The Yellow Vest

I wore my yellow vest today. What does that mean, you ask? I will tell you.

Belgium has strict rules about safety equipment requirements for a vehicles registered on their roads. In addition to the usual mechanical criteria, each vehicle has to be equiped with a fire extinguisher (fastened within reach of the driver), a First Aid kit, a hazard triangle and a yellow reflective vest. The vest is to be worn ANYTIME you exit your vehicle on the highway. You will see motorists with the vest on if they have to pull over on the Autoroute because of car troubles.

Well, this morning, I was returning home from Mons, where I had just dropped Perry off at work. Traffic was not too heavy in this direction but was not moving as fast as usual. I was following a motorcycle, who was following a patient transfer ambulance. The ambulance driver must not have been paying attention, when suddenly he had to break hard for the traffic slowed in front of him. Unfortunately, for the motorcyclist, he has not allowed enough distance between himself and the ambulance, and he plowed into it. It all unfolded in slow motion for me. I saw the ambulance brake suddenly, causing the rear of his vehicle to rise, I saw the biker brake hard, causing his tires to smoke, I saw the bike twist sideways as the brakes locked up and I saw the driver impact the left rear door of the ambulance, causing the safety glass to shatter and surely fracture the driver's right shoulder. Then he and his bike were on the road in front of me. I was stopped by this time and I hastily switched on my hazard light, hoping those coming behind me would get stopped in time. The ambulance driver and 2 other drivers from the cars in front of him, as well as myself quickly converged on the injured biker. Someone quickly called the emergency number. All there was to do now was wait and try and comfort the injured man until help arrived. As luck would have it, a car pulled over to the median on the other side. Two doctors, who quickly took over the scene. I hadn't thought about my vest up to that point, but it soon became apparant, I was going to be there a while. I put it on.

Like any accident scene, there are always gawkers. And with one lane of two blocked in both directions, traffic was now crawling. But here was something I could do...direct traffic. Something powerful in that yellow vest. People responded, lanes of traffic began to move and merge in an orderly fashion. When a driver slowed to much to have a look, I pointed at him and waved him on. Trop des voyeurs!!

Once police arrived, they took over. And once I gave my account of the incident, I was able to leave.
The paramedics had the injured man in his ambulance by now. I'm sure he will be OK. The same cannot be said for his bike.

Here's my souvenir of my morning adventure.