The White Falcon - 29.10.1993, Blaðsíða 2

covered open fields
contain stones and
ruts that have caused many falls and
ankle injuries during past winters. Riding
the bus is a safe bet.
Clothing Dress for winter conditions.
Children must be clothed heavily during
winter and should be required to wear
their gloves or mittens. Children should
be cautioned to be much more attentive
during their outdoor activities. Thick hats
and large hoods can restrict their ability to
both hear and see aproach-
ing vehicles. During the
hours of darkness or
reduced visibility pedestri-
ans shall wear reflective
garments to be more
visible to vehicular traffic.
All children's jackets and coats should be
of highly visible color. Personnel jogging
during the dark winter months must be
cautious, wear highly visible clothing and
jog facing traffic. Reflectors are available
at the Safety
Office, Bldg.#
937. Also, if you
want to have re-
flective tape sewn
on your clothing, contact AIMD.
Buddy System Any long distance
walk during dark and/or adverse weather
conditions should never be attempted
alone. You will experience situations
where the weather has suddenly turned
bad while you were attending an indoor
function. If you walk even a relatively
short distance, get a buddy to travel with
you. You don't want
to get lost in an open
field during a dark
winter evening snow
storm.

Driving Alone If you must drive
alone to any outlying area during rela-
tively inclement weather conditions, call
ahead to your command or other destina-
tion and let them know you arc on your
way. If rescue operations are necessary,
the search party must at least be aware of
your intended route.
General Driving Because of weather
conditions, especially in the darkness, it is
frequently difficult for the driver to have a
good clear view for any distance, front or
back. Take time to thoroughly clean snow
and ice from all windows. Scraping a
“peephole” is not sufficient and results in
drastically reduced visibility. “I couldn’t
see” is a common first expression heard
after an accident Avoiding an accident
requires much more attention throughout
the winter than during the summer.
Black ice Slippery road conditions are
not always immediately apparent. Some-
times there are icy spots often referred to
as black ice because of the darkened
asphalt. Many vehicle accidents occur
during the first days of icy road condi-
tions.
You need to pay special attention when
driving during the early morning hours.
Most incidents occur at intersections and
in parking lots.
We have already in Oct. 93'
experienced two accidents
off base. Both drivers hit
icy spots in the road and
rolled their vehicles,
totalling them, fortunately
the drivers of both vehicles
and four passengers were
all wearing seatbelts and
walked away without a
scratch.
Seatbelts Following months of sum-
mer driving, the operator expects to stop
the car within the
accustomed dis-
tance or to make
turns at intersec-
tions at normal
speeds, only to have the car skid into an
accident. Serious vehicle accidents have
been experienced by station personnel
and their dependents.
An accident resulting in one
death occurred at the theater-
gym intersection.
In another accident, a station
employee died and two were
seriously injured when an
oncoming vehicle skidded out of
control and struck their vehicle.
In yet another accident, a
dependent wife was seriously
injured in a head-on collision
when the driver of the vehicle
passing and travelling at an
excessive speed, did not see her
vehicle until it was too late.
Serious injuries and fatalities may be
prevented if safety belts are used. ARE
YOU ONE OF THOSE WHO DON’T
BELIEVE? Think twice! Seat belts save
lives! The Icelandic traffic safety law and
Navy regulations require all occupants
of Government and privately
owned motor vehicles
to wear seat belts.
Backing ^
need your car
daily protection from the weather while
traveling from point to point. You don’t
want your car inoperative in body-fender
garage for long-term, expensive repairs.
Backing is a frequent cause of bumper
and fender crunches. Don’t cause the car
to move forward or backward ui
are certain that the way is clear,
pate that in a parking lot others i
commence backing simultaneously.
Creep in reverse.
Headlights Icelandic law requires
headlights to be turned on at all times
when the vehicle is in motion. Turn your
headlights on; it will help you to see and
be seen.
It’s common sense to carry
plenty of clothing and have at
least a flashlight, shovel,
sand, and chains in the trunk
of your car. Such a winter
safety kit may be a life saver
in case of an emergency.
Children and Winter
There are many
hazards
involving
children in
outside play
situations.