How to reduce traffic related deaths

The prospect of a death on the road is, thankfully, foreign to the vast majority of individuals, particularly new and/or young drivers. As a firefighter/paramedic, my perspective is quite different. Using my experience in that role as well as a fire apparatus driver/operator and IFSAC certified fire and EMS instructor, I am able to apply a greater than average knowledge on the unfortunate situation that is traffic collisions. I will apply this understanding to my solutions for reduction of fatalities. Chief among those solutions is a simple, core value: education.

Education in general is the backbone of safety in any discipline. Simply telling someone, especially a teenager, not do do a certain action does not lend itself to a lasting lesson. In fact, such education techniques tend to cause learned information to fail in its quest to be retained as long-term memory. An effective lesson involves the “why”. To properly educate someone about driving or, for that matter, anything, a deep understanding of the lesson is required. That is to say if you teach not only the information but justification for that lesson in the context thereof, a long-lasting lesson is better retained by the student. In the interest of reducing fatalities, allowing students to experience the “why” in a controlled environment will allow them to call upon those memories. Less than a week before writing this paper, I responded to a multi-vehicle crash resulting from an initial head-on collision in the pre-dawn hours of the morning when visibility was less than ¼ mile in fog. I feel this accident is an excellent way to illustrate my point. To a seasoned driver, the solution is simple: slow down or wait for the fog to clear. But considering the viewpoint of a teenager that deems themselves indestructible, such a thought process may not take place. The use of simulators can help solve this issue by forcing a student to drive as they normally would in a simulated low-visibility environment. Using a sim, students are able to experience a given scenario at a level much deeper than a lecture or video presentation.

Simulators, while ideal and controllable, are likely cost prohibitive for wide-spread use at all driving schools. A cheaper solution that is very near and dear to me is also exceedingly easy and cheap: involve first responders. One of my favorite things about being a firefighter is the opportunities afforded to me to educate members of the public about anything, particularly safety. Bringing a class to a fire station is, by far, the most worth while way to go about such a venture. At my station, we have enjoyed visits from elementary students, families, and high school students all curious about different aspects of a job in the fire service. My crew and I take great pride in, not only speaking, but showing people equipment present on our apparatus. The feeling of wearing structural firefighting gear and holding the weight of hydraulic extrication equipment throws into sharp contrast the amount of effort that goes into getting someone out of a situation that can be often avoided by using proper and safe driving techniques. The prospect of using a film such as Red Asphalt is only as deep as the shock value it provides. Again, associating a lesson with a physical component leads to a long-lasting experience-based memory. In addition, using the wisdom and experience of those that clean up the result of poor driving gives students an encounter as close as possible to the real thing without having to be there.

At time of wiring this paper, I have 10 years of field experience. I consider myself exceedingly lucky that I have not been in a major accident myself, nor have any members of my family. Vehicle accidents to which I have responded are as varied in intensity as the weather. One crash, which resulted in a fatality, sticks out in mind because of the completely avoidable nature of the circumstances. On a beautiful, clear, sunny, spring afternoon here in western Arizona, the driver of a Chevy Tahoe was headed northbound on a local highway while weaving across both lanes of the two-lane highway. The justification for his weaving is unknown. As he was driving, a fully loaded dump-truck weighing an estimated 40-tons was headed southbound. Coming around a bend, the Tahoe saw the truck coming and over corrected causing it to lose traction and meet the dump truck in a t-bone manner with the front of the dump truck impacting the driver’s side of the Tahoe at speed. The Tahoe caught fire almost immediately after impact and the driver was unable to escape. The Tahoe driver was pronounced deceased on scene after the fire was brought under control. Using this particular accident as a learning opportunity is advantageous for a number of reasons. Beyond the obvious lesson regarding horseplay while driving, it also stands to teach that a serious accident can happen even when conditions are ideal especially considering a two-lane road with blind turns.

I am, of course, biased when considering my own driving skill and abilities. I consider myself a better-than-average driver given my experience driving large, very heavy fire apparatus and my own personal vehicle being a diesel pick-up truck. I always impress upon probationary firefighters the importance of remembering just how large and heavy fire apparatus are. Defensive driving techniques stem from education as well. Being aware of the vehicle around you and constantly thinking about what steps are to be taken in the event of an unexpected situation is paramount for safe operation of a moving vehicle.

Ultimately, the number one lesson that every driver of any vehicle, regardless of size, is respect for the road and all vehicle on it. Everything from remembering how long it takes a fully loaded semi takes to stop or the lack of turning radius in an RV plays into the decision-making process of driving. Having respect for, and a healthy fear of, other vehicles and drivers will do nothing by serve to improve the survivability of a trip on the highway. Teaching especially young drivers to think beyond their own vehicle will keep them out of a poor situation and also help them keep situational awareness of the road around them. A reduction in vehicular related injuries and fatalities does not require a reinvention of the wheel, just a new perspective and deeper understanding.