Week Twelve Team Report
on Car Culture:
"All You Gotta Do
is Ask"

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This week's find proved to be quite simple, which is the reason for me wanting to share it with all of you. First off, I tried out the Savvy Search Engine (which I utilized in my Report 3: Traffic Psychology on the Internet) and used the term "motorists" to lead the search. From there, I discovered a site that I would like to share with you.

The week's find goes along with the theme (safety gadgets that car owners may obtain) that I had used in my Car Culture Report for Week Nine. Then I had introduced you to the "Code-A-Car Kit" that is available for purchase. This week I would like to introduce you to the Road Emergency HELP Flag. It is a bright yellow emergency help flag that helps in reducing the dangers of being stuck on the road. How many times have you found yourself having to pull over because of car trouble or better yet, how many times have you seen other cars on the side of the road, risking their safety because their car failed them? I have seen it many a time and these little car failures can be very serious because it is very dangerous to be in a situation like that when one is in heavy traffic or even on the freeway.

With the Road Emergency HELP Flag, one can reduce these dangers. It can be inserted to your car's antenna your car door, or be put across your windshield. The bright yellow flag draws attention to the disabled car and eliminates hazards such as standing on the side of the street. With the flag in place, one can remain in the car until help (maybe a tow truck or a police officer) arrives.

By now you are probably asking what is so special about this flag. Well, as I mentioned earlier, it is a bright yellow flag. The color itself attracts the eye. Secondly, it is 12"x23"--the size can not be missed. Finally, the only thing it has printed on it are four huge letters: H E L P --a message that cannot be mistaken. This product is made in the United States by the Road Alert Corportation. I invite you to check it out for yourself.

I found this site to be relevant to the topic of Traffic Psychology because of the service that products such as the Road Emergency HELP Flag provide. Not only are they there to protect the physical well-being of the car and the people that are there inside of it, but they also offer a sense of security to those who prefer to be equipped for the unexpected. A car breaking down in traffic is usually not something we all plan on. With the HELP Flag, one may at least have a sense of what is needed to be done when such an event occurs. Also, products such as this help to raise the level of awareness in drivers of the potential dangers of these situations. When I learned about the HELP Flag I thought about all the accidents occuring on the freeway involving a vehicle pulling over to help a stalled car. Sometimes such good Samaritans would end up losing their lives because they were just trying to help another. In cases like that, it was because they had not realized that by stopping to help, they had put themselves in danger also. The HELP Flag keeps the driver of the vehicle in jeopardy where he is supposed to be--in the car. From there, he waits for the help that he needs . For the rest of us, if we are in heavy traffic or on the freeway, we need to realize that probably the best thing we can do is to keep a look out for stalled vehicles and, if we are fortunate enough to have a cellular phone, notify the police or a towing service. Perhaps the community needs to become more aware that to pull over onto the shoulder of the freeway for any purpose other than an emergency--even just to help--would be hazardous to one's safety, the people they intended to help, as well as to the rest of the motorists going by.