What not to do in a car! Karina Goodall explains some of the things you should and should not be doing when in a car. The photo is an x-ray of a young woman’s pelvis shared by Sergeant Price of the UK’s police department. The photo has been doing the rounds of social media.
The woman’s left femur (the bone between her left knee and left thigh) has been snapped and her left hip joint has thrust into and broken her pelvis. The woman’s right femur has been dislocated and crushed with bony fragments visible between her legs and her pelvis fractured on that side as well. You can only imagine what surgery she has had to have and the long, hard road of rehabilitation for her.
The injury occurred when the woman, a passenger in a motor vehicle, was involved in an accident. Her feet were on the dashboard at the time when the airbags went off. The photo has been shared by Sergeant Price to serve as a warning to anyone who might want to do the same thing.
So, our first suggestion to all of our clients and colleagues is – do not travel in a car with your feet on the dashboard. Associated with that one is, do not travel in a car with a child, your dog or a large heavy object on your lap – think about what would happen if there was a collision and the air bag deployed.
Another thing we see very often is the end result of people who drive (or are passengers) with their arm resting on the window sill and their elbow protruding outside the car. For a start that is a breach of the Road Rules (rule 268) but if there is an accident, in particular a side swipe or roll over the results can be disastrous.
Drivers should not drink alcohol while driving (rule 298-1), passengers should not distract the driver by showing their phone and drivers should not be distracted (rule 299) and passengers should not attempt to control the vehicle or obstruct the driver’s view (rule 272).
In car accident cases, a car is often described as a ‘lethal weapon’ because it can do so much harm if things go wrong.
While we are happy to take instructions from anyone injured in a car accident, we would prefer a world where no car accidents happened at all.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident and you want expert advice, you may be entitled to compensation. To arrange a free, no obligation assessment of your claim, please call Stacks Goudkamp on 1800 251 800, or make an online enquiry.
Written by Karina Goodall.
Karina Goodall is the Practice Group Leader of the Common Law Practice at Stacks Goudkamp, and assists Tom Goudkamp in motor vehicle claims, superannuation and TPD claims and travel law claims.
