Buses and Necks: Safety

The Focus on Safety

My last company, 帝斯曼公司 , always focused on safety. Safety was almost a religion for the organization, and we always had sessions on safety. These trainings always included tips on safe driving. When I returned to Delhi in 2012, I was aghast and watched people drive with scant regard for life and limb. Our authorities punish us for exceeding the speed limit but not for driving in the wrong direction. Speed matters more than velocity.

A Personal Example

I will use a personal example to illustrate my point about the importance of safety. We hired a minibus (a Tempo Traveler) to attend a wedding function. The driver was careful throughout the journey to the venue and back. Intelligent designers who made the new road to our condominium placed tall speed breakers (atrocious design) at brief intervals on the road. The driver looked into the side-view mirror, and at this moment, the minibus flew over a speed breaker. I was in the back seat, and the momentum threw me into the air, resulting in a nasty bump on my head. An X-ray revealed a compression in my neck vertebra. The accident took place four weeks ago, and I expect to undergo another three or four weeks of rehab treatment before my neck recovers.

Accidents and Trauma

Please note: I had a minor accident, which resulted in eight weeks of rehab and curtailing all sports activities. I have also postponed travel plans by a few months. It could have been worse, and, for many, the after-effects of an accident are severe.

Accidents can lead to health problems that go beyond the physical trauma of the incident. Mental or emotional trauma often accompanies accidents. Sometimes, accidents lead to physical or cognitive disabilities.

We don’t calculate the costs associated with ill health or trauma. These incidents affect the person who suffered the accident, friends, and family. Corporations experience a temporary business setback, but they move on. However, when carelessness leads to a continuous spate of accidents, management cannot -or does not–control and minimize, the business repercussions are severe: financial setbacks and a dent in the company’s image.

Safe Behavior reflects your attitude.

When I related the incident to a few people, they asked if the minibus had seatbelts. They were surprised to learn that the minibus did not have seatbelts. Their reaction amazed me: no one uses a seatbelt when sitting in a car. A few months back, a prominent businessperson, Mr. Cyrus Mistry, died in an accident. The incident report revealed that he was not using a seat belt while sitting in the rear. Our government reacted by issuing a new regulation, making it mandatory for people sitting in the rear seat to use a seat belt.

After a week, the desire to implement the new regulation died a silent death: if you are unwilling to ensure people drive in the correct direction, how will you ensure people wear seatbelts (or, if you are on a two-wheeler, a helmet)?

Punitive measures must go in tandem with education. Education alone does not build a safe environment on the road, in an office, or a factory. Once you change people’s behavior, it may be possible to focus on continuing education while reducing punitive measures.

A simple mathematical calculation will help illustrate the danger of slow reflexes. Consider a vehicle moving at a steady pace of sixty kilometers per hour. This speed translates into sixty thousand meters per hour or 17 meters per second (after rounding to the highest decimal). A one-second delay in pressing the brakes means the automobile travels seventeen meters before decelerating. No one keeps a distance of seventeen meters between vehicles, so an accident will happen. Think about this calculation, and you will drive with care.

Summation

People adopting careless safety habits harm themselves as well as others. The other people become collateral damage. Attitude drives safety and not faith alone. Remember, accidents can cause long-term damage to the people directly and indirectly involved in the incident.

I drew three lessons from my example, each of which deserves a brief article: safety, design and construction standards, and posture.