I really have no words for today’s accident on the 101 besides that I am glad that no one is hurt. Basically the stretch of highway that I drive from the office to home was shutdown in both directions because some woman named Revuelta (flipped over in Spanish) flipped over an oil tanker with her minivan and spilled over 2000 gallons of oil onto highway 101 causing the asphalt to deteriorate. I was lucky not to be stuck in that jam because a coworker of mine tried to go home around five pm and came back to the office past six saying that he got through maybe 2 miles in an hour. All the local streets were packed to the brim and El Camino was literally a parking lot. I left around 8pm and took the 280 home and I have never seen that many cars on that highway before. Anyway, in honor of this accident, here are a list of supplies that I think commuters in Northern California may need for survival.
1. A Brick - This is for crossing the various bridges. In case you have automatic windows that don’t open once your car is under water then you may need a brick to break the glass. Otherwise bricks are also good for self defense.
2. Life Vests - One of my ex-coworkers actually has these in his car because he can’t swim. He is afraid that if he were crossing one of the bridges his car may fall in and he may drown and he bought the life vests after he heard on the news a bridge collapsed in some other state. I think this is reasonable and life vests are not very heavy.
3. A Fire Extinguisher - So the highway patrol closed down most of the southbound lanes today because they were afraid the gasoline was going to catch on fire. So in case your car is on fire a fire extinguisher may be good equipment to have.
4. Liquids and Snack Packs - Imagine you were one of those people who were stuck on the highway for hours upon hours. Actually, I have been there when I tried to drive home one Christmas. It took me four hours to drive 40 miles on the 101 from the Peninsula to the East Bay. Water and snack packs are needed to keep your energy up.
5. Gas Mask or Hazmat Suit - Having lived here for ten years I can’t believe how many times hazardous materials have spilled over on the highways. Last year a highway connector freaking burned down because of another tanker turn over. Seriously, a gas mask or hazmat suit may save your life one day.
6. Board Games, Cards, and Other Entertainment - If it gets really bad and you have to shut off your engine, you may have time for a friendly game with the rest of the travelers who are stuck. If you are a loner it might be good to have portable gaming or a portable DVD player.
7. Car Charger for you Cell Phone - This is pretty essential everywhere I guess.
On days like this I wish I still lived in a high density area with plentiful public transportation, but then again, a bus could be stuck on these highways too and I wouldn’t be packing my gear. The bottom line is people need to be more careful when they drive. For some reason Northern California is rife with bad drivers riding in fancy cars. It was really a culture shock when I moved from Hawaii to here and saw so many rude drivers that think they own every single road. If everyone just slowed down a bit and tried not to cut people off, then maybe we could have less tankers rolling over.
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6 comments ↓
Do you really have a hazmat suit in your car? And a brick?
In the midwest we’d have “winter survival kits”. I guess you just can’t get away from driving danger. You think these apply to other areas, for example, SoCal?
no I don’t have all of these things, but I always wanted a brick. I am just trying to say this place is freaking insane. SoCal you definitely need gas masks because it smells like Cow and other chemicals all the time.
I think if a bridge collapsed while you were driving across it, you would most likely die regardless of whether you had a brick or life vest; that is, unless you were Bruce Willis; then perhaps, you could catch a ride on a helicopter.
You may be interested to hear of the dangers of walking in NYC, where you have the following:
Electrified metal plates
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E3D91138F933A05752C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
Electrified, scalding, and flying manholes
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/nyregion/15dog.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://jwz.livejournal.com/516484.html
http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/18870/
And the occasional steam pipe explosion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_City_steam_explosion
Eeeek!
I once saw a special on TV about how to survive if your car was in water and the windows wouldn’t open. Provided you didn’t have a handy window pucturer tool (they sell these!) or a brick, you just calmly wait for it to completely sink so the pressure is equalized. Then open the door and swim out.
Yeah, calmly.
It’s a dangerous world out there. You’ll never get out alive.
Yikes!
Do we really need all these?
I suppose unless we are McGiver who so easily gets out of being buried in a mountain of mud with just a pen knife, we may need a lot more that your list.
We also need great calmness of mind, which is not easy to have.
Incidentally, the Thais who get stuck for hours in their insane traffic jams often pack something else. Just in case nature calls.
A brick? Are you kidding me? They’ve had compact auto-glass hammers that include seatbelt shears out on the market for awhile. Seriously, you just need a lightsaber and pillow for any situation.
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