As a moderator, I have the privilege, and sometimes the burden, of diving deep into very specific topics. Some weeks ago, while moderating for VIAS, the independent agency for road safety, we focused on the lifecycle of a crash. You’d think by now I’ve heard it all, the technical details, the statistics, the human stories behind the numbers. But once again, I was shaken.
What struck me most this time wasn’t the crashes themselves, but what happens afterward, to the people who rush in to help. The caregivers. The nurses, doctors, firefighters, and paramedics who show up in the most critical, chaotic moments. I was shocked to hear how many of them have faced violence verbal, emotional, even physical, and this while simply doing their job. The figures were alarmingly high.
It’s hard to imagine: people whose only mission is to save lives being attacked in the process. Yes, adrenaline plays a role. Fear, confusion, and trauma can make people react in unpredictable ways. But none of that can justify violence against those who care.
We talk a lot about safety on the road, and rightly so, but perhaps we should talk more about safety for those who stand at the frontlines when accidents happen. The people who show up when everyone else is running away. The ones who absorb our panic so that others may live.
Maybe it’s time we learn not only to drive safer but to feel safer to temper our emotions, to show gratitude, to remember that kindness is also part of crisis management.
Because in the end, safety isn’t just about infrastructure and enforcement. It’s about humanity.
