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Seventy-six students from Brentwood Elementary School sit behind a mini-van. Not a single child is visible to the driver. In front, from left, is Julia Smith, EMT-A, and Laurie Huntley, Brentwood Elementary School principle. (Photo Kevin Link)

Blind Spot Awareness

  • Kevin Link, paramedic
  • JEMS.com Exclusive
  • 2008 Jun 26

The larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot. And blind spots can cause accidents.

A crew from Wheatland EMS in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada went to Brentwood Elementary School to demonstrate just how many grade one and two students they could put behind a vehicle in this blind spot in hope to make the local public aware of this under recognized fact and hopefully prevent a future tragedy.

Shaunna Muenchrath, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the mini-van stated, "I was surprised sitting there and I couldn't see one of them." She couldn't see a single child sitting in the grass behind her vehicle. But there was not just one child, there were 76 children sitting behind her van. And they were invisible to her through her mirrors. "The best safety advice for blind spots: Before backing up walk around your vehicle both front and back," explained EMT-A Julia Smith.

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