Human lives, intersected

On Sunday, a jogger running on Route 44 was struck and seriously injured by an Attleboro woman. Here is a pertinent passage in the Sun Chronicle’s story:  “…the jogger was running westbound when he was struck. The vehicle that struck him was also traveling west.”

The accident occurred in the late afternoon. Perhaps the sun was in the driver’s eyes. She was allegedly drunk, so maybe she just strayed out of her lane. And, unfortunately, all this occurred behind the jogger’s back. He was blissfully unaware until struck, when he “was thrown through the air and then struck a utility pole.” Ouch.

Like the great majority of accidents, two human live intersected, and both made mistakes. The driver clearly shouldn’t have left her lane of travel, whatever the reason. And the jogger was wrong in blindly turning his back to a source of danger.

It is not a trivial problem. While our Attorney General obsesses over “assault rifles,” the odds of a pedestrian dying  in an accident are 20 times greater than those of anyone being killed by any sort of rifle, “assault” or otherwise. Twenty times.

The statistics are gripping: nearly 5,000 pedestrians killed and 65,000 injured every year. With school now back in session, it behooves us to review what we can do to keep our kids, and us, safer.

There is a lot that government can do to promote pedestrian safety.  Investing in sidewalks, crosswalks, signal lights. Even more important, rigorous enforcement of traffic codes, keeping drivers in line with the intent of safety legislation. Too often, citations for rolling through a stop sign or not yielding to a pedestrian waiting to cross are issued only after an accident, not preemptively, regularly, and often enough to actually change and maintain safer driver behavior.

Here are some things that pedestrians can do to help themselves.

1. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t text and walk. Wait to play Pokemon until you are in the park or somewhere safely away from traffic.
2. Always prefer to walk facing traffic, even on a sidewalk. If you see a distracted or impaired driver about to leave his lane, you have a chance to do something about it. (But see number 1 – only if you are paying attention).
3. Don’t trust crosswalks. Carefully watch that traffic is clear in all directions. Once a driver has stopped for you, watch out for another cutting around her from behind.
4. Before stepping in front of a stopped car, make eye contact with the driver. A driver will often slow down for a stop sign, but only glance quickly left for oncoming traffic. Without pausing to look right, he will bang the right turn. If you, trusting or texting, distracted or dancing, step from the curb, you are now a statistic.

Now as a driver, you must realize that striking a pedestrian is a life changing event for both you and the victim. There are a few tactics you can engage to minimize the odds of such a terrible outcome.

1. Don’t be in a hurry. Often, accidents are caused by the unrelenting pressure of making up lost time. Risks are taken. Mistakes are made. But whose fault is it, really, that you are late? Show some discipline and make it a habit to leave early.
2. Pay attention. Your car, travelling at 60 miles per hour, has over 1,000 times the energy of a .357 Magnum bullet. Be a careful steward of that awesome energy.
3. When approaching a controlled intersection, come to a complete stop behind the stop line. Then creep out and look both ways before continuing. Many drivers roll right through the crosswalk and, never stopping, bang their turn if oncoming traffic permits. But here is the logical fallacy. Oncoming traffic is an independent event. It doesn’t care if you rolled or stopped or aren’t even there at all. So stopping short, looking both ways, and then proceeding when safe has no effect whatsoever on when oncoming traffic will allow you to merge. So cool your jets and take pity on those poor mothers just trying to safely cross with their baby strollers.
4. When stopping prior to turning right, ALWAYS LOOK BOTH WAYS. This cannot be overemphasized. Many a pedestrian or (wrong-way) bicyclist have been mowed down by a driver who glanced left, then banged his right turn. It is extremely dangerous to human and companion animal life forms.  

We see here a national tragedy, thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries, all avoidable. We see here a nexus of government investment and enforcement, pedestrian care, and driver caution that could reduce this awful carnage.

But perhaps we prefer to obsess about “assault rifles.”

The numbers argue, strongly, otherwise.

Summer is fun - but keep it safe for kids

Picnic Rock, Kennebunk River Maine c. 1900

In New England, Memorial Day weekend kicked off the unofficial start of summer this year with dismal, cold, wet conditions and two feet of snow in the mountains of Vermont.  A week later, our first official heat wave threatened with several days over 90 degrees. Our deepest quandary was when to safely retire the fleece and slickers. Such is life in the land of the lobster.

But as we more reliably glide into the embracing arms of  summertime, our thoughts turn firmly to sailing the salty reaches, picnicking the beaches, canoeing the ponds, and camping  the forests of our beautiful land. For an all too brief time, we can allow the snow blowers to gather dust.

The kids will be out on summer vacation soon and, while we want them to enjoy this interlude, as responsible parents and guardians we must care for their safety. The first step is to be forewarned with some facts.

Unfortunately, our current media structure, with ravenous cable news channels competing to fill a 24 by 7 news vacuum, has distorted our perception of threats. Hurricanes, tornadoes, child abductions, school shootings, gang wars, and terrorist bombs fill the airwaves with constantly recurring loops of carnage. We begin to feel that our kids would be safest if kept in locked dungeons. Perhaps the best advice would be to shut off the TV and consult the experts.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) annually publish tables of mortality itemizing the cause of death by age group. While not pleasant reading, these data can inform our efforts to keep our kids safe by imparting the risks arising from various sources. The first observation is that for children fourteen and under, the vast majority of non-medical deaths are accidental: that should be our focus. For 2010 (the latest year compiled), here are the top causes of accidental child mortality in decreasing order of occurrence:

1. Transportation (Automobile and other)
2. Drowning
3. Smoke, fire, flames
4. Poisoning
5. Falls 
6. Firearm discharge

Based on this, here are some recommendations for summer safety:

Transportation accidents (mostly automobile) are the leading cause of non-medical child mortality. Make sure that your younger kids are in approved safety seats and that the older ones are buckled up. Insure that this occurs in any car they might be riding in (friend, neighbor, relative). Don’t drive your kids after drinking and make sure that no one else drives them in that condition, either. This is the single most important area of child safety – be certain that you do all you can do.

Drowning is the next most frequent cause of child death. Drown-proof your kids – get them the training needed to assure water safety. Your pool should meet safety standards such as required gates and fences. Be nosy and assure that your neighbors' pools are kid-safe, too. When at the beach, an adult should constantly monitor any children in or near the water. While aboard boats, approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) should be worn. Don’t slack off – this is the second most frequent cause of childhood mortality.

Smoke and fire are the third most probable cause of death for children. Have a home fire safety plan. Practice and rehearse your evacuation plans. Smoke and carbon dioxide detectors must be operational. Again – make sure that this is true at any other home where your child may stay overnight.

The last three categories cause a much lower frequency of childhood death but cannot be neglected. Household cleansers, pesticides, and other poisons should be properly secured. Make stairs safe from falls – keep them clear of clutter and make sure that handrails are installed on both sides. Windows should be locked with screens in place. Firearms must be stored in a responsible manner, not accessible to children. As in the other categories, you should ensure that these precautions are in place anywhere your child spends time outside of your home.

Enough gloom and doom. Be sensible, but enjoy your summer. It is so brief, at least in the land of the lobster.