I admit it. I haven’t been active here lately. Even my filler seems forced. Though it shouldn’t be an excuse, my professional life has evoked the warrior within, and it has consumed my soul. A frakked up current work situation coupled with jumping through hoops for a new day job, along with slowly researching how to make an artistic passion a viable economic resource has in essence tapped me out. All that feels to be left right now is the hardened exterior. Not that this is a change for what most see in me, but for those who don’t know, there’s still a hint of humanity left in me.
It just hasn’t come up for air.
In a good while.
Case in point, the nearly complete misuse of this weekend. Only nearly in the absolute sense that I can’t talk ICBC out of the completely fucked notion that I have to take a 20 hour, 2 day, $200 course to ensure I’ve read about 30 pages of the commercial vehicle manual, regarding air brakes. Frak me gently with a chainsaw. Let’s just put it this way. There was a physical mock set up of a air brake system at the front of the class fully set up, and before the instructor arrived, I had already figured out 90% of the operational functions. Bah. We should rename ICBC to ‘Insurance Crooks of British Columbia’.
Still, the teacher does have some merit. He does break down the systems simply and accurately, so all can follow. And he did afford us one wake up call today, as also found in this CBC story:
Kamloops Oct 27, 1989: a runaway truck carrying steel beams takes a wrong turn off the highway and ends up on a steep grade with no brakes.
The truck hit 12 cars. The driver burned to death. Four other people were also killed. One was 4-year-old Corey James who was with a neighbour.
Corey’s father is Don James. Don feels the accident could have been prevented. He says the truck was unsafe, the driver —Travis Penner— was inexperienced. This was only his second trip through the mountains of British Columbia. His brakes were in such poor condition, they were practically useless. The brakes on the tractor part were improperly adjusted.
What was more shocking was that our instructor was privy to a first hand account by the first officers to arrive on the scene. They found the driver still alive, with the truck on fire. The driver was begging the officer to shoot him before he burned to death. The officer couldn’t do it, and witnessed the horrific death. It makes me wonder where the humane choice truly lies.
With that as an impetus, I can see why ICBC wants to push proper training. However, I do still digress. First, I really don’t think a weekend course can circumvent carelessness. Second, with all the motor vehicle accidents and increasingly rising insurance premiums therein due to carelessness in commuter vehicles as well as commercial, why is the air brake course the only one mandatory for licensing in this province?
Interdum vos ut volvo ferrus six.
