Post by Bo/CCPU Founder on Sept 23, 2015 9:33:16 GMT -6
Auto, Bicycle, Cycle, Pedestrian & Personal Safety Tips
'Keep Your Head on a Swivel' heelsandhandguns.com/2012/04/keep-your-head-on-a-swivel/
What does this mean? While driving, it means when you're backing up (particularly in a tight parking/lot situation) you should be turning your head
back-and-forth from left-to-right, again-and-again, as you back (to be sure of areas and blind spots not covered by your mirrors). This comes
to mind because a student at a local college was backing out of a space just recently and I was approaching him from the left, walking. He never
looked left until he was nearly all the way out of the space, and by then he was about even with my location, standing on his driver's side.
His eyes told his extreme surprise to see me, there. If I'd have been a little child or an older person not as alert, by that time he'd have
ALREADY backed into (or OVER!) me.
UPDATE to this thread:
While over at the local truck stop my wife and I witnessed ANOTHER backing-up incident. A Greyhound bus had made a stop for a break and a gal was walking back towards the bus when a lady right in front of where we were sitting (in chairs, out front) began backing up, only looking over her left shoulder. I saw the walker moving to her (the walker's) left, as the car continued to back to the rear, swinging the left (driver's) corner of the car in her direction. If the bus passenger had been less alert, she may have been struck by the driver, as she appeared to never have seen her. I think she was in a blind spot in the mirrors, but could have been easily seen if the car operator had only looked over her right shoulder as she backed. The only thing I could've done was tried to yell a warning in time to stop her, if the person heading back to the bus had not seen her. A scary scene to have unfold before your eyes, regardless.
-Occurred 10-3-15
The first day I stepped foot in US Navy Boot Camp, and in so many situations after that, I have heard the phrase “Situational Awareness”. We are told, “Keep your head on a swivel,” meaning to keep an eye all around you. In the military, this is beat into us constantly – and for good reason. Life is actually inherently dangerous, but in the military this increases exponentially. There are Sailors on the decks of Aircraft Carriers, manning weapon systems, working on electrical circuits, and driving billion dollar warships. We have Marines, Soldiers, and people from every armed service engaged in combat in Afghanistan.
Does situational awareness apply as a civilian? You bet it does! You can sit in your cloud of bliss, blocking out the world, and in complete denial that anything bad will ever happen to you – until it happens to YOU. The better alternative is to always think about what is going on around you, what “could” potentially happen around you, and then how would you react in any given situation.
I have a great friend I met in the military, and have known for nearly 20 years. When we walk into a restaurant, he has to sit with his back to a wall and so he can see the whole room including the entrance. He has always been aware of his surroundings and constantly thinks about his next move “if” something should happen. If he is in the car with me, and I am driving, I used to pull to close to the car in front of me when stopped at a stop light. He would tell me, “Why did you pull that close? Now if something happens, you will have no means of escaping.” When I was in my early 20’s I thought, wow – he is paranoid. Now I realize this is the kind of thinking that will help you survive in a life or death moment.
If you do not live your life day to day with this kind of thinking and planning constantly ticking in your mind, the best thing to do is to start practicing. Play the “what if” game with yourself. If you are in the grocery store, ask yourself, “What if XXX happened, what would I do?” Fill in the blanks with all kinds of scenarios and do this in various locations in your life. It will really make you think and act differently.
'Keep Your Head on a Swivel' heelsandhandguns.com/2012/04/keep-your-head-on-a-swivel/
What does this mean? While driving, it means when you're backing up (particularly in a tight parking/lot situation) you should be turning your head
back-and-forth from left-to-right, again-and-again, as you back (to be sure of areas and blind spots not covered by your mirrors). This comes
to mind because a student at a local college was backing out of a space just recently and I was approaching him from the left, walking. He never
looked left until he was nearly all the way out of the space, and by then he was about even with my location, standing on his driver's side.
His eyes told his extreme surprise to see me, there. If I'd have been a little child or an older person not as alert, by that time he'd have
ALREADY backed into (or OVER!) me.
UPDATE to this thread:
While over at the local truck stop my wife and I witnessed ANOTHER backing-up incident. A Greyhound bus had made a stop for a break and a gal was walking back towards the bus when a lady right in front of where we were sitting (in chairs, out front) began backing up, only looking over her left shoulder. I saw the walker moving to her (the walker's) left, as the car continued to back to the rear, swinging the left (driver's) corner of the car in her direction. If the bus passenger had been less alert, she may have been struck by the driver, as she appeared to never have seen her. I think she was in a blind spot in the mirrors, but could have been easily seen if the car operator had only looked over her right shoulder as she backed. The only thing I could've done was tried to yell a warning in time to stop her, if the person heading back to the bus had not seen her. A scary scene to have unfold before your eyes, regardless.
-Occurred 10-3-15
The first day I stepped foot in US Navy Boot Camp, and in so many situations after that, I have heard the phrase “Situational Awareness”. We are told, “Keep your head on a swivel,” meaning to keep an eye all around you. In the military, this is beat into us constantly – and for good reason. Life is actually inherently dangerous, but in the military this increases exponentially. There are Sailors on the decks of Aircraft Carriers, manning weapon systems, working on electrical circuits, and driving billion dollar warships. We have Marines, Soldiers, and people from every armed service engaged in combat in Afghanistan.
Does situational awareness apply as a civilian? You bet it does! You can sit in your cloud of bliss, blocking out the world, and in complete denial that anything bad will ever happen to you – until it happens to YOU. The better alternative is to always think about what is going on around you, what “could” potentially happen around you, and then how would you react in any given situation.
I have a great friend I met in the military, and have known for nearly 20 years. When we walk into a restaurant, he has to sit with his back to a wall and so he can see the whole room including the entrance. He has always been aware of his surroundings and constantly thinks about his next move “if” something should happen. If he is in the car with me, and I am driving, I used to pull to close to the car in front of me when stopped at a stop light. He would tell me, “Why did you pull that close? Now if something happens, you will have no means of escaping.” When I was in my early 20’s I thought, wow – he is paranoid. Now I realize this is the kind of thinking that will help you survive in a life or death moment.
If you do not live your life day to day with this kind of thinking and planning constantly ticking in your mind, the best thing to do is to start practicing. Play the “what if” game with yourself. If you are in the grocery store, ask yourself, “What if XXX happened, what would I do?” Fill in the blanks with all kinds of scenarios and do this in various locations in your life. It will really make you think and act differently.