Safety

Last week it was public safety in my Scottsdale Leadership class.

All I have to say about this is, wow. My concept of what public safety really is, up until now has been totally under thought and now is receiving a lot of brain time.

First to the 2 MCDOT guys that got hit by a car a week or so back, I hope that they are doing well. They were very lucky and I hope they learned something.

So there I am playing in Southern and Broadway out in Laveen today. I was taking extra caution watching the cars.

In today's world of tecnology the surveyor's chance of survival has plumetted. We are the target with the orange vest that road texters do not see.

I have had more close calls in the last few years than I have ever had and I have spent plenty of time in the street.

I wrote about this last year.

I was standing in Shea Boulevard in about 1987-1988 flagging cars while the chief was digging up a monument. I kept flagging this particular car and he kept coming, I yelled bail and we all jumped out of the way. When the guy got next to us I Koufaxed the cone I was holding into the drivers door. When it hit, he slammed on his breaks and came to a complete stop and proceeded to glare at me. I pointed at him and yelled "F*ck you you dirt bag sack of shit, pay attention". He drove off very dismayed. My chief was cracking up and said "I can't believe you did that".

Then there is 16th street and Thomas. We were doing a huge panel job from Scottsdale Road to Grand Avenue. One day we were at the above mentioned intersection, we had a merge sign board that I was towing with a truck going and a long line of cones shoving everyone over. We were standing there eating lunch when all of a sudden there was a long thump thump thump etc. We look up and here are 2 black guys in a baby blue VW bug mowing down every cone we have, we scatter, they swerve and barely miss the sign board.

Again at the same intersection but 2 ladies in a 1972 +/- LTD. I am kind of fuzzy on the details but all of a sudden I hear tires and thumps and I look up in time to see this LTD do a full 360 in the intersection and keep rocketing down Thomas. All we knew it that we lost some cones and a tripon and I think someone may have crapped themselves.

There are many more things I can talk about but these have some humor, especially since I was laughing my ass off after each one, but they could have all been tragic.

What does the surveyor need to do to better protect himself?

For a start, always pay attention. Grow eyes in the back of your head. If it feels wrong then it is wrong. Just little things can save us.

I have heard rumor that other states RP out the centerline monuments and all of the control is on the sidewalks. I love this concept.

As the world becomes a place where people more consistantly have their head shoved up their own ass we are becoming sitting ducks more than we already are.

Do I have the answer for safety?? No. All I can do is watch out for me and hope all ends well.