# A cautionary tale



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Coming back from longleat
We were caught up in long traffic jams moving very very slowly, for long periods

I decided I was desperate for the loo

Made my my way carefully, then carefully back

We were travelling very slowly, but a wagon pulled in front and Albert had to break suddenly just before I reached my seat

My ribs hit the table as I fell between the front seats 

It we had been going a little faster I could well have gone through the windscreen 

Would never have believed the velocity of suddenly stopping from about 5 miles an hour


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Sorry, hit wrong button


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Nasty and very painful by the look of it. hope you are ok after the incident.

cabby


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

At first I thought I must have cracked a rib, cabby 

Mostly I was just in shock , I don't fall well anymore at my age 

It's not really been a problem since 

Ireallymeant to illustrate the force of a forward impact in a van even at very slow speeds 

Sandra


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

You should get a copy of that framed, it'd make a good abstract picture!
Hope you're OK and making a good recovery. 
My missus always says that it's unbelievable the forces and noise at the back of the wagon if she has to go to the back to put something back in p!ace.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I'll have to be really desperate to unbelt again

Mind you I was desperate and we were moving so so slowly 

but I guess it shows the force of an unrestrained object ( think dog ) in a van if you are travelling at 50/60 miles an hour and need to brake suddenly 

We were doing 5/6 miles an hour 

And I really flew forward 

Fortunately Im absolutely fine,but it looks really dramatic doesn't it ?

That's scuppered my plans for an itsy bitsy bikini in Croatia :grin2::grin2::grin2::wink2:

Sandra


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

aldra said:


> I'll have to be really desperate to unbelt again
> Mind you I was desperate and we were moving so so slowly
> but I guess it shows the force of an unrestrained object ( think dog ) in a van if you are travelling at 50/60 miles an hour and need to brake suddenly
> We were doing 5/6 miles an hour
> ...


You show it off and the youngsters will think your really _with it_ cool, Tattoo on rib cage, super. :grin2:
Glad your OK.
Jan


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Blimey Sandra. Thats nasty. I usually wait until Michelle is sat on the throne before swerving the van around and breaking and accelerating (on purpose) 

Hope you recover soon.


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## exmusso (Jun 18, 2006)

*Going to the Loo whilst moving*



barryd said:


> Blimey Sandra. Thats nasty. I usually wait until Michelle is sat on the throne before swerving the van around and breaking and accelerating (on purpose)
> 
> Hope you recover soon.


Barry, 
Presumably your spelling was spot on.

Aldra,
Looks painful - have been using buses in Fife and Edinburgh lately and some of the drivers do not know how to brake smoothly when coming to a stop. I'm sure they are grinning whilst watching the antics of the passengers in the mirror trying to keep their balance.
The more seasoned users just hit the bell and wait until the bus is stopped before leaving their seats.

Cheers,
Alan


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

That looks like a really BIG OUCH! Swap the front seat for a commode 

Nick.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Glad to hear you're OK, those are the sort of incidents that can turn into medical problems

XXXX

Peter


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Just goes to demonstrate the colossal forces that are involved in Road Traffic Collisions.

In years gone by I can recall many people claiming they would be able to brace themselves against the steering wheel in a THIRTY MPH crash. 

We used to have a seat belt crash simulator that we took to fairs etc. It was a car seat on a slight down ramp, at the end of the ramp the seat stopped dead (user wearing a fixed seat belt) I used to bet users that if they could hold onto a medicine ball (using whatever grip they wanted) I would give them a fiver, if they couldnt they had to put 50p into my Police Charity box. I never ever had to pay out !!! and there were some serious he-men happy to take the challenge, they ALL lost their money !!!! (and went away with a much better appreciation of the forces involved in a collision) 

Its all about Kinetic energy, I weigh 95Kg, if I am travelling at just 5 MPh (approx 7ft PER SECOND) and come to an instant stop that is a lot of energy that needs to be converted into something else (remember wots 'is name's law "Energy is never lost or gained, merely transferred" ? Thats how vehicle BRAKES work, they convert the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into heat !! The human body absorbs it by getting damaged (bruised and/or broken bones)

I really hope you recover soon Sandra !!! That looks to be a VERY painful "Ouchy" 

Andy


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## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

it could have so easily been a lot worse if you were still on the throne at the time - and ended up with a blue bum


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## Bookworm65 (Aug 4, 2016)

I was told once that the impact of hitting the windscreen at 30mph is the same as falling from a 2 storey building!


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Mr Plodd: "I weigh 95Kg" - time you did some slimming Andy!

Think of the decrease in injuries should you have an accident!


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

aldra said:


> Coming back from longleat
> We were caught up in long traffic jams moving very very slowly, for long periods
> 
> I decided I was desperate for the loo
> ...


Ouch ! Bruising looks awfully painful Aldra and it just goes to show how fragile we are inside our vans. 
It's probably something a lot of us done over the years and I certainly have, at cruising speeds on long journeys where we've needed to eat up the miles.

A reminder of what can go wrong, will go wrong and fortunately you were going slowly and not seriously hurt,

Ken.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

That's what I was trying to show Ken 

That was at such a slow speed and I have on the odd occasion got up to secure a drawer or door I've forgotten at much faster speeds as it slid open on a corner 

There is a feeling in a van that is your holiday home that you are fine in the back, holding on to things as you pick your way back

I was really shocked at the speed you shoot forward, as I said at a faster speed, under those circumstances you really have a good chance of going through the windscreen 

Fortunately mine is just bruising and completely pain free, nothing damaged 

Maybe a bit of fat protects, pippin >

But maybe we all need to remember just how dangerous it is to 

A, get out of our seat when moving 
B, travel with an unrestrained object, be it dog or something else in the van which seems to be not a problem 

I'm still shocked at the speed I shot forward when the van stopped ,never would I have believed that, a stumble maybe , but I flew forward 

Still a lucky warning 

Sandra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Your so right Sandra. We used to regularly visit the loo RV ing stateside. Never gave it a thought about being thrown forward. I guess we were lucky.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Thankfully like me you were Ray 

I never realised how fast you flew forward when brakes were applied 

But now I know

And hopefully you lot looking at my rather attractive ribs >>

Have got the picture and will think twice before you get out of your seat

Or don't bother to restrain your dog or whatever else you haven't restrained 

You could well have been looking at my head as it broke through the windscreen

On the dash cam

Sandra


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