鈥淢r. Road Safety鈥� has pulled another boner.
Unfamiliar with that expression? According to the ever reliable online urban dictionary: 鈥溾�n time, the expression 鈥渢o pull a boner,鈥� meant鈥 bad blunder; a mistake that was costly. And a man who pulled such boners was often described as a 鈥榖onehead.鈥欌��
I鈥檝e done some really, really stupid things. Blind luck has saved me and others from serious consequences.
There鈥檚 the time my father-in-law suggested I check the alignment on the family mini-van. Turned out the serious wheel wobble had nothing to do with alignment and everything to do with my failure to torque the lug nuts when I changed over the winter/summer wheels.
And then there鈥檚 the modification I had done to the smallest of riding lawn mowers, called a 鈥淜ermit.鈥� I had a hitch welded on for pulling a hot dog float (Hergott Dogs) in the Westside Daze parade. I had failed to consider that the trailer weight might cause Kermit to flip over backwards.
An alert spectator noticed the front of Kermit lifting up. He saved the driver (my father) from serious injury by leaping forward to hold it down.
This bonehead has struck again.
I鈥檝e begun enjoying the incredible Okanagan quadding resources. I didn鈥檛 grow up with toys like quads. Goodness it鈥檚 a hoot! If you鈥檝e not explored the incredible trail system created and maintained by the Okanagan Trail Riders Association, I strongly encourage you to.
I haul the quad around in a utility trailer, securing it with a heavy duty ratchet tiedown. The tiedown extends from the front of the trailer, over the top of the quad, and secures under the back of the trailer. I then ratchet it tight.
Not tight enough.
A bump on the way home compressed the quad shocks, loosening the tiedown tension and causing the end to disclodge.
I was mortified seeing my quad on the road in my rear-view mirror.
It didn鈥檛 go far (it was in gear and the brake was on) but it was blind luck that another vehicle wasn鈥檛 directly behind me.
I learn from my mistakes.
I bought a torque wrench, learned that baby riding lawn mowers shouldn鈥檛 be modified to pull trailers and now I鈥檝e learned how not to secure a quad to a trailer.
But I shouldn鈥檛 need 鈥渃lose calls鈥� to snap into risk and safety awareness! Each of those close calls could have had very serious consequences.
I鈥檓 a reasonably intelligent fellow. I should have been able to avoid these close calls with just a bit of thinking about risk and safety.
Why didn鈥檛 I? I suppose I have an 鈥淚 can handle this鈥� mentality.
Is it arrogance that leads to that mentality? It is a normal human thing to want to hide the fact that we don鈥檛 know everything? To admit that what we are doing might come with risk and should be carefully considered?
Does it feel like we鈥檙e showing weakness if we slow down with what we鈥檙e doing and carefully consider what the risks are and how they might be avoided?
Hopefully by sharing these bonehead experiences others might learn from them and be more proactive with avoiding risk. Awareness of risks is half the battle. Or perhaps 95 percent.
Is there a connection between my attitude that led to these bonehead experiences, and attitudes that cause car crashes?
Do too many have the 鈥淚 can handle this鈥� mentality? Do too many feel that actively taking steps to avoid risk is a display of weakness?
鈥淚 can handle taking a business call while driving.鈥�; 鈥淚 can handle a quick text.鈥�; 鈥淚 can drive safely without putting conscious effort towards keeping my attention on the road.鈥�
I know that I can鈥檛. You can鈥檛 either. You鈥檒l get away most times, with close calls here and there. But that time will come where there鈥檚 serious consequences and you鈥檒l learn. Your learning will be too late for you and your victims.
