Sunday, October 7, 2007

I'd Rather Get Hit By a Car Than Wear A Wheelchair Flag.



Another Mark Smith blog entry, "Dude, Get a Flag," rang true to me today.

I grew up in a smallish town of about 10,000 people. There were no city buses or subways, and unfortunately, my parents had to give up our full-time driver after the recession in the 80s. This meant that for kids, getting around town meant biking, walking, or if one was lucky enough to have older siblings, begging for a ride. I never figured out how to make a bike work for me, and I am blessed to be the oldest in my family, so that left walking. Luckily, "downtown," which consisted of my three favorite destinations, Albertson's grocery store, King's Corner (the dollar store), and my school (I was such a nerd), was a mere twenty-minute stroll away from my house, and most of my friends also lived within that vicinity.

So many summer days and holidays when my parents were at work and I wanted to go somewhere, I could be seen riding down the street. Many of the sidewalks did not have curb cuts, but I knew my routes, and when necessary, I would ride certain stretches on the side of the street.

I am by no means a daredevil. When I see or hear a car, I graciously get the heck out of the way. I make eye contact before crossing in front of a car. I am cautious. Nonetheless, one day, my mom told me something that made me reconsider the value of my life.

"Nora, the Sheriff called me today, and he said he saw you riding down the street this afternoon," she said. Not to worry, in our small town, the Sheriff might call just to wish you a happy birthday. So far, no big deal. "He said that it was difficult to see you, and if you are going to be riding around in town, we need to get a flag for your chair."

"You mean like one of those big orange flags that stick up off the top of those old people's scooters? No way! I'm not putting that on my chair!"

"Well, we'll see. The Sheriff said you had to if you're going to ride your chair in town," she insisted.

I spent the next two weeks planning out what I would do if the Sheriff showed up and forced a flag upon me. I would refuse! I thought. If he tacked it onto my chair, I would wait til he left, then rip it off and throw it in an unmarked dumpster--or I'd make my little brother do that for me.

Fortunately, the town police must have gotten busy with other matters--perhaps a cat got stuck in a tree--because nobody ever further pursued my safety wheelchair flag.

In all honesty, can you imagine being asked to wear a tall orange flag outside? How undignified! It's like, let's think of a way to make wheelchair users look as foolish as possible..hmmm...we could make them sport five-foot tall orange flags. Then nobody would take them seriously!

As a full-time pedestrian, knowing that I am far less visible than most, I take extra care when crossing the street. I make sure that I see the whites of the drivers' eyes before I cross in front of them.

If that's not enough, I'm fairly certain I'd rather get hit by a car than wear a flag. I know it sounds harsh but think about it. What would you choose?

15 comments:

Yokota Fritz said...

Good commentary. If the Sheriff is so concerned about your safety, I think a better idea is for the Sheriff to enforce the existing rules of the road -- you know, the ones that mandate that DRIVERS are REQUIRED to watch where they go! Imagine that!

Nora Wiles said...

Yes, I know! To tell you the truth, I sometimes get a little bit of road rage with cars that try to push the limits. When a car pulls over the cross walk, I have occasionally crossed mere centimeters in front of it, pretending that I might accidentally scratch or swipe the corner. Oops!

Anonymous said...

I can personally verify that Nora does in fact do this with crosswalk-crossing cars.

It's great seeing drivers get more and more freaked out as she gets closer to their cars.

Anonymous said...

Nora,

What are your views on reflecters?

Nora Wiles said...

Reflectors are fine. They're subtle during the day, and most importantly, they do not stick up four feet from the chair. On the other hand, I would not under any circumstances wear a reflective vest. That would just be silly.

Ruth said...

I share your flag aversion. Mostly cars try to race me while they're turning corners and I have the right of way - somehow they think they can 'beat' me before I get down the curbcut. In this case they see my wheelchair quite clearly and having a flag flapping over my head would really not do much good in terms of safety.

Anonymous said...

I'm picturing sitting in a restaurant or cafe with a goddamned flag sticking up. No way!

It's not like small children or short people are forced to wear giant flags sewn into their shirts...

Nora Wiles said...

Hahahahahaha. Well, let's just hope the flag-shirt doesn't catch on. It might make for a treacherous walk to work.

Anonymous said...

You might change your mind if you had been hit. My daughter was hit by a car yesterday while crossing a parking lot on the blue crosswalk. Fortunately the driver was going slowly and she's ok, just some bruises. She's getting a flag!

bluesprism said...

I think the flag concept is a good safety item, does it have to be bright orange industrial type? How about designer colors and patterns? Why not?

Unknown said...

I agree that the usual orange safety flags look ridiculous -- so I'm making a custom one myself. I went to a fabric store and bought some cheap nylon material in bright colors and I'm making it look like flames shooting out from a wheel (hot-rod style). The wheel hubcap will be made from silver reflective tape. I think it's going to look awesome. If anyone wants to see a photo of it for inspiration you're welcome to email me.

Anonymous said...

...custom flag? I like that idea, I think I'll make mine about 3 inches high.

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