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Safety on the Raid
http://www.international2cvfriends.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=292		 Page 1 of 3
Author:  2CViking [ April 20th, 2009, 10:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Safety on the Raid
Never been to Africa, can't wait to go. Some have already asked about safety but I wouldn't have a clue. If the raid goes ahead in 2011, it is very hard to predict where and what areas not to visit.
What about diseases? We are at this stage talking about maybe West-Africa and/or North Africa. Purely to avoid trouble and diseases.
Author:  toomany2cvs [ April 21st, 2009, 8:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
2CViking wrote:
Never been to Africa, can't wait to go. Some have already asked about safety but I wouldn't have a clue. If the raid goes ahead in 2011, it is very hard to predict where and what areas not to visit.
What about diseases? We are at this stage talking about maybe West-Africa and/or North Africa. Purely to avoid trouble and diseases.


As I said in the other thread, we did the Plymouth-Dakar a few years back.

Morocco - Mauritania - Senegal - Gambia.

Nothing very taxing, route- or terrain-wise, but plenty of interest. However, since then, the "Beach Road" through northern Mauritania (100km or so that's along the beach, so only passable at low tide) has had a proper road built to bypass it. Senegal have a serious snit against older vehicles entering the country, with an official ban on anything older than (IIRC) c.10yo, even transiting through the country with a Carnet.

TBH, the Dakar just got far too big, far too quickly, and spoiled it for everybody else.

So - different route. Morocco was utterly fascinating, but not exactly a great challenge. Great for "warm-up", and interesting for getting there. But there's far more to see the further off the beaten track you get.

There's three big challenges - terrain, health and politics. There are malarial areas, so anti-malarials are strongly advised, together with the usual armful of innoculations. If something goes wrong, you can't exactly just pop to A&E. So serious first aid kits plus somebody with clue are a good plan.

The biggest threat, car-wise, is overloading. A 2cv _can't_ carry that much. Not across rough terrain, not without bending suspension arms etc. So travel light. Which means not many spares - and sod's law says the ones you've got aren't the ones you'll need. A few, intelligently chosen, spread across the vehicles. Again, the more weight, the more stress, the more risk of needing bits. Tigger & Slowboe? Sorry, lads... It ain't going to work...

Damn you, Viking... I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL 2011!

(Not us in the 2cv - we knew damn well that if we took a 2cv, we'd only want to bring it home again...)
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Author:  2CViking [ April 21st, 2009, 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
Nice photos, it looks promising. It is great to read your post about the route. Any chance on calling on your knowledge a bite more, when we need to establish where to drive. We should find as many dirt tracks as possible and stay away from the sealed roads. Properly not possible but that is OK.
Good point on the health issue. Should we advertise for a medical team, maybe max 2 people in a 4x4 support vehicle?
Author:  toomany2cvs [ April 21st, 2009, 10:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
2CViking wrote:
Nice photos, it looks promising. It is great to read your post about the route. Any chance on calling on your knowledge a bite more, when we need to establish where to drive.


Of course. But that's about the total of it... <grin>

Quote:
We should find as many dirt tracks as possible and stay away from the sealed roads. Properly not possible but that is OK.


You kidding? Both those pics _are_ (or were - Chinese money's put a new one in now) the "roads" going from Mauritania's second biggest town, Nouadhibou, up on the Moroccan border, to the capital, Nouakchott. Seriously. Even where there's tarmac, you're often better on the dirt shoulder anyway.

Quote:
Should we advertise for a medical team, maybe max 2 people in a 4x4 support vehicle?


Bit OTT, I think... If somebody who happens to be on the raid anyway has a first-aid qualification (or, even better, is a nurse/doctor in "real life") that'll be more than adequate.

If you start to plan for a medical team in a support vehicle, then you'll also start to think about a mechanical team in a support vehicle, and maybe some cooks or local liaison guys or... might as well just do the Tuareg... <grin>
Author:  2CViking [ April 21st, 2009, 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
No No just thinking out loud. I’m sure that many people quite rightly are concerned about diseases and accidents in remote places. Yes 1 doctor would be good fully equipped with Medi-kits etc. The 4x4 is also a back up just incase a person needs to get to hospital. In cases of an accident, it would not be fair to ask a fellow raider to pull out of the raid to drive a sick or injured person to hospital. That job belongs to the doctor and the support car.
Author:  Max [ April 21st, 2009, 11:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
I reckon the 4x4 backup thing is a good idea. As you pointed out to take people to hospital if in the worst case they did need to.. Anything can happen. Touch wood it wont.
Author:  toomany2cvs [ April 21st, 2009, 11:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
2CViking wrote:
In cases of an accident, it would not be fair to ask a fellow raider to pull out of the raid to drive a sick or injured person to hospital.


I think you'd probably find that you'd got volunteers to do it - or, at least, everybody will want to go and be near the hospital to make sure their friend's OK.

Quote:
That job belongs to the doctor and the support car.


Ah, but do you then need a _second_ medical support car to continue the raid? Or will the raid then be without this necessity...? Is the doctor a raider, too? Or a paid pro? Who's paying the costs of the medical car?

It's a very steep and slippery slope to a fully pro backup team. All or nothing really are the only choices.
Author:  2CViking [ April 21st, 2009, 7:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
I'm hoping a doctor will join us in his own 2cv if we can find one. If not, a doc coming along in a 4x4. All this is based on voluntry effort, no hefty bill if possible. If no doc can be found, we will then discuss what to do. Should someone get sick or injured, the doc will decide what to do, not me or anybody else. The raid will continue and the doc will decide when to join the raid again. The number one priority is the wellbeing and safety of all participates.
Author:  Dago [ April 22nd, 2009, 8:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
Ok, i understand this. But... Done some raids in the north during the winter and that is different i know. I thought this is going to be cheap ;)
Author:  Dago [ April 22nd, 2009, 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Safety on the Raid
Ment that if there is going to be adults, what is the problem? It can happen everywhere, so how do u travel at all? But like i wrote, i understand that doctor thing.
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