LU

LU

a

ce

Ed Schirick

An Open Letter to Counselors aboutThinking Safety and Driving Safely

Dear Counselors,This letter is addressed to all camp counselors whether you have responsibility for driving camp vehicles, have your

own car at camp, borrow a car, or are just a passenger in a camp or other vehicle this summer. Please think safety and drive

safelyUnlike most articles you may have seen on this subject, we won't be quoting statistics from organizations Uke the

National Highway Transportation Safety Association, the insurance indtistry or Mothers Against Drunk Drivers — justsome plain, hard facts from the perspective and experience of an hisurance underwriter and risk manager with overtwenty-five years of experience in camping.

Here are the plain, hard facts. Auto, van, and bus acci-dents, which result in injury to people and damage toproperty, are caused by one or more of the following:

• unsafe conditions

" unsafe actions

• unsafe equipment, and/or

• poor judgment

Every summer one or tnore counselors, or campers,are seriously injured or die as the result of an automobileaccident. Many of the severe injuries can be reduced oravoided, and some of the accidents prevented entirely ifdrivers and passengers think safety and drive safely Hereare some thoughts to live by this summer!

Unsafe Cnndiiiiin^;

Unsafe conditions occur when things change. Take theweather for example. Bright sun, fog, rain, haze, and otherweather factors change the conditions in which you aredriving. As the conditions change so does the risk. Keepthis in mind, slow down, and make sure you bring yoursunglasses on those bright summer days.

Other unsafe conditions include road debris and con-struction aJong the highways and rtiral roads. Tailgating, anunsafe action, combined with unsafe road conditions canresull in a disastrous situation. Even though you have confi-dence in your driving ability — remember you are not outon the roads by yourself Someone else's unsafe action com-bined with an unsafe condition, or unsafe equipment, couldcreate the right circumstances for an accident and injury.

You can control and reduce some of the risks of driving thissummer. Take the time to consider how you can make adifference on the highways this summer.

Unsafe Actions

Another contributing factor is unsafe actions. An ex-ample of an unsafe action is aggressive driving.This includesspeeding, tailgating, and weaving in and out of traffic. In-experience often contributes to these unsafe actions.

Driving on rural camp roads presents different risks.Realize rural roads have soft, dirt shoulders — an unsafecondition. If you get your tire off the road and onto theshoulder, die dirt can "grab" your tire, making a hasty moveto puli the vehicle back onto the road is a potentially fatal,unsafe action. If you get the wheels of your vehicle on thesoft shoulder, slow down, and gradually and slowly pullthe vehicle back onto the road. A more aggressive responsemight cause the vehicle to fiip. Besides, sport utility ve-hicles, vans, and pickups are also prone to roll-overaccidents in this situation.

Just because the speed limit is posted at a maximum offifty-five miles per hour, doesn't mean you have to travelat that speed — especially at night. Another good reasonto slow down on rural roads is the limited vision typicalof winding, rural roads. Hot weather can create unsafe con-ditions making the suburban and rural roads slippery,especially after these roads have been freshly oiled andchipped or resurfaced. A summer shower can also make arural road treacherous and shppery Urban, suburban, andrural roads may be subject to localized flooding. Rural roads

12 May/]une 2002 CAMPING MAGAZINE

are often poorly marked and narrow. They tend to be de-

signed with a "crown," which helps aid drainage, but can

cause your vehicle to handle very differently. Driving too

fast to handle these unsafe conditions is definitely an un-

safe action. Make sure you drive at appropriate speed for

the road conditions.

Please take time to become familiar with the area around

camp, the condition of the roads, and how your vehicle

handles on them when it is full and when it is empty Think

safety and drive safely If you have primary camp vehicle

driving responsibilities, expect to receive some training

along these lines during orientation,You may also be asked

to take a road test. Directors will want you to demonstrate

your competency before they allow you to operate camp

vehicles with cliildren on board.

Unsafe Equipmen!

Safe equipment can become unsafe as the seasons pass.

ACA's Transportation Standard, TR-16, requires a driver

safety check of camp vehicles used to transport people

that includes checking lights, tires, windshield and wip-

ers, emergency flashers, horn, brakes, mirrors, and fluid

levels. This is important.

Any unsafe equipment should be promptly reported to

the camp or transportation director and fixed immediately.

The vehicle shouldn't be used to transport people until

the unsafe equipment is repaired.

Consider making a safety check of your own vehicle, as

well as other vehicles you may use during the .summer.

Make sure to check tire pressure, too. Tire manufacturers

recommend doing this once a month.

Poor Jud^riKMt!

Poor judgment seems to be connected to unsafe action.

For example, impatience contributes to aggressive driving

and accidents. Sometimes the accidents are minor and only

involve damage to the vehicles. Sometimes impatience can

be deadly

Have you ever experienced a driver who just won't let

you merge into traffic or is just creeping along? How do

you respond? Does this behavior make you angry? If you

are stuck in traffic or being delayed by a slow moving ve-

hicle, try to relax. Think safety. Don't act out of anger. If

the camp director is expecting you at a certain time and

you are going to be late, find a safe place to pull over and

call ahead to let the director know you have been delayed.

Realize others on the road in these circumstances may

be impatient and behaving improperly Don't let others'

"road rage" influence your judgment. Give them room and

let them go by.

Make sure you have time to respond safely to improper

behavior and unsafe actions of others by not tailgating or

speeding.

Another example of poor judgment involves overload-

ing roof racks. Overloaded roof racks can change the

handling characteristics of the vehicle — make it top heavy

and damage the roof Overloading the vehicle with pas-

sengers is also poor judgment. If your car has room for

five, don't try to pack six or seven people into it. This also

applies to camp vehicles, especially vans. Everyone should

have a seat and a seat belt. Don't transport campers or staff

in the back of an SUV, van, or pickup.

Wear your seat belt and make sure that all campers and

counselors wear tlieir seat belts at all times while the ve-

hicle is in motion. This apphes to camp vehicles and to

your private vehicles, as well. Seat belts reduce the severity

of injuries in auto accidents and save lives. Wear your seat

belt in the back seat, too. Do this so you are not ejected

from the vehicle in an accident. Drivers and passengers

who are ejected from the vehicle have a high mortality

rate.

This summer, promise not to drink and drive. Some-

times alcohol is a contributing factor to counselor auto

accidents, especially late at night. If you are going to drink

on your night off, have a designated driver. Be smart. Use

good judgment. Don't become a statistic. Consider the

camp community and the impact of a fatal auto accident

on the directors, your fellow counselors, and the camp-

ers, not to mention your family.

Recognizing fatigue is another judgment factor that con-

tributes to auto accidents at camp. Significant research has

been done about sleep deprivation at camp. It is definitely

a factor as the summer progresses. Keep this in mind and,

if you are getting tired, stop and rest. Switch drivers if the

other person is authorized by the camp director to drive.

Let someone else drive if you are in your own car. Don't

faD asleep behind the wheel. Failing to recognize fatigue

and reduce the risk of not being alert can been a fatal mis-

take in judgement.

We know you get a lot of advice. Please, please listen to

this advice and take it to heart! Take the time to think safety

and drive .safely this summer. You will be glad and so will

all of the other people who know, love, and depend on

you. It is your choice. Make it a great summerlD

Ed Schirick is president of Schirick and Associates Insurance Brokers in

Rock Hil], NevvYorJi, where he specializes in providing risk management

advice and in arranging insurance coverage for camps, Schirick is a chartered

property casualty underwriter and a certified insurance counseior. He can

be reached at S4S-794-3 113,

www.ACAcamps.org May/June 2002

Copyright of Camping Magazine is the property of American Camping Association and its content may not be

copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written

permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.