When a man is alone in the woods, he has only himself to protect and yet hundreds have accidentally shot themselves by grasping their gun by the barrel and handling it in such a way that some object has come in contact with the hammer or trigger with force enough to cause the cartridge to explode. Only recently, there was a case of a youth's injuring himself by using the butt of his gun as a club to beat the brush in an effort to drive a deer from cover. A few years ago a rabbit hunter stood with his hand on the muzzle of his gun when his dog jumped up and pulled the trigger with his paw. The hunter received a badly mangled hand. These and hundreds of similar incidents could be prevented if hunters would show proper respect for a gun's potential danger.
Guns are made for the purpose of killing. The firing mechanism is designed to be operated by the trigger finger, yet many men seem to forget that any other object pressing on the trigger will explode the cartridge. Some of the hammer guns can be discharged by some objects pressing on the hammer, as in cocking, and then releasing the pressure before the gun is fully cocked. As a young man, I was well aware of this danger, having visited one victim of such an accident and having heard of several other cases, all of which had been caused by the accidental discharge of the old hammer shotguns. Since these were shotgun accidents, I assumed that my rifle was immune to such incidents. The hammer could not strike the firing pin unless the trigger was pulled, even if it were released before reaching the full cocked position.
I considered the gun to be safe as long as the hammer was down or at the half-cock position, and yet I was able to get myself into a situation in which the gun was accidentally discharged. I was following a deer track across a cedar swamp where the trees were so thick that I was forced to crash my way through, with dead branches continually catching my clothing and impeding progress. In some manner, one of these branches caught in the trigger guard and another came in contact with the hammer. Instead of looking to see what was holding the gun, I gave it a yank in exasperation that discharged the gun. There was no harm done, but since that time I have carried my gun with my right hand in such a position that twigs and branches cannot come in contact with the trigger. Many a gun, especially of the old hammer type, has been accidentally discharged while the hunter was cocking or uncocking it and his thumb slipped from the hammer. It will pay to be very sure that the gun is pointed in a harmless direction at these times as well as all others.
Most guns are equipped with some safety device. It is there for the hunter's protection, although many men neglect to make use of this important feature. Some seem to endow a gun with an intelligence. They seem to think that if they use a gun for deer hunting that it will kill nothing but deer. Rabbit and duck hunters sometimes seem to think along the same line, while in reality the gun itself is utterly indifferent about the type of object at which it is pointed. A deer gun will kill a duck or rabbit and a gun that is used for small game will kill a deer or a man as well as the game for which it is intended. Momentary forgetfulness of this fact can cause a disastrous accident to the hunter or to any other person who might be within the range of the gun.
Occasionally a loaded gun will be discharged by a jar on the butt or by falling to the ground when left leaning against some object. Such guns are mechanically defective and should be repaired or discarded, unless they have been especially adjusted for target use. If they are so adjusted, they should never be used in the woods. Hunting guns should have a trigger pull of at least four pounds so that jars and minor pressure on the trigger will not cause the discharge of the gun.
People whoever they are, must follow the safety instruction on handling the gun. Make sure that the trigger is a lock position. Such guns are mechanically defective and should be repaired or discarded, unless they have been especially adjusted for target use. If they are so adjusted, they should never be used in the woods. Hunting guns should have a trigger pull of at least four pounds so that jars and minor pressure on the trigger will not cause the discharge of the gun.
You can do unexpected damage by employing many offerings in the wrong way. We were reminded of that sad fact when one of our young colleagues offered to lead a tour of his old college so one of our offspring could learn more about the school.
On the way into town, the colleague pointed to a large scar in the bark of a tree about 15 feet off the ground. That scar, he informed us, was where his BMW's bumper hit the tree as the car tried to become an airplane during a high speed trip through the mountains. We slowed down in honor of this shrine to youthful folly and tried to think of reasons for my offspring not to apply to this school.
In various parts of the world, it's permissible to drive long before teenagers have the skill or the good sense to do it well. I am humbled to remember my driving accidents at 16 that did not recur at 17, 18, or 19. Experience must be a good teacher.
But experience has quite a price. Vehicle accidents take hundreds of thousands of lives and leave millions maimed and saddened every year. Inexperienced drivers are involved in more than their fair share of such accidents.
Having taken courses in how to drive and having arranged for my offspring to do the same, I noticed that young people are helped by such education while they are unskilled. Seat belts are fastened. The right foot reaches the brake pedal faster and is more tentative in pressing down the accelerator. The head swivels left and right before entering an intersection. There's more distance between the car and the one in front.
Vehicle manufacturers lose potential business because young drivers aren't very skillful. Families are more likely to keep old Betsy running as a teenager-driven vehicle until their children reach the safe and sane driving stage.
If teenagers drove more safely, new vehicle sales would be a lot higher because teenagers love new wheels more than all but sports car buffs. Having teenagers in the house also inhibits Mom and Dad from indulging in something racy that they would enjoy. Taking a hot car out for a spin would be too tempting to the younger generation.
The same thing happens in other markets. Fearing that accidents will happen, purchases are deferred or reduced to reflect concern about those potential accidents. If teenagers can create mayhem with a vehicle, think what they could do with a racing boat!
By comparison, the commercial aviation field rarely experiences accidents. Airlines feel confident about buying new planes that cost tens of millions and trusting the planes to their crews. What's different?
Before becoming commercial pilots, all but a few aviators have logged many hours in the air in military aircraft. Since many people want to become commercial pilots, only the most talented and reliable are selected from among the experienced.
But that's not enough. Pilots have to qualify to fly an aircraft.
Qualifying usually involves lots of time in a simulator where ingenious controls allow the person conducting the simulation to create instant hurricanes, wind shear at landing, equipment failures of all kinds, and other disasters. Airlines have found that if you practice dealing with situations that could lead to accidents, you are more likely to avoid accidents and to know what to do to minimize the problem should an accident become unavoidable.
Unlike the education a new driver receives, a pilot is expected to keep practicing these important lessons under strict supervision. Flight hours must be maintained. Practice time in simulators needs to be logged on schedule. Regular physicals are required to catch medical problems before they impair flight performance. Show up for work with alcohol on your breath once, and someone will probably turn you in. That slip will get you permanently grounded by your employer.
But education can only go so far. Offerings have to be designed to avoid accidents.
Imagine my surprise when I first backed out of the driveway in our new car . . . and nothing happened when I hit the brakes at the end of the driveway. Fortunately, there were no cars coming as I slewed into the street just before the brakes miraculously began to work.
The next time I backed out it was more tentatively and the brakes also didn't work. After a few telephone calls to the manufacturer, I eventually learned that this car briefly disengaged its brakes a few seconds after you first drive forward or backward before allowing the brakes to function normally again.
To me, that's a design flaw that will cause accidents. To the manufacturer, it was a good engineering design for some reason that's incomprehensible to me.
With time and understanding of the design, I learned to go very slowly until I have permanently effective brakes. Perhaps this quirk is disclosed somewhere, but I have never seen a written warning about it. Even with a dangerous design, educating people about what's going on and what to do can cut down on accidents.
What's it worth to avoid an accident? The savings can be enormous. If a new pharmaceutical turns active people who mix drugs inadvertently into shut-ins who need constant care, the cost can be millions for each affected person. If a vehicle has a flaw that causes it to roll over when drivers take turns too fast, thousands of unsuspecting families may be destroyed by death, paralysis, and recriminations aimed at the surviving purchaser or driver. The economic costs alone will be measured in billions of dollars.
Accidents from using offerings are often one of the biggest emotional and financial costs for beneficiaries, customers, and users. Help these stakeholders avoid accidents that come from a lack of skill in using the offerings, and you'll expand the use of the offerings and slash costs for everyone.
How can you eliminate harmful costs by helping the unskilled avoid accidents?
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