Larry Thomas, the BCS Concrete Structures Vehicle Fleet Manager, was recently in a serious car accident. But it could have been much worse had he not followed the safe driving practices he teaches to all BCS drivers using the Smith System.
Thomas, a certified Smith System trainer, teachers the Smith 5Keys which focus on having enough space to maneuver your vehicle away from conflict. The program also emphasizes maintaining enough visibility to detect danger and the potential for conflict with another vehicle or fixed object early while having enough time to react to volatile and complex driving environments.
Thomas was driving in a line of nine cars on Toll Road I30, when suddenly he had to slow down. That’s when he heard the crash. He was only going about 10 mph and left enough room in front of his truck, but there was no escape route to the right or left. He could see that there was an impact about to occur by watching in his review mirror. So he also knew when to take his foot off the break. Car #3 plowed into Car #2 and appeared to not have slowed down at all. Car #2 directly behind Thomas, left little room behind Thomas and was driven into his truck. Thomas in Car #1 absorbed moderate damage to the back of his truck which was still drivable because his car rolled forward upon impact. He also suffered no whiplash-type injuries which are common in this kind of accident.
Thomas wants BCS drivers to remember the Smith5 Keys because they do work. You cannot always prevent an accident, but you can minimize damage to your vehicle and yourself.
To see our past concrete work, visit our portfolio and get a quote from us today.