A mailing list that I belong to sent an e-mail, the gist of which I thought I would share with you guys. It concerned loose objects in cars. In a wreck, all manner of things go flying. One example given said that the car had been rear-ended, and that a child in the back had been hit by the father's cell phone, as it flew backwards from the front. The mother said that in addition to other similar "loose cannons", her piping hot soup (which she was eating at the time) also went flying back, although luckily it arched over the back seat and missed the child. Other instances included loose strollers, bowling balls, suddenly un-hooked child seats and so on.

One poster said that a test that was given her by a local group offering safety advice was to look at ANYTHING in the car that is not fastened down (just sitting under a seat doesn't cut it) and imagine throwing it at your child at full force, and then ask yourself if that is an acceptable risk. Cargo netting, anyone?

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 28, 2001

Answers

Don't forget flying bodies. Keep those seat belts fastened!!!

-- Nancy (NAWoodward@lakewebs.net), October 28, 2001.

Oh oh...my van is a lethal weapon now!! Toys, books, trash, backpacks, shoes...... I feel faint. Time to clean up the van!!!

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), October 29, 2001.

Don't forget your pets !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), October 29, 2001.

The message is right on. Six years ago I fell asleep at the wheel after driving all day and crashed (luckily no one else was involved). The only injury I sustained was from an unsecured case of catfood cans; one flew at my head, and I had to have several stitches!

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), October 29, 2001.

OP must be a FLYSister!

-- Lisa in WI (lehman16NOSPAM@vbe.com), October 29, 2001.

Good point, Soni. Something as innocuous as a pen or pencil can become a missile in a crash. In the same vein, for those of us who pull trailers it's important to make absolutely certain that our loads are well secured. Tie downs are not the place to buy cheap and save money. Get the best available. Check straps for any signs of wear or fraying at the edges. That's the time to replace them, not when they actually tear through. If we're going to haul anything like pipe or dimensional lumber, do it with a trailer with a bulkhead on it. Without a bulkhead those things can easily shoot forward and right through the vehicle towing them (and you) in a crash. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), October 29, 2001.

Back in the 40's my parents had a good friend who was killed in such a manner. He was a bowler and used to keep his bowling ball in the back window. I don't need to get graphic here, but you can imagine his fate when he made a sudden stop.

-- Joyce Dingman (FriendsPatterns@juno.com), October 29, 2001.

Geez, we don't have that problem here in the urbs. To deter car thieves, everything is removed from the car after parking it; glove compartment left open, ashtray insert removed and left on seat to show there's nothing in it; visors flapped down to show nothing's tucked behind them.

That plus The Club and/or ignition bypass means you can park on the street and still have your car the next morning.

-- brooklynsheep (robbins@informinc.org), October 29, 2001.

A girl I went to high-school with (about thirty five years ago now) - might have got a good deal more serious than that about her, but after our final exams, just before Christmas, she was riding home with her father from another town in his panel van. He was a painter. Must have gone to sleep at the wheel. Ran off the road and hit a really solid tree. Instant stop. All those one gallon and four gallon cans of paint continued forwards at about sixty miles an hour until they went through the van's occupants. Of course, this was before seat belts were compulsory too, so the occupants had first hit whatever was in front of them at sixty miles an hour too. Only thing left I could for her was to be a pallbearer.

Also, I still see people riding with a baby in their arms. There is no way you can hold onto a baby travelling at sixty miles an hour. Picture being parked, attaching a rope to the child, and to a car coming at 60mph from behind you. When the rope tightens, the child suddenly goes 60mph - could you hold on? No way! Anyone doing that is arranging for their baby's death if there's an accident - even just a minor one at say 20mph is like getting a big strong man to throw the baby at the dashboard. Only safe way to carry a baby is in a baby capsule until they're old enough to use a child's car seat - both safety-tested and approved by your standards organisation.

Also think about animals. Do you want to be hit in the back of the head by a dobermann travelling at 60mph? Even a farm collie at 15mph could break your neck.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 29, 2001.

FLYBaby, yes I am. Still working my way up to FLYSister!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 29, 2001.

Gary has a point as well. I saw a report once about a truck driver who was carrying steel rods (e.g REO, but could have been steel plates or anything) in a truck not designed for it. He hit something; and the truck and he stopped. The steel rods took a while longer than that to stop. Can you say "truck-loads of spears"?.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 30, 2001.

Also think about closing and securing your PURSE, diaper bag, brief case, etc. Have known several who were in auto accidents, and the contents of their handbags went scattering all over, making it difficult to identify them, contact relatives who needed to give medical info at the hospital, etc. Better to be safe than sorry. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), October 30, 2001.

Brooklynsheep, I had to laugh. Friends who lived in "the City" followed the same procedure and always bragged their vehicle would be parked right there,safe and sound. It was - but the tires, windshield wipers, and license plate were gone! Thanks for the laugh.

-- Mickey (cackleberryacres@juno.com), October 30, 2001.

You know, you're right -- but the parts look sexier to thieves if your ride is a popular model. My family always got secondhand, "square" cars that were never touched. The one time my dad got a new Chrysler, well...

Thanks for the humor. Now I'm going to go check on the car on the way home, even though I don't have to move it until Thursday.

-- brooklynsheep (robbins@informinc.org), October 30, 2001.

Wow..my purse alone could kill someone. I never thought about loose things in the car. Yikes!!!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), October 30, 2001.