Qualitime: Short, true stories from daily life written by our colleague Fred Vahlkamp. With a little imagination, you can relate these stories to topics such as quality, risk management, and customer satisfaction. Enjoy reading.
Recently, I learned how easy it is to completely misjudge a risk.
The first shock: A chip in my windshield
It all starts quite simply. On the N214 from Papendrecht towards Noordeloos, I get “shot at” by a truck tire. Not intentionally, of course, but a random stone flies up from under the tire and smashes hard against my windshield. The result: a big fright and a chip, or as the specialist later called it, a “star.” And what do you do with a star in your windshield? Off to Carglass. New windshield, job well done. Only the calibration of the camera behind the windshield doesn’t work. They ask me to come back, so I do. Second time calibrating, fails again. A big sticker on my windshield reads, “Warning: Camera not calibrated, driver assistance system may not function properly.” “Doesn’t matter,” I hear myself confidently say as I take the car keys. “I never really use those systems anyway.” I don’t, but the car certainly does.
The biggest risks aren’t always obvious
We’re on our way to Woudrichem for a drink at a café. My daughter Lisanne is sitting next to me, we’re driving 80 km/h on a rural road between Sleeuwijk and Woudrichem. In the distance, I see cyclists approaching from the right, and I also see that they’re slowing down and coming to a stop because I have the right of way at that point. The cyclists and I completely agree on that. My car, however, has a very different opinion and makes an emergency stop out of the blue. Lisanne is thrown forward into her seatbelt, and so am I. My wrists press against the steering wheel, and my heart is pounding in my throat. Next to me, two cyclists at a safe distance are staring at us like we’ve lost our minds.
Calibration problems: A sticker with major consequences
What went wrong here? Quite a lot, but mostly my assumption. “Warning: Camera not calibrated, driver assistance system may not function properly.” I immediately think “not working” and not “working incorrectly.” In this case, it was indeed working—just in the wrong way. Was this incident due to the failed calibration or the imperfection of the built-in safety systems? I have no idea. It led me to think more deeply about risks, prevention, and risk management. Everything seems so logical, and you quickly trust the technology. The problem with risks might just be that the biggest risks, especially beforehand, aren’t always logical. A third attempt at calibration is scheduled soon. Until then, I’m giving everyone the right of way and slowing down well in advance.
So, if you see a white vehicle creeping along the highway at 80 km/h, I’m very busy with Risk Management.
