CRASH COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2006 than in World Wars I & II combined

Maybe the epic summer road trip is a relic of the past, but then again, maybe it isn’t. Sure, it’s great to be able to reach your destination at 600 mph instead of 60, but air travel has hours upon hours of built-in delays, and that’s on a good day. Other delays can pop up unexpectedly, from thunderstorms to idiotic passengers who force pilots to land at the nearest available airport. Yes, it can be a lot cheaper to drive than fly.

Something else that can change because this is a road trip: what the car contains. It’s possible that gear and/or the heads of family members not normally in the car will block the view of rear view mirrors. Backing up and parking could be a challenge not encountered in normal driving.

ROAD TRIP!

So what does the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, pronounced nit-sah) suggest to make your road trip safe, refreshing, and relaxing?

Step 1: leave the kids at home.

No, wait! They did not say that! Typo! NHTSA has a lot to say about summertime road trip safety, and rather than nagging everyone about speeding, tailgating, and not flipping the bird at other motorists as we might expect, they focus on the mechanical and physical aspects of getting safely from Point A to Point B.

That makes a lot of sense because, after all, we can’t do any of the things just mentioned if we’re stalled out by the side of the road.

These are very practical suggestions. For instance, before a road trip have your air conditioning checked. It was a cool May, but hoping for a cool summer around here is about as likely as hoping to qualify for next year’s Masters. As a player. Not happening. There are people (such as little children and older adults) who are sensitive to excessive heat. In fact, almost no one would like to undertake a road trip in the dead of summer without AC.

Your friendly mechanic (we would be remiss if we didn’t suggest C&C Automotive, one of the sterling clients who make this newspaper possible) will also gladly check your belts and hoses, tires, cooling system fluid levels, your battery, wiper blades, headlights, brake lights and blinkers, et cetera. It’s not at all expensive, but even if it was, it’s way cheaper than a breakdown (or even worse, a crash) in some lonely place 500 miles from home where you know not a single soul.

Other things to think about as suggested by NHTSA: floor mats. Who thinks of that? Well, NHTSA does, but why? New mats, or improperly installed mats, can get in the way of gas and brake pedals. It may not make a difference during a 2-mile daily commute, but it could be a factor during many hours of driving.

Sometimes people rent a vehicle for road trips, and that represents another factor to address for safety. The new vehicle might be wider, have a different stopping distance, different controls for heating, air, audio, navigation, windshield wipers and wiper fluid, mirror controls and more. Getting familiar with its features before you hit the road could go a long way toward safely arriving at your destination.

The same thing — a new and unfamiliar vehicle — could have an impact on pedestrians around the vehicle, whether they happen to be people you know and love in your own driveway or total strangers in a parking lot someplace. Again, familiarity breeds safety.

A few other suggestions that NHTSA has about things we all often overlook: have a gear box — no, not a gearbox; a gear box — full of, uh, gear that can be quite useful. Examples: a flashlight, a first aid kit, jumper cables or one of those charger packs that will charge your battery without another car, a pair of work gloves, a roll of that all-important duct tape (in case a hose leaks), and maybe an old blanket (to lay on the ground if you have to get under the car or change a flat tire. Which raises another point: make sure your spare is porperly inflated and your jack is on-board and has all of its working components.

Once you actually hit the highway, here are some parting (literally) words from NHTSA: don’t push it. Those aren’t their exact words, but they want us all to remember to not overdo it; plan to cover a reasonable distance each day or in the time allotted to travel each day. Falling asleep at the wheel is hardly ever a good agenda item for a family vacation. When you stop to fuel up, get out, walk around, stretch. Get refreshed. NHTSA also says (in so many words) don’t push your luck. This past holiday weekend, Medical Examiner examiners saw cars on I-20 with out of state plates who looked like they had to be someplace far away an hour ago, and they were driving like they still planned to get there an hour ago.

Here’s our tip: if you want to travel 600 mph, take that plane ride.

CHRONIC… from page 1

I’m talking about BULLYING.

Misconception number one is that bullying effects only a small minority of school age children. One in three is not a small minority.

The second misconception is that children outgrow the harmful effects of long-term bullying. For many if not most, the sense of isolation, helplessness, and vulnerability has already sunk its claws deep into their psyche. It’s a constant companion even into adulthood.

The third misconception is that high school graduation ends the trail of tears that the victims of bullying have endured. Bullies don’t magically disappear once they don a cap and gown. They have honed their skills of manipulation over their weak, unpopular, less attractive, and poorer victims. In the job market their people skills tend to be appreciated by upper management types, and bullies tend to gravitate towards supervisory positions.

As stated by Kevin Ward in his TEDx Talk about adult bullying, in a survey of 9,000 federal employees, 57% said they were bullied within the past two years. And as Mr. Ward adds, yes, the federal government has anti-bullying policies in place.

So who am I, and what makes me an expert on this subject? I am not an expert. Before I share my personal story, I want you to understand my reasons for publicizing my embarrassing history of being bullied. It is not for sympathy, financial gain, or for personal attention. I would prefer to remain anonymous. The problem is, remaining anonymous doesn’t help me heal the scars and maybe decrease the nightmares I continue to have at 69 years of age. When I say bullying leaves lifelong scars, I am living proof.

My first memory of being a victim of bullying was in the 3rd grade. I was a frail and skinny kid, and apparently I was a desirable target for two large and scary looking twin brothers. When the last school bell rang, the hunt was on. I was not a fast runner, and it didn’t take long for them to catch me. All I could do is cover my head as they pummeled me with their fists. This was a daily occurrence. The school principal’s solution? I was let out of school ten minutes early each day to get a head start running home.

Each year I faced a new gamut of bullies. We moved to a different town for my father’s new job as a fire chief. During my first few months at the new school I was followed home by the class bully looking to tune up the new kid. One punch and I had a broken nose.

The bullying and assaults didn’t slow down until 10th grade. By then I was 6 feet tall and weighed about 180 lbs.

I knew from childhood my father was a bully. He had an explosive temper, and he used open hands and fists on me from the time I was young.

About the time my school bullying ended, my father became an alcoholic. This substantially shortened the fuse of his temper. My little sister spilled her cereal one day and my father felt that I was the cause. I knew what was coming, so I started running. My mistake was looking back. When I did he threw a metal spatula that struck me in the forehead. I ran to my room and buried my head in my foam pillow. By the time my mother got home I had bled all the way through the foam.

As the years passed by, I experienced workplace bullying. When I helped a coworker move into an apartment her estranged husband showed up, assumed I was involved with his wife, and knocked me out cold. In my 40’s I was diagnosed with Severe Depressive Disorder. Around the same time I attended my cousin’s wedding. They were serving alcohol to underage drinkers, and it caused an incident in the parking lot. The police arrived to take care of the situation and take witness statements, including mine. My father, who apparently had been drinking, was upset about something. While two officers were taking my statement my father suddenly threw both hands around my neck and started choking me. The officers had to beat him in the ribs repeatedly to finally get him to stop. He was arrested, and had several broken ribs.

As the years passed, I experienced more work related bullyPlease see CHRONIC page 11