Editor’s Note: June is National Safety Month. Stay safe out there.
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.
Kevin Link is a paramedic who works with Wheatland EMS in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada. He is also an EMS photographer.