An open letter to counselors about thinking safety and driving safely. (Risk Management).

Dear Counselors,

This letter is addressed to all camp counselors whether you have responsibility for driving camp vehicles, have your own car at camp, borrow a car, or are just a passenger in a camp or other vehicle this summer. Please think safety and drive safely.

Unlike most articles you may have seen on this subject, we won t be quoting statistics from organizations like the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, the insurance industry, or Mothers Against Drunk Drivers -- just some plain, hard facts from the perspective and experience of an insurance underwriter and risk manager with over twenty-five years of experience in camping.

Here are the plain, hard facts. Auto, van, and bus accidents, which result in injury to people and damage to property, are caused by one or more of the following:

* unsafe conditions

* unsafe actions

* unsafe equipment, and/or

* poor judgment

Every summer one or more counselors, or campers, are seriously injured or die as the result of an automobile accident. Many of the severe injuries can be reduced or avoided, and some of the accidents prevented entirely if drivers and passengers think safety and drive safely Here are some thoughts to live by this summer!

Unsafe Conditions

Unsafe conditions occur when things change. Take the weather for example. Bright sun, fog, rain, haze, and other weather factors change the conditions in which you are driving. As the conditions change so does the risk. Keep this in mind, slow down, and make sure you bring your sunglasses on those bright summer days.

Other unsafe conditions include road debris and construction along the highways and rural roads. Tailgating, an unsafe action, combined with unsafe road conditions can result in a disastrous situation. Even though you have confidence in your driving ability --remember you are not out on the roads by yourself. Someone else's unsafe action combined with an unsafe condition, or unsafe equipment, could create the right circumstances for an accident and injury. You can control and reduce some of the risks of driving this summer. Take the time to consider how you can make a difference on the highways this summer.

Unsafe Actions

Another contributing factor is unsafe actions. An example of an unsafe action is aggressive driving. This includes speeding, tailgating, and weaving in and out of traffic. Inexperience often contributes to these unsafe actions.

Driving on rural camp roads presents different risks. Realize rural roads have soft, dirt shoulders -- an unsafe condition. If you get your tire off the road and onto the shoulder, the dirt can "grab" your tire, making a hasty move to pull the vehicle back onto the road is a potentially fatal, unsafe action. If you get the wheels of your vehicle on the soft shoulder, slow down, and gradually and slowly pull the vehicle back onto the road. A more aggressive response might cause the vehicle to flip. Besides, sport utility vehicles, vans, and pickups are also prone to roll-over accidents in this situation.

Just because the speed limit is posted at a maximum of fifty-five miles per hour, doesn't mean you have to travel at that speed -- especially at night. Another good reason to slow down on rural roads is the limited vision typical of winding, rural roads. Hot weather can create unsafe conditions malting the suburban and rural roads slippery, especially after these roads have been freshly oiled and chipped or resurfaced. A summer shower can also make a rural road treacherous and slippery. Urban, suburban, and rural roads may be subject to localized flooding. Rural roads are often poorly marked and narrow. They tend to be designed with a "crown," which helps aid drainage, but can cause your vehicle to handle very differently. Driving too fast to handle these unsafe conditions is definitely an unsafe action. Make sure you drive at appropriate speed for the road conditions.

Please take time to become familiar with the area around camp, the condition of the roads, and how your vehicle handles on them when it is full and when it is empty. Think safety and drive safely If you have primary camp vehicle driving responsibilities, expect to receive some training along these lines during orientation. You may also be asked to take a road test. Directors will want you to demonstrate your competency before they allow you to operate camp vehicles with children on board.

Unsafe Equipment

Safe equipment can become unsafe as the seasons pass. ACA's Transportation Standard, TR-16, requires a driver safety check of camp vehicles used to transport people that includes checking lights, tires, windshield and wipers, emergency flashers, horn, brakes, mirrors, and fluid levels. This is important.

Any unsafe equipment should be promptly reported to the camp or transportation director and fixed immediately. The vehicle shouldn't be used to transport people until the unsafe equipment is repaired.

Consider making a safety check of your own vehicle, as well as other vehicles you may use during the summer. Make sure to check tire pressure, too. Tire manufacturers recommend doing this once a month.

Poor Judgment

Poor judgment seems to be connected to unsafe action. For example, impatience contributes to aggressive driving and accidents. Sometimes the accidents are minor and only involve damage to the vehicles. Sometimes impatience can be deadly.

Have you ever experienced a driver who just won't let you merge into traffic or is just creeping along? How do you respond? Does this behavior make you angry? If you are stuck in traffic or being delayed by a slow moving vehicle, try to relax. Think safety Don't act Out of anger. If the camp director is expecting you at a certain time and you are going to be late, find a safe place to pull over and call ahead to let the director know you have been delayed.

Realize others on the road in these circumstances may be impatient and behaving improperly. Don't let others' "road rage" influence your judgment. Give them room and let them go by.

Make sure you have time to respond safely to improper behavior and unsafe actions of others by not tailgating or speeding.

Another example of poor judgment involves overloading roof racks. Overloaded roof racks can change the handling characteristics of the vehicle -- make it top heavy and damage the roof. Overloading the vehicle with passengers is also poor judgment. If your car has room for five, don't try to pack six or seven people into it. This also applies to camp vehicles, especially vans. Everyone should have a seat and a seat belt. Don't transport campers or staff in the back of an SUV, van, or pickup.

Wear your seat belt and make sure that all campers and counselors wear their seat belts at all times while the vehicle is in motion. This applies to camp vehicles and to your private vehicles, as well. Seat belts reduce the severity of injuries in auto accidents and save lives. Wear your seat belt in the back seat, too. Do this so you are not ejected from the vehicle in an accident. Drivers and passengers who are ejected from the vehicle have a high mortality rate.

This summer, promise not to drink and drive. Sometimes alcohol is a contributing factor to counselor auto accidents, especially late at night. If you are going to drink on your night off, have a designated driver. Be smart. Use good judgment. Don't become a statistic. Consider the camp community and the impact of a fatal auto accident on the directors, your fellow counselors, and the campers, not to mention your family.

Recognizing fatigue is another judgment factor that contributes to auto accidents at camp. Significant research has been done about sleep deprivation at camp. It is definitely a factor as the summer progresses. Keep this in mind and, if you are getting tired, stop and rest. Switch drivers if the other person is authorized by the camp director to drive. Let someone else drive if you are in your own car. Don't fall asleep behind the wheel. Failing to recognize fatigue and reduce the risk of not being alert can been a fatal mistake in judgement.

We know you get a lot of advice. Please, please listen to this advice and take it to heart! Take the time to think safety and drive safely this summer. You will be glad and so will all of the other people who know, love, and depend on you. It is your choice. Make it a great summer!

Ed Schirick is president of Schirick and Associates Insurance Brokers in Rock Hill, New York, where he specializes in providing risk management advice and in arranging insurance coverage for camps. Schirick is a chartered property casualty underwriter and a certified insurance counselor. He can be reached at 845-794-3 113.