Today's action: Long shadows

There is this intersection about 5 minutes from my house where the emergency services have to go to more often. I was there nearly exactly one month ago, when two cars were in a crash. This morning the same address showed up in the pager again. And in most of the cases it is this time in the morning. I looked out the window and knew it immediately. Long shadows.

The intersection is on a road with a very wide deviding lawn between both lanes. Actually you could say it's two one way streets separated by a lawn of about 50 meters wide. Approaching this road, having to give way to traffic, what you actually look at with these clear skies we had today and the open area because of the wide lawn is the rising sun. Drivers get blinded and think they can continue onto the intersection, when suddenly a long shadow gets into view. But then it's all too late. A crash is the result.

The two girls on the scooter were only slightly injured. They didn't even have to go to hospital. The ambulance checked them at the crash site and it was only bumps and bruises. Traffic specialists, often called in after an RTC to investigate the cause of the accident, didn't have to come this morning. It was clear as it was. The driver was apparently blinded by the sun. What must it feel like for police officers and ambulance workers to have to give up precious time for an accident that could be prevented if people would only take the sun into account and have another good look before continuing onto an intersection? Would they do the same when it would concern a railroad crossing with no warning signs? I think the time to take to have a good look should be going up with the length of the shadows. And this morning it was long shadows.