me that it onlytakes a few seconds for the soundsof twisting metal combined withimages of losing your family to ruina routine outing or trip. Don’t causea tragedy in someone else’s lifebecause of your carelessness. ■


y whole life I have been a hands-on type ofguy. My father always told me, “The world isan easier place to live in if you understandhow things work.” He was the kind of guy

who had gloves, goggles and jack-stands in his garage. Inever thought that one day I would ignore the respectfor hand tools he had emphasized so much.

But I did -- on a gloomy Saturday morning in Queens,New York. I was 17 years old and had finally managedto save enough money to buy my dream car. It was arusty Mustang convertible. I had only driven the car fora couple of weeks, when I realized it needed a brake job.Just as any teenager with his first car, I was pretty muchpenniless, so I decided to change the brake pads andshoes myself. My father had rented a two-car garage thatwas about five miles from the house. That was where hekept his tools and the family’s 1968 Mustang Coupe.

Eager to get the job started, I grabbed my car keysand left in a hurry without any plans on how to tacklethis project. I bought the parts I needed on the way.When I got to the garage, I realized I didn’t have thekeys to my parent’s Mustang and I wouldn’t be able totake it out of the garage. I didn’t feel like driving backhome to get the keys, so I squeezed my car between thegarage wall and the car already inside. Not only was ita tight fit, but because of an air compressor and a toolchest, half the car was sticking into a narrow road thatled to the main street.

I jacked up the car and placed the jack-stands under-neath it (probably the only right thing I did that day).Then I removed all four tires, completely forgetting thatmy dad had always told me to do one spindle at a time.

Blinded by my false sense of security and haste, I keptthinking, “I know what I’m doing.” Then I did some-thing that took me out of action.

I couldn’t find the tool my dad and I had designed toremove the rear springs that held the brake shoes inplace, so I opted for the “universal pry bar/chisel/punch

ENSIGN J. F. MONTESCourtesy Ashore Fall 1999


tool” also known as a screwdriver. At the time, a little bellshould have gone off in my head, but it didn’t. Or, if itdid, I didn’t hear it. I should have remembered all thosetimes I heard my dad tell me to use the proper tool for thejob. I guess I was determined to learn the hard way.

Five minutes into the job, I had trouble with the screw-driver getting jammed between the spring end and thestud that held it in place. As I knelt down to take a clos-er look -- of course without goggles -- the spring releasedand the screwdriver flew into my face.

I jumped up and felt the blood running down my face.My right eye was so full of tears that I couldn’t see. I wasdisoriented, and the right side of my face was goingnumb. I fought to stay calm as I looked for a mirror so Icould see my face, but couldn’t find one. The right sideof my face started to swell and ache and I knew I shouldprobably head for the nearest hospital. Since there wasnobody around and my car had no wheels or brakes, Ihad to get help.

I knocked on the door of the lady who rented thegarage to my father. The shocked expression on her facewhen she saw me was enough to send anyone into apanic. She gave me a mirror, and I saw a one-inch gashbetween the bridge of my nose and my right eye. I sawthat only with my left eye; I couldn’t see out of my rightone. The injury was so deep that my tear duct wasexposed and hanging down like a piece of thread. Icouldn’t drive my car, and I couldn’t close the garagedoor because half my car was sticking into the street. AllI needed now was for a piano to fall on my head.

It took me about two hours to get to a hospital. As Iwaited in the emergency room for hours, I remember mypride hurting more than my injury. The doctor told methat if the screwdriver had hit me just a bit higher, Iwould probably have lost my right eye.

In the year that followed, I joined the Navy andbecame a jet engine mechanic. I got to know peoplewho had interesting stories about how they had gotteninjured at some time in their life. I have seen every-thing from broken hands and fingers, to black eyes oninnocent bystanders. The story was the same 99 per-cent of the time -- the injury was caused because some-one was using the wrong tool for the job or wasn’t fol-lowing the rules.

Twelve years have passed and every time I see thatsporty one-inch scar under my right eye, it reminds meof my mistake. After that experience, I have always lis-tened for that little bell in the back of my head. It’s keptme from injury more than once, and I hope it continuesto do so for the rest of my life. ■

Editor’s Note: In the spring issue we ran an article titled,“Hammering Away At Safety” that warned of the dangers ofusing hand tools improperly. Ens. Montes’ story is a classicexample of what can happen when you don’t use the right toolfor the right job.

We know there are some great experi-

ences out there just waiting to be told, so how

about jotting them down. We’d like to hear

from you – how your use of a seatbelt or hel-

met saved your life or protected you from seri-

ous injury, or some lessons you’ve learned

concerning driving or recreational safety.

Sharing your experiences with other Road &

Rec readers can be an excellent and enter-

taining way of helping us get the safety mes-

sage out to your fellow airmen.

We accept articles of any length. Double-

spaced draft hard copy is best. Any support-

ing color slides, color photos, or graphics you

can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

You can be sure your byline will accompany

the story so that you will receive full credit for

your contribution.

You can reach us by mail at HQ

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was so proud. I had my new Supermantowel and it fit around my shoulders just

like the “man of steel’s” cape. Being filledwith an enthusiasm unencumbered by real-

ity, I eyed the dirt driveway beyond mygrandmother’s porch. Since the porch had

already put me a good five feet aboveground level, I figured it would make a good launch-ing platform for my first “Superboy” flight. Runningas fast as I could and firmly grasping my “cape,” Ileapt into the air for all I was worth.

It was a very brief flight. To my credit, I cleared thestairs before my flight path coincided with theground. Being young, the damage amounted to a cou-ple of skinned knees, a pair of sore palms, and a rude

introduction to two facts: (1) I wasn’t Superboy, and(2) gravity always works.

Still, I was lucky. At least I’d survived trespassingthe law of gravity and had learned some valuablelessons in the process. Others, however, haven’t beenas lucky. Falls are the second most common cause ofaccidental death after motor vehicle accidents. Indeed,falls are the LEADING cause of death in the home.

Every year scores of Air Force people are injured infalls because of tripping, slipping, climbing, goofing-off or just plain losing their balance. However theseaccidents happen, the injuries result in a lot of pain forthe victims and cost the Air Force hundreds of thou-sands of dollars of lost productivity annually. The fol-lowing are some examples of what can happen whenthe law of gravity gets enforced.

You never know what to expect when you’re “southof the border” and, what you don’t know, CAN hurtyou. During a sightseeing tour to Nogales, one airmanhad been sipping some brews when he decided to takea stroll down a sidewalk. The trip was going nicelyuntil he stepped on a piece of cardboard covering a

hole more than three feet deepand one foot wide.

“Ay caramba” -- or words tothat effect -- no doubt escapedthe lips of our shoeleathertourist as he landed on his leftknee and tailbone. A later FDA(Fall Damage Assessment)found our tourist had contu-sions to his right thigh and leftknee, AND a possible fractured

tailbone. No doubt he sat rather “gingerly” during thedrive home. And while the brews may have made ourtourist feel “better” before the fall, they didn’t domuch to eliminate the pain afterwards.

An intrepid fireman decided to turn up the volumeon the PA system in the fire department break room.Despite being ‘vertically challenged,’ thanks to theplacement of the speaker high up on the wall, our fire-man was not to be daunted. Climbing onto the arm ofa recliner, he was reaching for the volume knob whenthe laws of physics and gravity took over.

Standing on the arm -- therefore, nowhere near thechair’s center of gravity -- caused his weight to over-come the chair’s balance. Could it speak, the reclinermight have yelled “uncle” just before it flipped.

The fireman was now thoroughly in the clutches ofgravity. Falling backwards, he hit his head, back andshoulders on the concrete floor. The resulting backstrain earned him five days of quarters -- duringwhich anything beyond breathing likely resulted inan “ouch.” And you’d think a fireman would use aladder!



Two buddies -- we’ll call ‘em “Frick” and “Frack” --were sipping the suds one evening at Frack’s house whenthey decided to hoof it over to Frick’s dorm. Feeling a bitfroggy, Frick grabbed Frack and proceeded to engage ina bit of horseplay as the pair walked down the sidewalk.

Ah -- but wouldn’t you know it -- Frick’s right foot got inthe way of his left and the law of gravity took over. Frick’srapid transition from the vertical to the horizontal endedwith him cushioning his landing with his face. His abruptmeeting with the concrete left Frick with a fractured noseand five days on quarters to admire his new profile.

Paul Bunyan didn’t need a ladder when he choppedtimber -- but then he was a fictional character. Ourreal-life lumberjack, however, needed a ladder to gethis chain saw within striking range of a limb 15 feetabove the ground. And it was a ‘big-un’ -- an 8-footermeasuring 14 inches in diameter.

Leaning his ladder against the tree, our woodcuttermade short work of the piney-protuberance.Unfortunately, in his eagerness, he neglected to con-sider the limb’s trajectory en route to the ground. As itturned out, something important was in the way --specifically, the ladder upon which he was perched!

The limb -- now completely under the influence ofgravity -- scored a direct hit on the ladder, causing itto tip. Gravity, being no respecter of persons, thenacted to reunite the luckless lumberjack with good oldterra firma, just as it had the limb moments before.However, while the tree limb could suffer no moreinjuries, our woodcutter could -- and did. His fall lefthim with a broken wrist -- an injury that temporarilydeprived him of the use of one of his limbs.

It was a romantic moment. The breeze gently whis-pered through the tall pines as “Juliet” sat on the top rail-ing of a house deck. “Romeo,” her sweetheart, just could-n’t resist giving her a big squeeze. Strolling across thedeck, he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.

Unfortunately, his amorous approach upset her bal-ance on the rail. Locked in each other’s arms, Romeo tookJuliet over the “balcony” with him to the ground five feetbelow. When Juliet landed on her back in same sandy soiland shrubbery, at least she didn’t have to utter thosefamous words, “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou,Romeo?” That’s because she knew where he was -- she’dcushioned his landing! In the end, his romantic squeezecouldn’t match the “squeezes” she got as her back andneck muscles spasmed while she spent a day on quarters.

A “well-lubricated” partyer was enjoying a barbecuewith fellow aircrew members during a TDY layover ona pacific island. “Well-lubricated” was an apt descrip-tion as our partyer had quaffed six brews much fasterthan his body could metabolize them.

Night settled over the island and, as midnight neared,most of the island’s residents were asleep. Not so ourlubricated partyer. Taking a bet that he could scale apalm tree and retrieve a coconut from its lofty perch 15feet above the ground, he began his journey with gusto.However, he’d barely passed the half-way mark whenhis grip slipped and gravity snatched him from the tree,rudely dumping him on his back in the sand.

Lying there for five minutes to catch his breath andto perhaps contemplate the value of coconuts, our air-man finally rose to his feet. Deciding he was only alittle worse for wear, he sauntered off to the sack,only to wake up three hours later in pain. A visit to thebase clinic produced some pain killers -- good enoughto get him to the next TDY stop. By the time he arrivedthere, however, he was feeling worse and visited themilitary sawbones. X-rays and a cat scan quickly iden-tified the culprits -- three cracked ribs and fourcracked vertebrae. All that and NO cracked coconut toshow for it. However, he did crack enough bones tospend 11 days on quarters.

As was said at this story’s beginning, gravityALWAYS works. If you’re a slow learner, alcohol and/orinattention will help remind you. Since you can’t do any-thing about gravity, you might want to use a little ORMas you consider your options. Before using a chair for aladder, think about what might happen. Think about thepotential consequences -- especially if you fall into gravi-ty’s not-so-gentle grasp. Ask yourself if there isn’t a bet-ter way to do what you need to do, then come up with aplan that’s safe and follow it. When you’re done, take amoment to reconsider what you’ve done and how goodit feels to have all of your bones intact. And, if you’ve

already been “bending theelbow,” ask yourself if

you’re even in the posi-tion to make a gooddecision. When altitude

and alcohol are in thegame, maybe the smartmove is not to play. ■

28 Road & Rec ● Fall 2000 ✰ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 2000-573-322 / 43078

Isaw a grey clump movingalong the tree limb. It wasa squirrel -- the first I’dseen that was within therange I could shoot accu-rately as a young hunter. Iestimated the distance at

about 35 yards, well within therange my .22 single shot rifle if Iheld steady. But I couldn’t holdsteady. In the excitement of themoment my heart began to poundand my vision narrowed to a tunnel.

Before I could control my tremblingenough to steady the rifle, the squir-rel leapt from the limb and scam-pered away in the tall grass. I wasmomentarily tempted to take a shot,thinking I might get lucky. However,I decided against wasting the bullet-- my minimal allowance didn’tallow for wasting bullets.

As it turned out, it was a goodthing I’d held my fire. I’d barelyreset the safety on my rifle whentwo girls came walking around thetree where I’d seen the squirrel. Inmy excitement I’d failed to see themin the background. Now my heartbeat even harder, driven by the fearof what I had almost done.

I knew all too well what I’d almost

done. On my first hunting tripanother hunter had fired hastily,mistaking me for a deer and sendingtwo rifle rounds near enough to myhead that I felt the breeze. As ayoung hunter I had now twice seenhow easy it was for a mistake tonearly lead to a tragedy.

Since then I have talked to severalhunters who have had close calls. Inheavily hunted areas it’s all too easyto be a victim of “mistaken identity”or a shot taken hastily at a sound ora movement. Also, a poorly aimedshot may carry for hundreds ofyards, potentially threatening otherhunters on the ground or in tree-stands. Being SEEN by otherhunters and NOT being mistaken



for game are two important wayshunters can control the risks tothemselves when they’re in thewoods. Here are some tips to helphunters do that:

◆ NEVER wear blue or red dur-ing turkey season. Because of theenvironment in which turkeys arehunted, it is more likely that a shotmay be taken when only part of theanimal is seen. Wearing any colorthat would be naturally found on aturkey greatly increases yourchances of being shot.

◆ NEVER wear brown or whiteduring deer season. These are adeer’s primary colors and, as theauthor found out firsthand, wearingthese colors can make you a target.

◆ NEVER carry a deer or a turkeyon your shoulders through thewoods. Instead, carry it as low ornear to the ground as possible. Carrysmaller game in a game bag andmark larger animals with blazeorange to prevent someone elsefrom shooting at it.

◆ NEVER shoot at sound ormovement. Make sure you identifyyour target BEFORE shooting, andalso check out the background(remember the two girls mentionedat the beginning of the story?) Don’tshoot if there is any danger yourbullet might carry beyond the targetand injure someone.

◆ NEVER assume you are theonly hunter in the area. It’s better toassume every sound or movement isanother hunter until you can safelyidentify it as otherwise.

◆ NEVER wave, whistle, or makeanimal calls to alert an approachinghunter to your presence. Alwaysshout to identify your location to theother hunter.

◆ NEVER use your rifle or pistolscope for binoculars.

◆ NEVER place your finger insidethe trigger guard or release the safe-ty until you are ready to fire.

◆ NEVER assume another hunter

is handing you an empty weapon.Always open the action and checkthe chamber.

◆ ALWAYS wear fluorescent or“blaze orange” colored-clothingwhen you are moving throughheavy timber.

◆ ALWAYS know the location ofother hunters if you are hunting in agroup. Pass up any shot where thegame is between you and anotherhunter.

◆ ALWAYS unload your weaponbefore coming into camp or gettinginto a vehicle.

◆ PROTECT YOURSELF againstthe chances of being shot by anotherhunter by sitting at the base of a treetrunk that is wider than your body.You’ll be able to see approachinghunters and you’ll be protected fromshots fired behind you.

◆ MAKE SURE your treestand isin good condition and properlysecured to the tree. Also, wear ashoulder harness with a safety beltattached to the tree to prevent youfrom falling. Every year severalhunters are injured or killed as aresult of falling from treestands.

◆ MAKE SURE someone knowswhere you are going and when youplan to return. ■

weather and yourself.

Most hunters use smaller, more easily transportablecraft like johnboats or canoes. These boats, because oftheir low freeboard or narrow beams, are prone toswamping or capsizing. Here are some ways you canavoid an unplanned fall into the water:

● Never cross large bodies of water during roughweather.

● Don’t overload your boat with passengers or equip-ment. Know the carrying capacity of your boat, whichshould be listed on the capacity plate attached to theinside of the hull.

● Stay with your boat if you capsize and can’t get toshore.

● Avoid standing up or moving around in the boat andkeep your dog on a leash. Remain seated and be carefulto store your equipment properly. Never move about inyour boat with a loaded firearm.

Personal flotation devices (PFDs) are essential to safehunting from a boat. Statistics show that boats less than20 feet long are the most likely to capsize, and most


ost of the mishap reports about hunters inboats are not dramatic stories. These

hunters typically didn’t succumb to astruggle with a 20-foot python or an

enraged hippopotamus that attacked their boat. Rather,the reports usually read: “fell out of boat reaching for adecoy and never resurfaced,” or, “capsized boat whilestanding to take a look at passing ducks ... struggledbriefly in cold water, then became paralyzed before helpcould arrive.”

Keep in mind that many hunters don’t considerthemselves as “boaters,” and, therefore, aren’t aware ofthe special conditions and challenges of the marineenvironment. To survive a hunting trip by boat, youneed to know about your boat, its equipment, the

Reprinted courtesy Safetyline


people who fall overboard do so from (these) smallerboats. Have a PFD for each person onboard the boatwhen hunting. Special vests designed for hunters orfishermen are available.

1. Day and night distress signalling devices, such ashorns or flares.

2. An anchor with enough line to keep your boat fromdrifting.

3. Oars or paddles.4. A water bailer (a coffee can or a scoop made from a

bleach bottle will do).5. A first aid kit.6. Extra foul weather clothing.7. A compass and charts of the area.8. Emergency tools and spare parts, such as spark-

plugs for your boat motor.

Most hunters who die in boating mishaps do so onsmaller bodies of water late in the year, when water andair temperatures are colder and storms are more fre-quent. Therefore, don’t risk going out if the weatherlooks threatening or if storms are forecast for your area.If you do get caught in a squall, head for the shore bycutting diagonally across the waves. Also, improve yourboat’s stability by moving your passengers and equip-ment to the boat’s center.

Hunters deliberately seek out remote areas.Unfortunately, these are areas where there is less chanceof getting help in an emergency. So that you can be locat-ed if you have a problem, let someone know the gener-

al area you will be in and leave them a float plan.

As a boat operator, you must be alert and physicallyable to take care of any emergencies that may arisebecause the lives of others may hinge on your actions.Hunting from a boat can be very physically demanding.Hours of sitting and being exposed to the wind, sun andglare can slow your reaction times. Don’t over-extendyour endurance by staying out on the water after you’vebecome fatigued.

Hypothermia is a dangerous threat which is caused bythe body being subjected to prolonged cold. The mostcommon reason is exposure to cold water, althoughlong-term exposure to cold air can also cause hypother-mia. A person who is immersed in cold water can losebody heat 25 times faster than he or she would in air atthe same temperature.

If you do fall into the water, treading water only has-tens heat loss. While waiting to be rescued, the bestthing to do is to assume the H.E.L.P. position (heat-escape-lessening-position). This cuts your body’s heatloss by half by reducing direct exposure to the water ofthose body parts where heat is lost most quickly, such asthe armpits, ribs, groin, and head.

Every sensible hunter knows that alcohol and drugsshouldn’t be mixed with guns and boating because alcoholseriously impairs judgment and coordination. You knowalcohol affects your aim. Did you also know that half of thepeople who die in boating accidents had been drinking?

So this fall, why not take the time to be careful whileyou’re out there hunting on the water? After all, the goalis to splash the duck, NOT the hunter! ■

If You Wait… It May Be Too Late!

Buckle up BEFORE you pull out.

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