Getting from A to B risk free

THERE are few things more sobering than seeing blood being hosed off the road. Or white sheets covering an unspeakable but undeniably recognizable entity. Or the sight of someone being consoled by emergency services, near a metal wreck that could not possibly have been a car..could it? It is one thing to see these images on TV shows, advertising, newspapers or the Internet. It is another thing to see them first hand. 

My partner and I were first on the scene to a single vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway, Christmas Eve a few years ago. We were travelling southbound, just before Brisbane, and a car drove up an embankment and flipped over onto its roof a few hundred metres in front of us. 

While my partner was on the phone to 000, desperately  trying to fit his arm in the wrecked window to turn off the engine, fuel was spilling out of the car and the passengers were screaming. I was trying to put my recently acquired first aid training to use by asking questions to keep the passengers calm and conscious. The smell of alcohol was overpowering. The car was so crumpled that, laying on the road, looking through the window, I could not make out where the bodies started and where the ended. Or how many people were in the car. So when a female starting screaming about her “babies” I thought there were children in the car. It took every ounce of self control not to just walk away and cry. 

It felt like time had stopped and the police were never going to arrive. Other cars stopped both to try help, and to gawk. One man was ripping the front of the car and turning the engine off manually somehow while debate started to rage about trying to get the passengers out of the car. Then emergency services started to arrive. Police took our statements and said we could leave. The passengers were still in the car when we drove away – firemen were using the Jaws of Life. Disturbing. Heartbreaking. Sobering. We never heard anything about it on the news so I pray it wasn’t a fatality. But who knows? Only their family.

Easter Sunday, on the Bruce Highway heading from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast traffic was at a standstill. I rang Queensland Government Transport and Traffic Hotline (131940) to find out what was happening. It was a multi-vehicle crash over 1km ahead. Thirty-five minutes later, being diverted off the now closed highway,  I saw the eight crumbled up vehicles sitting across all three lanes, facing every direction, smashed together like a puzzle. The Queensland Police Service reported there were no fatalities but after seeing the mess I don’t know how that is possible. 

What disturbed me the most was not the sight of the wreckage. Or the six ambulances called to the sight. Or the four police cars, or the two fire trucks. It was the cars speeding past me when we were back on the highway. I became paranoid that I was driving well under the speed limit as car after car zipped past me. I wasn’t. Everyone else was speeding, making up for lost time I suppose? It was a 100km zone and cars would have easily been pushing 120km. These weren’t single occupant cars either. Or P platers. These were predominantly cars full of families. I was, and still am gob-smacked. Flabbergasted. Bewildered. Disturbed. Frustrated. 

The problem with drivers today is arrogance and ignorance. Simple. Everyone knows that speed kills, drink driving makes you a bloody idiot, red lights mean stop and seat belts save lives. Yet every day we are surrounded by people who flaunt a blatant disregard for the rules. Why?

The Transport Accident Commission Victoria (TAC) surveyed Victorian drivers in January this year about their perceived socially acceptable driving behaviours. Speeding was deemed the most “socially acceptable” of all illegal driving behaviours. Of those surveyed up to sixty percent believe driving ten percent over the speed limit is acceptable.  Many drivers across the country (and even the world) would no doubt agree. To put this in perspective, consider the following:

To drive from my house to my parent’s house is 81km, and involves driving on roads with speed limits ranging from 50km suburban streets right up to 110km zones on the Bruce Highway. If I drive ten percent over the speed limit the entire journey, I will get to my destination six minutes earlier. SIX MINUTES!!! 

Government departments can introduce as many different rules, regulations, advertising campaigns, fines, incentives or educational initiatives as they want but realistically, the problem comes down to the individual. How do you change the mentality of the driver who is willing to disobey the law, despite knowing all the risks associated? 

Next time you considering ignoring the rules or regulations of driving consider this:

Can you afford the fine?

Can you afford to lose your license?

Can you afford to repair your car?

Can you afford to lose your car?

Can you afford to destroy your life as you know it?

Can you afford to cause grief to all who love you?

Can you afford the guilt of knowing you destroyed someone else’s life?

Are you an arrogant and/or ignorant driver?

Vigilance the best prevention for "rock spiders"

THERE is a name that, when mentioned, conjures tremendous, intensive debate and hateful, vicious emotions in the hearts and minds of most Australians. 

Dennis Ferguson. 

Ferguson, arguably the most infamous paedophile in Australia, is being talked about again after the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and various media outlets yesterday tried to dispel rumours that he is residing on the Sunshine Coast. 

Although some minds may have been set at ease, the notifications caused mass debate and commentary, especially online. 

The QPS posted a "#Mythbuster" status around 1.30pm and within a few hours had received over 400 comments, and counting. The QPS was forced to sensor multiple comments due to their offensive or threatening nature. The Sunshine Coast Daily website and Sunshine Coast Facebook page may have to do the same (if they have not already). 

Dennis Ferguson is a vile creature, no doubt about it, but there is a bigger picture here. 

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2009-2010 there were over 48,000 reported cases of child abuse in Australia, with over 12% being sexual abuse cases.  However these statistics do not highlight the full extent of the issue, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, this data excludes abuse perpetrated by a non-family member or person known to the family (these are dealt strictly with police not child protection services). 

Secondly, these statistics only represent cases reported to child protection services (again, not police). 

Due to the confidential and personal nature of the crime,  Australian statistics for child sexual abuse are non-existent or unverified.  All sexual abuse statistics, regardless of age, are grouped together in State and Territory Police reporting.

Statistics from the United States are generally thought to be accurate for Australian society also. The alarming statistics are as follows: 

30% sexual abuse offenders are relatives of the child

60% are acquaintances (friends of the family, babysitters, neighbours, etc)

10% are strangers

Sure no one wants Dennis Ferguson or any other known sex offender to be living near them *cue the debate over accessible sex offender lists (like in the US) or “send them back to jail” arguments*.The sad, scary fact of reality is, however, the face of paedophilia is likely to be far more familiar to you and your children than Dennis Ferguson’s beady eyed, creepy mug. Don’t let the Daniel Morcombe tragedy make you forget that “stranger danger” is not the only danger lurking in the world.

ICE, ICE baby - it just might save your life

IMAGINE you were in a car accident, or fainted in public, or were involved in some other incident where paramedics, fire-fighters or police were called to the scene. Imagine you were unable to talk to the emergency services. How would they find out important medical information for you or let your next of kin know of the incident? ICE.

ICE is the name if the movement where your “In Case of Emergency” contact or contacts are saved in your mobile phone under “ICE” to enable easy identification of who to speak to in an emergency. 

The idea was allegedly conceived by British paramedic Bob Brotchie in 2005 and has gained worldwide acknowledgment and acclaim ever since. Brotchie, after noticing patients usually had a mobile phone with them when he attended incidents, reasoned that the ICE contact idea would aid all emergency workers.

Sound like a brilliant, simple idea? Yes? Not to everyone. There have been multiple criticisms about ICE.

Firstly, some critics argue emergency personnel on site are time poor, so next of kin wouldn’t be contacted prior to admittance to hospital. There is some merit to this criticism. Emergency personnel are extremely busy and time poor, especially at the scene of an incident. However I have personally been in a situation where paramedics called three contacts in a friend’s phone until they could relay the message of a car accident injury. I’m sure many people out there would have a similar story.

Secondly, critics argue contacting relatives about a seriously injured person is a sensitive task, making phone contact with next of kin inappropriate. There is merit in this argument also, however in this day and age society in general are prone to receiving both good and bad news via the phone. Furthermore, if emergency staff are too time poor and busy to call next of kin (as in above criticism), what are the chances they have the time to drive out to someone and relay information face to face instead.

Thirdly, critics have said that most people’s next of kin is their parents, whose details are normally saved in person’s mobile under “Mum” or “Dad” anyway. Again, definitely merit to this argument also, but (a big, whopping huge but), not true for all. If I were in any sort of incident where my next of kin needed to be contacted, the absolute last people I would want contacted would be my parents. For those whose parents are their emergency contact, what if they are saved under “pet names” for their parents? Are emergency personnel familiar with culturally significant names or foreign languages? Would emergency services know “Baba” is the Armenian name for “Dad”?

Whether you agree or disagree with the critics of ICE, ask yourself, what is the harm? What ill can come from having contact saved in your phone under ICE??

Have you saved ICE contact/s in your phone?

Do you REALLY know the road rules?

SIX weeks ago I pitched a story to a local, community website about Queensland road rules and the apparent lack of understanding around them. I figured that with all the crazy, ignorant and arrogant drivers I see making stupid, careless mistakes there must be a story in it.

No matter who I have ever spoken to, drivers young and old, male and female, on L's, P's or Opens, all get pretty worked up and have multiple stories to tell about bad, inconsiderate and law breaking drivers.

Well The Courier Mail has just published a story on the matter after the Queensland Police Service launched a quiz to test drivers' knowledge of the road rules. For those of you playing at home I recommend you take the test – it’s only 10 questions and may be an eye-opener. You can take the test online here.

I found the comments under the story as important and interesting as the story itself. The main thing I took away from the story was that I have been indicating wrong on roundabout. Before you start throwing verbal darts at me, let me explain.

I took my driving test and obtained my license January 2010, with a perfect score. I was definitely NOT marked down for incorrect indicators. In my test I went through three roundabouts, two of which involved exiting via the second exit. I was under the impression that the rule was as follows: 
As you enter a roundabout, unless you are taking the first immediate left exit you must indicate right first. Then, just before reaching your exit, indicate left to let other drivers know you are leaving the roundabout.

I was taught this by my driving instructor and by family and friends who had lost points in their examination in previous years for NOT doing this. Furthermore, the assessor watched me do this on two of the three roundabouts and did not mark me down. This confirmed to me that it was definitely the correct roundabout procedure.

WRONG! I have been indicating incorrectly for over a year thanks to an ill-informed driving instructor, an ill-informed driving assessor and ill-informed advice of friends and family. Imagine all the drivers who thought I was a jerk!

I guess I can take solace in the fact that I’ve never wondered if it’s okay to drive barefoot (it is in Australia, but not in New Zealand). I might just do a quick re-visit of the road rules in general to be safe though.

So are you as good of a driver as you think? Take the test and load your results/comments here!

P.S. I scored 9/10