What do driving instructors, traffic officers, firemen and ambulance drivers have in common? Except for the fact that they all drive, obviously, they represent a group of professional drivers whose job puts them and others at a greater risk of injury in a car crash. Driving Instructors This morning's news features the story of a female instructor who was seriously injured when she and her pupil were involved in a crash in Grimsby, yesterday evening at about 7 o'clock. Although the reports do not detail what caused the collision, and it would be imprudent to guess, it highlights just how much of a risk instructors take whenever they allow a novice behind the controls of a car. Angela Jennings, 51, is in a stable condition in hospital after sustaining head, pelvic and leg injuries in the accident, which happened on Barton Street in the town. Her Ford Fiesta struck a Ford Ka being driven by a 40 year old man who suffered serious internal injuries, as did the teenage driver who was herself taken to hospital. Driving lessons are a bit of a Catch 22 situation. By definition, a novice driver has never been on the road and could be considered a bit of a liability at the wheel of what is essentially a ton of hard material that can do much damage if something goes wrong. However, at the same time, they need to be released on to the road at some point. Yes, instructors have dual controls, but that means that they can only engage the brakes or the clutch. They have no real control over steering and they also can't control the throttle. Yes, they can dip the clutch and cut drive to the engine, but they are always in reactionary mode and a split second of indiscretion is all it takes for a car crash to arise. In fairness, these sorts of accidents don't really make the news that often, but when they do they tend to be like this roll-over accident and it underlines just how risky giving driving lessons on the road really are. Motorbike lessons are even more unpredictable: the rider-to-be is in complete control of his motorbike and is merely followed by his instructor. He could, in theory, cause quite a lot of damage if things got out of hand. One way to avoid these accidents happening would be to give new drivers a few warm-up lessons at a private facility before they venture out on to the road, in order for them to learn the basics of car control before they blend into the flow of impatient motorists who probably make them more nervous by tailgating them and overtaking at the first opportunity. Emergency Services There have been two news stories in the last two days involving police cars crashing into civilian vehicles during emergency chases. Now, any idle viewer of those Police, Camera, Action style TV programmes will know that in 99.9% of cases, the emergency services don't tend to cause carnage on the roads because they those entrusted with their vehicles are advanced, professionally trained motorists. If the police are chasing a speeding motorist, especially through built-up areas, they will weigh the risks involved in letting a maniac run free at whatever speeds he likes against the risk that they would create by adding a second speeding vehicle to the recipe. Often, if they think they will make it more likely that someone will be seriously injured or even killed if they remain involved, they will reluctantly back off. Sometimes, however, things just go wrong. A crash in Bishop Auckland in County Durham yesterday involved a police Astra colliding with a Nissan Qashqai, although in this case it is thought that the Nissan simply veered into the path of the patrol car. It is believed that the officer driving the car did not have his blue flashing lights on, and in that case is unlikely to have been using sirens either. A crash in London the day before is probably more representative: three people, two of them police officers, suffered serious injuries when their car crashed into another in Woolwich, in the south of the city, when the officers were on an emergency call. In the aftermath of the Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, in 1998, Belfast man Gary White was driving along as normal when he was struck by an ambulance that was carrying a bomb victim to the Ulster Hospital, and died. He is often considered a victim of the attack as a result. Greater awareness of the road around us can probably help cut such incidences: for example loud music can drown out the majority of a siren's wail and a driver may be totally unaware that there is an emergency services vehicle close by. As with so many instances of car crash deaths, maximum concentration is a commodity that will always be most valuable on the road. Emergency service vehicles obviously have to drive as quickly as possible, and this will not change. It is up to us mere civilian motorists to give them as much respect, and as wide a berth, as possible. In fact, if learning that skill that was an element of the driving test, that would be even better. Richard Craig is a UK-based author who is concentrating this week on how car crash injuries affect society. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5126114