Charlie_Iliff
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 1,890
- Location
- Arnold, MD
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT1845, John Deere 2240, John Deere 950, John Deere 755, Jacobsen Turf Cat II
Bob & Terry:
I defended a snowmobile manufacturer in a lawsuit in which an injured plaintiff claimed a warning sticker was inadequate. At the end of the trial, a very smart juror told me and an expert who had testified about the warning that there are three types of people. One group is so timid that a warning on a machine is unnecessary - they won't expose themselves to risk anyway. One group is so rash that a warning won't prevent their risking their safety. The middle group is the one to whom warnings are directed - the group which actually might change its behavior in favor of safety. (The PhD psychologist who testified about people and warnings had never heard it better said, and incorporated it in his classes and later testimony.)
Unfortunately, it is all but impossible to classify people, especially children, with confidence. My oldest, now a doctor, would listen carefully to instructiuons and warnings, and nod in agreement. Then he would test his own theory, often at considerable risk, before he would concede that the warning was to be followed. For him and those like him, the only effective course is to ground everything that is lifted, shut it down and take the key with you. Come to think of it, when he's around, I'll still do that with my new Power Trac. The first time he saw it, he had it moving before I got there to show him where the controls are.
I defended a snowmobile manufacturer in a lawsuit in which an injured plaintiff claimed a warning sticker was inadequate. At the end of the trial, a very smart juror told me and an expert who had testified about the warning that there are three types of people. One group is so timid that a warning on a machine is unnecessary - they won't expose themselves to risk anyway. One group is so rash that a warning won't prevent their risking their safety. The middle group is the one to whom warnings are directed - the group which actually might change its behavior in favor of safety. (The PhD psychologist who testified about people and warnings had never heard it better said, and incorporated it in his classes and later testimony.)
Unfortunately, it is all but impossible to classify people, especially children, with confidence. My oldest, now a doctor, would listen carefully to instructiuons and warnings, and nod in agreement. Then he would test his own theory, often at considerable risk, before he would concede that the warning was to be followed. For him and those like him, the only effective course is to ground everything that is lifted, shut it down and take the key with you. Come to think of it, when he's around, I'll still do that with my new Power Trac. The first time he saw it, he had it moving before I got there to show him where the controls are.
