Accidents Happen

If you’ve ever been involved in a serious accident, you know how easy it is to say or do the wrong thing in the moments that follow. Here’s a checklist to help you make the right decisions when your life gets out of control.

1. STOP. Stay calm. DO NOT leave the scene of the accident (unless you fear for your life). If possible, move your car to the side of the road for safety until the police arrive.

2. CALL 911. Call for an ambulance if there are, or even if you suspect that there could be injuries. Many times injuries manifest themselves after a delay of up to one hour or more. A person with a head injury is probably incapable of determining whether or not they need help, and will often refuse help. If the accident is serious, you should probably call for an ambulance and let trained professionals determine the nature of injuries, if any.

3. NEVER agree not to call the police, even if you are offered money to do so. The law often requires the police to investigate accidents, and you never know what might develop later if you don’t get the police involved. Besides, if someone is asking you not to call the police, something is wrong and you need to find a police officer ASAP. Your own safety may be at risk.

4. WAIT. Find a safe place away from traffic to wait for police and fire rescue personnel to arrive. Onlookers driving by often cause additional accidents while they are gawking at yours. WHILE YOU ARE WAITING. If there are injuries, provide first aid to the best of your ability. But only do so if you can do so SAFELY, without sustaining any further injury yourself! Your first duty at an accident is always to protect yourself first, and everyone else second. You can’t help others if you do something stupid that will get you hurt. STAY AWAY FROM TRAFFIC and ALL OTHER POSSIBLE DANGERS. This is also a good time to locate your license, registration and proof of insurance if there are no injuries. But again, only do so if your vehicle has been moved safely out of traffic.

5. ADMIT NOTHING. DO NOT ADMIT GUILT! I don’t care if it was your fault; admit nothing. There will be ample time to admit guilt and do the right thing later, after your rights have been protected. If there are no injuries, this is a good time to get your attorney on the phone and get some advice. It’s very easy under the stress of an accident to make admissions of guilt when you were not even at fault. Call your attorney and wait until all the facts are in before you give away everything you own with a poorly timed confession.

6. NOW SHUT UP. You’ve already done everything you need to, now it’s time to shut up and wait for help. NEVER speak to the other driver(s), or their insurance company, EVER; and that goes double while your still on the scene of the accident. Talk to the police, and no one else. Be honest and factual, giving only the facts EXACTLY as you remember them, being careful not to draw any conclusions. If you don’t remember something, say so. EVERYTHING you say to the police may be used against you. So think twice BEFORE you speak even once.

7. GATHER INFORMATION. Again, safety first. And many facts may be available to you by requesting a copy of the police report. But don’t trust your memory. I don’t care how good it is, this is the time that it’s most likely to fail you. Take pictures; most cell phones have camera’s – now is an excellent time to start snapping pictures. Get the names, addresses and telephone numbers of any possible witnesses. Everything you document now will help you later should a lawsuit develop. Write down every little detail. Everything is important. No detail is too small, or insignificant.

8. DO NOT SMOKE! Smokers may want to reach for a cigarette right about now, but DON’T! Damaged vehicles often release flammable liquids and gasses following an accident. DO NOT SMOKE! If you smell gasoline, get away from the vehicles and any gasoline that may be leaking from them. Gasoline sometimes flows downhill, away from the accident scene. Pay attention and pick a safe place to wait for help. Assume all liquids at the scene are flammable and you won’t make any mistakes.

These are good guidelines to follow in the event of a serious accident. But they are also very general. Every accident is different. Think BEFORE you act. USE YOUR HEAD.

The advice contained herein is not a substitute for sound thinking and common sense. Use these steps as a guideline and adapt them to meet your needs at your accident scene.

This post is designed as a memory aid, to help you remember the things you might forget while under stress, nothing more.

The High Price of Gas

It seems that, at least here in the US, we’ve all had about enough of the current prices at the pump. It also seems that every time the price gets to about where it is now, people start circulating schemes via email, and MySpace Bulletins, to somehow put it to the gas companies. But they all lack the one thing that could actually do the gas companies harm, and actually do the rest of us some good. All of them except one, that is.

We’ve all seen the emails that suggest we don’t buy gas on a certain day. Most recently I received a bulletin on my MySpace account suggesting that none of the 73+ million MySpace members buy gas on May 15th. The gas companies LAUGH at you, your bulletins, and your silly emails every time they see them. So what if you don’t buy gas on that day. You’ll still drive your car, and you’ll make sure that you either have enough gas ahead of time, or you’ll fill up afterwards. You aren’t doing anything to even remotely hurt the gas companies, or your dependency on gas.

The one email that I have received that has the potential to do some real damage is the one that suggests you stop buying gas from this nations largest, most profitable gasoline company, Exxon/Mobile. A company that big has the power to regulate gasoline prices nationwide. And the way you hurt them is to stop buying their gas. Fill up across the street, or across town if you have to, but don’t buy Exxon/Mobil brand gas. If all 73+ million MySpace members were to join in a total boycott of Exxon/Mobil gas, and start purchasing their gas elsewhere, I guarantee that you’d have somebody’s attention; and more than likely, a very positive change for the better.

A better way still is to reduce your own dependency on gas. Ride a bike, or walk, whenever you possibly can. Start a carpool. Don’t make a single extra trip anywhere. Get the things you need on your daily commute, or do without them until tomorrow’s commute. Combine today’s calendar into tomorrows and don’t drive today at all. Sell the SUV and buy a Hybrid. I know the math doesn’t always work on that equation today, but I firmly believe that the price of gas is going to continue to rise, and eventually escalate completely out of control, long before any positive steps are made to reduce our gasoline dependency, or the associated price of gas.

Lastly, if you can’t, or won’t, reduce your own dependency on, and consumption of gasoline, don’t you dare complain at the pump; because you are part of the problem, and that’s a problem for all of us that are trying to make a difference.

Many of you will ask what I’m doing to make a difference. Well, it’s simple. I own a bike, and I use it. I drive my truck as little as 2-3 days a week on average. I’d sell it if I could, but I require it’s towing power. So I have to find other ways to conserve. My wife also owns an SUV, but probably not for much longer. Even as I write this post she’s out test-driving a new car. This particular one isn’t a hybrid, but a number of hybrids are on the short list. And if I have my way, the final purchase will be a hybrid.

The Hybrid offers me many advantages over and beyond that of incredible fuel savings. It’s a rolling power station for my trailer, and it even let’s me power my house (and a couple of neighbors) during a power outage. Its advantages are many, and I consider them to be worth the higher ticket price for the initial purchase; but that’s a topic for a different post.

Oh, and if you want to do something worthwhile on May 15th, choose an alternate mode of transportation that day. If all 73+ million MySpace users were to ride a bike on May 15th, this country would conserve enormous amounts of fuel. Think about it. Even if it were as little as 1 gallon per person (and I’m sure it’s actually much, MUCH more), that’s 73+ million gallons saved in a single day! That’s HUGE – and it will get noticed!

On May 15th, I promise that I will not, for any reason, drive my truck, or operate any gasoline-powered devices. Furthermore, I promise to never again purchase gasoline from this nations biggest gasoline company, Exxon/Mobile. The Exxon/Mobile families of brand names are: Exxon, Mobile, Exxon/Mobile, Esso, On the Run, Mobile 1 and Mobile Delvac. You may publicly pledge your support for the same by leaving your comment below. Please join me.

Be Prepared

Those that know me best know that I’m notoriously prepared anytime I venture into Idaho’s mountains. Some might even call me over-prepared. But it’s easy, very, very easy to screw up and find yourself in a situation that you weren’t prepared for. It’s even easier than you think, and it just happened to me this past Friday.

Idaho experienced record snowfall this past winter, as did much of the Northwest. And while all that snow made for excellent skiing, it’s now melting; and all that water has to go someplace; it’s all been traveling downhill; and it’s all been creating some excellent photography opportunities.

So I’ve been traveling around the state filming all the water, and enjoying every minute of it. So much so that I got careless last Friday. Rather than carefully plan my trip to the Owyhee Dam in Southeastern Oregon, I simply plugged the coordinates into my GPS, hopped in my truck and took off. That was my first mistake.

My second mistake was packing just a sandwich and some chips thinking that I’d just be taking an easy road trip, and that I could stop pretty much anywhere along the way to satisfy any urges that I might have.

And so the adventure begins...

My GPS thought that it might be a good idea to send me 60 miles through the desert. My GPS was horribly WRONG. In fact, it was a very bad idea. And I was very lucky to come out of it as easily as I did.

The first 25 miles was state highway; the second 25 miles was gravel road. I didn’t really get alarmed until the GPS asked me to take that last left turn, the one that took me off the gravel road and onto a path that looked, well, scary.

So I pulled over, right in the middle of the road since I was the only human for probably 50 miles (all the others were smart enough to take the paved road), cracked open my laptop and checked out my situation in Microsoft Streets and Trips. Turns out, this scary looking road was actually in Streets and Trips, and it went exactly where I wanted it to go. What I should have done, however, was used Google Earth, or at the very least, a Topographic Map. Because what I couldn’t see in Streets and Trips was exactly what I needed to see to make a good decision.

That’s also when I popped up high enough to bring my cell phone back into service; and it’s also where I received a severe weather warning via text message. So, with my phone in service, and my laptop already open, I decided to check the details of that message. Turns out I’m in the middle of a flood warning. I’m on high ground, but I’ll have to cross the flood plain at some point if I want to get back home.

This is where I should have chosen to turn around and make for home at top speed. Needless to say, I made another bad decision; I chose the road less (as in NEVER) traveled. I chose to get the video that was now a mere 10 miles away.

As it turns out, the part of the road that I could see was actually the good part; it actually resembled a road. Three miles down that road, however, things changed for the worse. That’s where four-wheel drive became a necessity. I still could have turned back. But you guessed it, I didn’t; and that was about the last time turning back presented itself as an option.

I found myself traveling first up, and then down, some very steep inclines; on a road that now looked more like a path; a path that eventually stopped looking like a path, or much of anything for that matter. I even had to stop and open a fence that crossed the road near the summit.

That tiny little path was also holding some very big, very sharp rocks. Rocks that, luckily, only caused minor damage to my truck. It could have easily been much, much worse.

So now I’m sliding downhill on some very wet earth (mud), on top of some very sharp rocks that were very patiently waiting for me to screw up just the tiniest little bit so that they could shred my tires to pieces and leave me stranded in the desert for the night, in a place that no one knew where to look for me, because I was supposed to be traveling on a highway ten miles from here. I couldn't stop if I had to, and I’m completely unprepared for my surroundings with very little of what I’d need to survive a night in the desert, should that become a necessity. Fortunately, it didn’t.

I carefully navigated down the side of that mountain on both a wing and a prayer; found myself at my destination; and shot my video. All that was left now was to find my way home via the highway that I had intended to travel in the first place. The problem was my GPS is now acting like it’s in an episode of The Twilight Zone; it doesn’t seem to know which way I should go. No matter which way I turn, it seems to think it can plot me a course home in that direction. So I turned back to Streets and Trips for a little advice.

What I should have done was throw all the computers over the dam and asked someone for directions.

Streets and Trips did get me pointed in the right direction, and my GPS continued to make bad choices for me on the way out of that valley. But they weren’t choices that I could have acted on, even if they had looked like a good idea. All of the roads the GPS wanted to use were under at least 5 feet of rapidly moving water; and that water was going to force me to make good choices whether I wanted to or not.

I did find my way home, only a few hours late, with my precious video in hand; all’s well that ends well. But I was lucky. It could have been much worse.

These were my mistakes:

I didn’t plan my trip properly. I didn’t map it out in advance; no one knew exactly where I was; I was traveling on the LEAST logical path to get to my destination; and I wasn’t traveling with the correct supplies and equipment for the environment I was traveling in. I should have had more food, more clothes, and a gun. And someone should have been told exactly where I was; if not before leaving home, certainly when I popped into cell phone coverage on top of that mountain.

When I realized that things were going wrong, I made a series of bad choices. I allowed my passion for my destination, the video I’m making, and (to be completely stupid) the high price of gas, to influence my decisions. As a result, I made a series of bad choices. I could have (and should have) turned around any number of times. I also based my decisions on navigation aids that were entirely wrong for my environment. That GPS is great on the open road, but toss it out the window when you find yourself in the desert, or on top of a mountain. It’s no longer of any value to you in those environments.

It’s mistakes like these that have left many a traveler lost in Idaho’s wilderness for days, even weeks at a time. Plan your trip, make good decisions, and don’t be afraid to turn back and try again tomorrow. I have excellent backcountry skills, and those skills were a big part of how I got so “lucky” on this otherwise ill-fated adventure.

I have friends with similar skills and experience, and most of them have stories like this to tell. It seems sometimes that we get so confident in our abilities that we draw ourselves deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. We often forget what we teach others. This has been an excellent backcountry refresher course for me. A lesson I'll not soon forget!

Even as I write post this I’m planning my next outing to Magic Reservoir. I’m using Google Earth, carefully charted GPS Coordinates and topographic maps to pick the right path into and out of this flood zone. The water is now flowing over the top of the dam, and the pictures I’ve seen are excellent. Be sure to watch my personal blog for video of all the snowmelt in the coming months. What I’ve seen so far has been a magnificent display of the power of Mother Nature. And there’s still more to come!

The Upgrade Game

Have you ever noticed that when you rent a car, assuming that you are renting in a class that leaves room for an upgrade, you’ll almost always be offered an upgrade of your reserved class for something paltry like $4 a day. If you plan for that upgrade when you make your reservation, that’s your chance to save some money!

For example, I recently made a 5-day business trip to Tennessee with three other people. We knew we’d need a large car such as an SUV or Mini-Van to comfortably accommodate all of us, and our baggage, on the 4-hour road trip that followed our flight. According to the rental company’s web site, the published rate for an SUV was $259.00. But I’ve played this game before!

When I made our reservation, I noticed on the rental company’s web site that they were running a special on a Ford Taurus (or similar) for just $94 a week. That’s a substantial savings over the published rate of the SUV, and even if I wasn’t offered an upgrade we could find a way to make that car work. So I booked the Taurus and kept my fingers crossed for the upgrade.

When we picked up our rental car we were offered an SUV, as predicted, for just $4 more per day. Now we’re in the SUV we wanted and it only cost us $114.00 for the week instead of the advertised price of $259.00. That’s a substantial savings – and we didn’t have to give anything up to get it! In fact, everyone in my group was expecting the Taurus. So when I showed up with the SUV I was a big hero.

Before you try this on your own there are some things that you need to consider:

If you are holding out for an inexpensive upgrade to a convertible in a place where they are in high demand, like Hawaii, you probably won’t get it. Likewise, cars that are in high demand, like the Ford Mustang, are also very hard to come by. You can’t even reserve a Mustang and be guaranteed to get it.

The same is true for busy travel periods like Christmas, or Thanksgiving. Cars need to be sitting around the lot for the upgrade game to work. During these peak travel times it’s advisable to reserve a car that is large enough to meet your needs because you may not be offered an upgrade.

Then again, everyone is always looking for the best deal – and that never changes. Not even during peak travel periods. So you just never know. But it’s best to hedge your bet with some extra comfort during the peak travel periods – just in case.

If you are traveling mid-week, and there’s nothing special about the time or place of your travel, and if there’s nothing too terribly specific about the upgrade that you are seeking, play the upgrade game! You’ll almost always come out on top!

Lastly, don’t tell anyone in your group what you are doing. That way no one gets mad if the upgrade isn’t offered.

Holiday Travel

Christmas is upon us and many of you are preparing to travel. With Christmas being on a weekend this year, both the highways and the airports are expected to be as busy, if not busier, for Christmas weekend as they were this past Thanksgiving. So as you head out to travel this holiday weekend, keeping a few simple things in mind might help to make your travel go a little smoother.

BY AIR

First, Dress for success. As always, you’ll want to pick clothing that is “security friendly”. So leave the heavy metal at home.

Then, plan to arrive early. Very early. At least two hours early for domestic flights, and three hours for International flights.

If you’ll be carrying Christmas presents, leave them unwrapped. Security will almost certainly unwrap them if you try to carry them on. And if your checked bags are opened for inspection, they’ll get unwrapped there as well. So don’t waste any effort on wrapping until you get to your destination. Better yet, give FedEx a call and have them transport your presents for you.

Oh, and don't forget the luggage tags!

BY LAND

First, check the weather. Then check it again. Make certain that no storms stand in your way. It’s much better to delay your trip by 24 hours than it is to get trapped by a winter storm.

Winter travel means packing a few extra things in the name of safety that you might not need to consider when traveling in warmer temperatures. Winter tires and a few extra items in the trunk can make all the difference.

Then leave early and be patient. Avoiding rush hour and taking a break during those congested times will make your trip much more enjoyable. Not to mention, safer.

One Way Rental Cars

Say you’re stuck in San Francisco and you need to get to Reno ASAP. Flying isn’t an option and you are going to have to rent a car. The rental companies just LOVE to hold your wallet hostage in these situations, but alas, there is a secret to affordable one-way rentals. It requires some slick detective work, and a little luck, but the payoff could be hundreds of dollars.

First, you need to find a car in car in San Francisco that belongs in Reno. To do that you have to sweet talk the folks at the desk of each and every car rental place at the airport until you find one. Naturally it’s better if they don't know what you are up to when you are doing it. Once you find the car, you have your "Ace".

Second, you have to convince the manager at that station that it is to his/her advantage to have you drive the car to Reno at the regular daily rental rate; as opposed to him/her having to hire a contractor to do it, or just hope that someone will come along that wants to pay full price. They don’t pay contractors very much to move those cars around, but having you pay them is certainly more attractive than the alternatives. And waiting costs them money too.

Be patient. Time IS money. But the same is true for the station manager stuck with a car that needs to go back home. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll have to pay full price anyway. But it’s always advisable to look for the discount first.

Traction Tires

I must confess that the recent ice storms in the East have been of great entertainment value for me. I chuckle every time I see an un-witting driver take on Mother Nature with all the wrong equipment. And I chuckle every time I place an order from the East Coast and the first words out of their mouth are: “We’ve had a big ice storm…”, as if that’s some sort of valid excuse for extending delivery time. After all, where do you think these storms come from? That’s right, the West Coast. We get to see them first. We’ve already weathered the storm by the time it makes it back East.

Winter travel is not a difficult thing -- IF you prepare for it. Come to the table un-prepared and you’ll make the evening news every time. But the good news is that preparing yourself is not all that bloody difficult.

First, take your watch off. Turn off the clock in your car and SLOW DOWN. I promise you that if you just slow down you’ll actually get there more quickly than if you don’t.

Second, go get yourself a good pair of all season radials and ask the dealer to “sipe” them before putting them on your vehicle. You can use these tires all year long, which means you’ll never be caught off guard if Mother Nature happens to sneak up on you. And your tires will actually last longer than if you don’t sipe them.

Siped tires actually work better than any traction tires I’ve ever owned. For years I went through the ritual of changing my tires from winter to summer; and I almost always miscalculated by at least one storm. But with siped all-season radials I’m ALWAYS equipped for the worst Mother Nature has to throw at me. And they actually work BETTER than the studded tires I’ve used in the past.

Siped tires will give you traction you never dreamed possible. But don’t take that as an excuse to travel in any weather – or to speed. And just because you have traction doesn’t mean you won’t make the evening news. There’s no shortage of folks out there that don’t read my tips, and no shortage of folks trying to drive without the proper equipment. So, if it’s an option, just stay home and wait for the weather to pass.

Winter Travel

The weather changes very quickly around here, and I've been caught in the snow at times when I certainly didn't expect to be. I once threw a snowball in Sun Valley, ID on the 6th of June! Planning to take a few extra items on the road with you can make your trip safer, and more enjoyable, if winter weather unexpectedly delays your travels.

Before your next winter road trip, consider adding these items to the safety equipment that is already in your car: A 24-hour supply of food and water; MRE's are an easy and affordable way to do this, and they are now available in most sporting goods stores; Extra Clothing, including rain gear, hat and gloves, and a sweater or coat; Flashlight, with extra batteries and bulb; Or even better, one of the new flashlights that operate without batteries; Matches (or other fire starter) in a waterproof container; First Aid Kit, including any personal use items such as toilet paper, feminine products, or prescription medications; Signaling devices such as a mirror, and a whistle; Your road flares also make for good signaling devices; A Blanket or Sleeping Bag; A candle; And a small snow shovel.

It's not enough to simply carry these items; you also need to know how each one might be used to save your life if an unexpected survival situation should occur. Taking a survival class from your local Search & Rescue organization will teach how to use all of the survival tools that I've mentioned above, and they'll almost certainly have some other ideas for you about what else to carry, and what might be of the most use to you in your neck of the woods.

Driving Abroad

If you are planning a trip overseas and think that you might have an occasion to drive while you are there, make sure you obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you go. An IDP translates the information on your US drivers license into 10 other languages and is proof that you are legally licensed to drive. Some countries require an IDP before you get behind the wheel, others do not. Check with your favorite travel agent on the requirements of your intended destination.

IDP's are available to the public at any AAA office for just $10 and are valid for 1 year. To obtain an IDP you must be at least 18 years old, have a valid drivers license and a passport-size photo. Passport-size photo's are also available from AAA.

One for the Road

Nearly 10 years ago I had the privilege of working as a Firefighter/EMT (FF/EMT) in a busy metropolitan area. FF/EMT's have a front row seat to some of life's most inconceivable tragedies; and all too often those tragedies come in the form of Motor Vehicle accidents (MVA).

The US Department of Transportation estimates that the typical driver will have a near automobile accident one to two times per month; and all drivers will be in a collision of some type on an average of every 6 years. MVA's account for nearly 45% of all Unintentional-Injury Deaths in the United States. They happen all day long, every single day of the year. They know no boundaries; they are equal opportunity killers.

In my experience, alcohol and drugs played no small part in causing these accidents. To a very large degree, these accidents happen at night - just when you'd expect that they might. So if you don't have to be in your car when the bars are closing, you definitely should NOT be. But there's another accident cause out there that, in my opinion, is grossly under-reported. Lack of patience.

I've seen as many accidents that I would attribute to a complete lack of patience as I would alcohol. And while the greater majority of these accidents do tend to happen during "rush hour", they actually happen all day long. It's the underlying cause of a great many accidents that get blamed on other things, like excessive speed, reckless driving and road rage.

So as you head out for your road trips this Labor Day Weekend, I'd like to encourage you to keep a few simple tips in mind. Get a good night's sleep and leave early; avoid rush hour; get off the road at a decent hour; and if traffic gets heavy or comes to a complete stop, pull off and take a break. But most of all, just be patient.

Safer Backing

To back your car up more safely, especially in crowded or busy lots, you should always back up to your right. Visibility is much better, and you'll be seated in a more natural, comfortable position.

Need proof? Pick a spot where you can safely back in each direction and give it a try.

Set your mirrors for Safety

When you first learned to drive you had to take a test and spend long painful hours in the car with your parents learning how to drive. And they probably told you to set the mirrors so that you can see out of them before you start to drive. But did anyone ever tell you HOW to actually set those mirrors?

As you sit in the driver's seat, place the left side of your face against the drivers side window and set your left side mirror so that you can barely see the back of your own car. Then, while sitting in the center position (or close proximity), set the right side mirror so that you can barely see the back of your car. Your side view mirrors are now set to see your blind spots. You can monitor all traffic using the rear view mirror, while using the side view mirrors to watch the blind spots without looking over your shoulder.

A few words of caution. This is definitely NOT for everyone. You will not be able to see traffic behind you from the side view mirrors, and that will take a few days to get used to. If you back in to tight spaces, or painted lines in a parking spot, this isn't going to work for you. You won't be able to see the objects that are nearby, or the painted lines This is, however, a great way to set your mirrors for those long freeway drives that so many of you will be making this weekend.