County lifeguards are hoping to avoid similar incidents, none of which have occurred on Santa Monica Beach since that fateful day in June 2005. The Los Angeles County Lifeguard Training Division has continually updated its driving policies over the past few years, focusing on what Training Section Chief Scott Davey calls a “four-point approach.”
The first approach has been to redefine what “essential beach driving” means during the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., which is when the beaches are generally well populated with sunbathers and swimmers. To the lifeguards, vehicles will be used on beaches during these hours in cases where beach driving is essential — for preventative safety measures, rescue work, medical calls and assisting police departments.
The Lifeguard Training Division is also reemphasizing the importance of training, requiring lifeguards to retake sand driving training programs each year.
“They get the initial course and continuing education, which highlights the dangers involved on (driving) on the beach,”Davey said.
“Had the tire of the truck been one foot away from where it was, he could’ve easily been killed.” — Boyle said
“It’s really a miracle (he got away) with only a splenectomy,”
Point number three involves the upgrade of all warning equipment on the beach vehicles. The front ends of the vehicles are now equipped with sounding beepers, which sound similar to when a truck is placed in reverse. Censors have also been installed on the trucks so the driver is warned when the vehicle is approaching something that is obscured from the driver’s seat.
“We continue to always seek ways to improve our delivery of safety services to the public,” Davey said on the fourth point. “We’re in the business to protect and save lives and anything we can do to achieve that mission are things we want to do.”
The LA County Lifeguards pulled 9,000 people out of the water from San Pedro to the Ventura County line last year. The lifeguards have averaged about 10,000 lives saved a year in the past decade.
The changes in the driving policy have resulted in a reduction in beach driving by 70 percent in the past few years.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 20, 2007. Read the original PDF.