[Leica] Tripods are dangerous

[drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)]

We need to establish the NTA, or National Tripod Association. Perhaps
Charlton Heston would become a spokesman.  

Do you have a license for that Gitzo? 

The ten commandments of Tripod Safety

1) Always keep your ball head pointed in a safe direction.   
2) Tripods should be collapsed when not in use. 
3) Don't rely on mechanical devices for safety. Especially leg locks.
Tripods have been known to collapse without provocation, causing mayhem.
Clear the surrounding area so that if your tripod collapses it will fall
safely. 
4) Be sure of your subject matter, and what's beyond it. (As in, you
probably don't need a tripod to take a photo of Uncle Bob asleep on the
couch after Thanksgiving dinner. Nor you want something distracting in
the background.)
5) Use a proper quick release. Faulty releases can cause bodily harm
when your camera falls. (Especially when you bang your head against a
wall because you just ruined your $3,000 DSLR and zoom lens.)
6) Always wear eye and ear protection. You never know when you might get
punched or screamed at by an irate subject. Or when someone might
overreact because you yelled at them for stepping into your iconic
panorama after you just waited three hours for just the right light, and
lack of distractions in the frame. 
7) If your camera fails to come off when you disengage the quick
release, handle with care. Don't' step back to assess the situation and
possibly see your camera fall to the pavement. (If you're close enough
that it falls on your toe you may save the camera, but have a
significant medical costs. The modern DSLR with lens is no Rollei 35!)
8) Always make sure your lens is free of obstructions. Nothing worse
than having your thumb, camera strap, or cable shutter release in the
picture, especially when you've take the time to set up a tripod. 
9) Don't alter or modify your tripod. Tripods are precision instruments
(OK, maybe not a flimsy aluminum Slyk you can buy at Walmart, but
certainly anything a Leica user would be using). 
10) Learn the mechanical characteristics of your tripod. Again, (most)
tripods are precision instruments. If you're still going to catch the
decisive moment when using a tripod you need to know to set it up
quickly. And, of course, when the curator or public official sees you,
you need to be able to collapse the tripod quickly so you can run away. 

Please be extremely careful with a fully extended Tripod.