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Trials the safest motor sport


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13 hours ago, totalshell said:

too much complacency here for my liking.. when was the last time you saw even a basic first aid kit at a trial? when did you last hear that the local ambulance service had being notified of a trial in advance? when did you last see observers and riders briefed on what to do in an emergency? three simple basic things that could on that rare occasion save a life.

I agree with what you’re saying in that complacency is a bad thing but don’t really see what can be done to improve things in trials.

Even if a club keeps a first aid kit who is going to administer it, who is trained to use it? The repercussions of someone administering first aid who is not properly trained/qualified and ends up doing more harm than good even if done with the best intentions is likely to be far worse than the original injury.

Might be worth organisers having a box of those lightweight foil type thermal  blankets to hand out to observers, if someone did have an accident at least you could keep them warm.

In a similar way I’m not sure what instructions you could give to observers or riders that would actually help. You could have a designated emergency location which always has at least one of the organisers there but can’t think of anything else you could sensibly do.

The idea of notifying the local ambulance service is an interesting one and certainly worth looking into. Ambulances normally mill about the area they cover so they might put one closer to a trial if they were notified about it. Equally if they never received calls to go to trials they may well just view it as interesting information and nothing more.

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On 3/7/2017 at 4:52 AM, copemech said:

I have heard that someone died many years ago riding an old Bultaco when the motor reversed on a hill and started running backwards. Seems the ones with points can do that.

My old 4 speed Bultaco would do it whenever the revs dropped low enough (no idle). The first time it happened was at traffic lights (I used it to get to school sometimes) and it came as a bit of a surprise. Fortunately I wasn't attempting to out-drag anyone. After that I could do it almost on demand, and re-reverse it too.

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On 3/8/2017 at 8:39 PM, totalshell said:

too much complacency here for my liking.. when was the last time you saw even a basic first aid kit at a trial? when did you last hear that the local ambulance service had being notified of a trial in advance? when did you last see observers and riders briefed on what to do in an emergency? three simple basic things that could on that rare occasion save a life.

that next tragedy could be this weekend or in twenty years only one thing is certain.. its coming.

.

Golden Valley CMCC have a defibrillator at the start of section 1. A step in the right direction, provided everyone knows about it, especially given the more advanced age of the average rider at classic events. Having a person trained to First Aid at Work level and accessible on a known mobile number would be a useful asset at any trial. Not difficult or expensive to arrange.

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On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 1:39 PM, totalshell said:

too much complacency here for my liking.. when was the last time you saw even a basic first aid kit at a trial? when did you last hear that the local ambulance service had being notified of a trial in advance? when did you last see observers and riders briefed on what to do in an emergency? three simple basic things that could on that rare occasion save a life.

that next tragedy could be this weekend or in twenty years only one thing is certain.. its coming.

.

I haven't needed to pull it out of my backpack but I have a basic first aid kit with me every time I ride, trials events included...

No ambulance service or emergency review but I have had more than one training class and even a few real world use my skills events, though nothing life threatening so far.  Where I don't expect it to be life or death with our sport I at least have training and some experience that might make a difference one day. 

So at least some of us think of it in advance... :icon_salut:

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My misses always makes sure we have a decent first aid kit at all our trials funny feeling it's an AMCA requirement.

Both us are trained first aiders though you wouldn't want me giving you the kiss of life you couldnt handle the nightmares.

Don't imagine there's any stats but I would suggest  you've more chance of being seriously injured driving to a trial than actually riding one.

Edited by breagh
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I m writning the risk assement for a classic trial literally at the moment.. i no elf and safety freak but i have had to stand in court and explain my actions lack of inaction.. and let me say right from the off.. not using a first aid kit because your scared of your legal status is absolutely no defence. a first aid kit is that.. purely to provide first aid on the spot. first aid kits contain no drugs. only bandages plasters cleaning wipes to prevent loss of blood.. blood keeps people alive.. loss of it is not good.

alerting emergency services to your event its date schedule and loaction cannot ever be a bad thing.. briefing your observers on basics such as where the first aid kit is where the nearest a and e is where there is a survival blanket. are all small simple things that could literally save a life.

how will it sound in a coronors court if an observer has to stand up and say.. i did nt have a first aid kit cos the organiser was scared of being sued .. 

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Very cool that you guys have changed the focus to; preventing and dealing with possible injuries.

Low speed at the moment of failure is definitely a big part of the lack of bad injuries in this sport.

Mental note to self; when laying out sections look for any hard bits that require speed near dangerous drops/objects etc, and avoid/mitigate.

I'm sure section setters are very aware of this sort of thing, and that the riders are quick to educate them if they miss something.

In NZ we are required to have a first aid kit and someone able to use it at the event. 

The idea of observers having "crunchy rappers" is a good one, even if its only used to keep the observer warm and dry.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

If it saves some ones suffering , they can take me to court ! 

I saved 2 young people from a fire in a café while people watched on. I didn't think twice once I sussed out a plan of quick exit through the window.

I thought on my feet.

Lucky for them , I had been on a fire fighting coarse the week before to do with my job.

If some one's hurt you have a human duty to your self to help and screw the court and the cops. Just don't be daft in your actions ,and think on your feet.

Learn how to treat your self or others from cuts, burns and brakes.

You could always stand back though and do nowt.

The last line in your post Totalshell , totally get your drift.

Edited by shyted
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On 3/10/2017 at 7:46 AM, totalshell said:

how will it sound in a coronors court if an observer has to stand up and say.. i did nt have a first aid kit cos the organiser was scared of being sued .. 

let me reassure everyone that in this worst case scenario the ACU (assuming its an ACU event) would supply the club/its offcials with legal representation (eg a barrister) so clubs/offiails can be legally covered. I would also say/note that if one looks at the insurance section of the handbook, there is also a medical malpractice cover (in addition to the earlier notes about first aid being outside of the realm of suing)

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On 3/10/2017 at 7:46 AM, totalshell said:

how will it sound in a coronors court if an observer has to stand up and say.. i did nt have a first aid kit cos the organiser was scared of being sued .. 

I am reliably informed that no-one has ever been successfully sued for making an effort at first aid, no matter what the final result has turned out to be. The point is, is it better to try and possibly fail, than to not try and certainly fail?

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A former expert champion in New England died while playing on his bike during 4th of July holiday several years ago. That one hurt. George Tormey was the nicest guy. Always a smile and a good word for everybody. 

We also had a rider almost die when playing after an event. Took a big fall off something that was above his ability. Had to have his heart restarted on the way to hospital and survived. 

Yes it is the safest motor sport but nothing and nobody is perfect and we are all mortal. I was called "Helmet Nazi" when I was NETA president for strictly enforcing the helmet rule. I have no regret for that. A $300 carbon fiber helmet might as well be a plastic baggie if it isn't on your head.

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On ‎10‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 7:46 AM, totalshell said:

I m writning the risk assement for a classic trial literally at the moment.. i no elf and safety freak but i have had to stand in court and explain my actions lack of inaction.. and let me say right from the off.. not using a first aid kit because your scared of your legal status is absolutely no defence. a first aid kit is that.. purely to provide first aid on the spot. first aid kits contain no drugs. only bandages plasters cleaning wipes to prevent loss of blood.. blood keeps people alive.. loss of it is not good.

alerting emergency services to your event its date schedule and loaction cannot ever be a bad thing.. briefing your observers on basics such as where the first aid kit is where the nearest a and e is where there is a survival blanket. are all small simple things that could literally save a life.

how will it sound in a coronors court if an observer has to stand up and say.. i did nt have a first aid kit cos the organiser was scared of being sued .. 

This 100%

a lot of the trials venues where I ride(peak district) have no postcode and can be very hard to find, unless you have been a few times.

so getting someone as a spotter out on the nearby roads wouldn't be a bad thing, to stop the emergency services just driving by.

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