Driver actions when there is a threat of collision

Driver actions in the event of a collision

During the first half of 2013, according to traffic police statistics, the majority of road accidents were hit-and-runs and collisions. Most often they occur due to the driver losing the ability to control and drive vehicles.

Making every effort to save his car, the driver often forgets that human life and health are more valuable. Not many drivers can calculate a dangerous situation and instantly make the only correct decision to minimize or eliminate the loss of human lives. If an accident is inevitable, the driver must be able to perform a number of actions aimed at saving human lives.

If there is a threat of a frontal collision

— The driver must give a sound or light signal about the danger of an accident to other road users.
He also needs to remove his feet from the pedals to avoid fractures of his feet and legs; — A passenger wearing a seat belt must additionally protect his face and eyes by covering them with his hands;
— An unrestrained passenger sitting behind the driver must take a lying position in the rear seat to avoid injury from glass fragments and other flying objects. This will also protect it from impacts on the sides of the car.

If there is a risk of a side collision

— The driver needs to fix the position of his body by firmly grasping the handrail or steering wheel with his hands, then after a collision he will be able to partially control the behavior of the car.

If there is a threat of a collision from behind

— By pressing the horn button or turning on the hazard lights, the driver must notify others about the threat of an accident;
— Next, he must fix his position, placing his hands on the steering wheel and be ready to change the trajectory of his vehicle after a collision;
— A sudden increase in vehicle speed can help avoid a collision.
In this case, you should assess the general situation on the road; — The driver should take a comfortable position: resting his hands on the steering wheel, he should press his back tightly against the back of the seat, and the back of his head against the headrest;
— If a rear impact threatens a car standing at an intersection, the driver of this vehicle must release the brake pedal (to soften the impact);
After the impact, he must quickly press the brake pedal again to prevent the car from entering a pedestrian crossing or sidewalk and to avoid a collision with the vehicle in front.

LECTURE 4.6. Driver actions in emergency situations.

Questions: 1. The driver’s actions in the event of a skid or collision. 2. Actions of the driver in case of service brake failure or tire rupture while driving. 3. Driver actions in case of power steering failure.

Literature: Shukhman Yu.I. Fundamentals of driving and traffic safety. Shukhman Yu.I. - M.: Publishing center "Academy", 2005. - 165 p.

Independent work: studying class notes, educational and specialized literature, working with Internet resources and preparing a message on topic 4.6.

1. You noticed a sharp turn late and did not have time to slow down.

Tip: Brake hard before entering the turn. If there is no oncoming traffic, cut the corner or increase the turning radius within the lane. When cornering, do not brake sharply; the vehicle may overturn.

2. When overtaking, you discover that the oncoming car is approaching faster than you expected.

Advice: If there is no way to go back, the only way out is to switch to a lower gear, put the gas to the floor and complete the overtaking. At the same time, give light signals to the oncoming car with a request to give way, and an audible signal to the overtaken car with a request to move to the right, in order to avoid a head-on collision.

3. The car in front suddenly braked sharply. The road on the left is busy, there is only one exit on the side of the road (on the right).

Advice: Be very careful and calm. Remember: braking or sharp steering at high speed on a wet roadside after rain will most likely lead to skidding and capsizing. If the shoulder is wide, try to stabilize the movement and stop smoothly on it. If the car nevertheless drifts towards the ditch and leaving the side of the road is inevitable, direct the car along the slope of the embankment along a gentle trajectory, the likelihood of capsizing will sharply decrease.

4. A car is driving towards you and does not have time to complete overtaking. A head-on collision is inevitable.

Advice: You must act taking into account the fact that snowdrifts, gentle slopes, and small bushes are the least dangerous when you run into them, and they dampen speed very actively. Driving into the oncoming lane is always more dangerous. If a collision is unavoidable, choose an acute angle collision, which is safest, over a frontal (direct) impact. In this case, you should prevent yourself from moving forward and protect your head. It’s better to rest your feet on the floor, tilt your head between your hands, grab the steering wheel tightly and tense all your muscles. Be prepared to maneuver to right your vehicle after a collision. In a frontal collision, if you are wearing a seat belt, cover your face with your hands to protect it. If your seat belt is not fastened, fall sideways into your seat to avoid hitting the steering column or windshield. Passengers need to do the same.

5. At a distance less than the stopping distance, an obstacle suddenly appears in front of you; it is no longer useful to brake.

Tip: Try to take a detour, although its distance is almost half the braking distance. If at a speed of 80 km/h you notice an obstacle that is 30–35 m away, then the minimum possible braking distance will be 30–35 m, the stopping distance will be 60–65 m. This means that braking will no longer help, and the minimum detour distance will be will be 16–18 meters. If conditions permit, you should try to go around the obstacle.

If your car is rear-ended, be prepared to slam on the brakes to avoid colliding with the car in front after the rear impact; Place your hands firmly on the steering wheel and your back on the back of the seat; Press the back of your head firmly onto the headrest.

To prevent an accident, sometimes you have to resort to emergency braking until the car comes to a complete stop. Sometimes stopping requires a sudden change in direction. But there are also cases when it is necessary to simultaneously apply the brakes and change the direction of movement. The combination of these techniques, especially on slippery roads or at high speed, can lead to a loss of vehicle stability, skidding and even capsizing. The driver must take this possibility into account and act according to the situation.

A tire rupture is accompanied by a pop. If a tire bursts, hold the steering wheel tightly, not allowing it to spontaneously turn towards the burst tire, try to keep the car in your lane, do not brake, gently release the gas pedal, shift to a lower gear, and when the speed drops, lightly press the brake ; stop the car off the road and change the tire.

If a wheel falls off, try to keep the car from tipping over and stop in your lane.

If the driveshaft comes off, the vehicle should be stopped immediately using the service brake. If the front end breaks, the shaft may hit the road, and the car will receive a sharp jolt, which will throw the car up, and at high speed may lead to a rollover. A sign of a loose shaft fastening is vibration of the car body while in motion. Usually the rear end of the shaft breaks off when the attachment of its flange to the rear axle flange is broken. If it breaks, the shaft rotates and hits the car body, which can destroy the service brake drive and cause other damage.

If the service brake fails, quickly press the brake pedal several times; if this does not help, turn on the headlights and hazard lights; consistently shift to lower gears; turn on the handbrake, hold it in an unfixed position so that you can release it when the skid begins, and point the car at some elastic obstacle. Failure of the service brake on a descent is especially dangerous. On a slight slope with the transmission disconnected from the engine, a car freely coasting at a speed of 30–40 km/h picks up speed to 65–75 km/h over a kilometer section of the slope. In order to stop a car with a faulty service brake, the best way is to brake the engine with a sequential transition to lower gears. The situation is very difficult when, due to failure of the service brake, the engine stops and cannot be started, and the gear lever is in the neutral position. In this case, to stop the car, you must immediately engage the highest gear. When the gear is engaged, the engine will reduce speed and it is possible that it will start running on its own. If the engine still does not start, you must leave the gear in gear; an idle engine will create a large braking effect and ensure a complete stop of the car. At the same time, use the parking brake and apply it at least partially. If there is a break ahead, then as a last resort you can turn off the ignition and engage first gear. This may damage the transmission, but will help prevent the vehicle from falling.

Steering failure is preceded by tight or, conversely, very light rotation of the steering wheel. If you notice a malfunction, stop immediately and eliminate its cause. If, nevertheless, the steering rod breaks or something else in the steering fails, warn other road users by turning on the headlights, hazard warning lights, and sound signal; Brake very smoothly so as not to cause a skid, because it will not be possible to eliminate it due to loss of control.

Rules of conduct in case of a car accident: analysis of situations and your actions

The car has become an integral part of the life of a modern person. Convenience, speed of movement and saving time are why most citizens prefer personal transport to public transport. Every year more and more cars appear on the roads, which is why the number of road accidents is also increasing.

To prevent accidents and ensure safety on roads, the actions of all road users are of great importance. What is the model of behavior in case of a car accident, what to do if you are involved in an accident, how to escape from a sinking car - we will consider in more detail in this article.

In case of a possible accident

Even strict adherence to all traffic rules and extensive accident-free driving experience cannot guarantee you that you will never get into an accident. The most important thing is to correctly navigate the situation. You should not take actions that could worsen your situation. For example, leaving the scene of an accident or entering into conflict with other participants in the accident.

Behavior in the event of a car accident includes the following actions, which are recommended to be followed:

• If you become involved in a traffic accident, stop the car.
• Mark your stopping place with a sign or turn on your hazard lights.
• Remember that a person who willfully leaves the scene of an accident is automatically considered guilty.
• If there are victims, call medical assistance.
• Try to provide first aid if someone needs it, using a car first aid kit.
• Contrary to popular belief, you should not touch a seriously injured person. Do not try to take him to the hospital in your car. It is better to wait for help on the spot.
• Record in video or photo the position of the cars, as well as the damage they received.
• Write down the names and contact information of possible witnesses.
• If there are casualties or more than 2 cars are involved in an accident, calling the traffic police service is mandatory.
• Don't forget to contact your insurance company.
• Before the traffic police arrive, do not touch anything at the scene of the accident. Do not remove glass or flying parts of the car, do not change their location.
• If you are offered to take an alcohol test, do not refuse. If you are not at fault for the accident, then a medical examination will only confirm that you are right.
• If you do not agree with the actions of the traffic police officers, then you have the right to add your comments to the protocol. Ask for 2 copies on the spot. You can go to court with it. As a last resort, when signing the protocol, you can take a photo of it.

Despite the fact that the situation of an accident is extremely unpleasant and the procedure for registering it can take a long time, control your emotions. Your aggression or excessive emotionality can later be used against you.

In a collision

How to behave correctly in case of an accident

If a collision is imminent, the biggest mistake would be to try to leave the car while it is moving. No need to give up the steering wheel. Try to mitigate the negative consequences until the moment of the accident. Maintaining composure, try to change the trajectory of the movement, turning the central blow into a side kick. Remember that driving into a ditch or colliding with a tree or other immovable obstacle is better than colliding with a speeding car.

Rules of conduct in case of a car accident include the following actions, which will increase the chances of survival in a collision:

• Resist moving your body forward by using the floor for support.
• While protecting your head, fold your hands crosswise on the steering wheel or dashboard, placing your head between them.
• Tighten all the muscles in your body as much as possible
• People in the back seat are advised to cover their heads and lean sideways or fall to the floor.
• If you have an airbag, lean your chest against the steering wheel
• If there is a child in the cabin, you need to cover him with yourself and take a side position with him.
• Children under 12 years of age are prohibited from sitting in the front seat. This is due to the fact that in a collision the doors can be severely damaged, and you will need to get out of the cabin through the windshield.

After a car accident, assess the situation. It is necessary to find out what condition the machine itself is in. Are there any gasoline leaks, fires, sparks, or a suspicious odor? If possible, you should leave the salon immediately.

If the car is overturned, then before leaving the car, make sure that there is no possibility of another rollover. It is also risky to rock the car with your movements if you are on a steep slope or near a cliff. In such situations, it is better not to move and wait for professional help.

If there is a risk of fire or explosion, you should be extremely careful when getting out of an unstable vehicle. Use windows that face the top of the slope. The passenger who escapes from the cabin must help the remaining victims.

Only after there is no one left in the cabin should you move to a safe distance. Trapped people in a car should not be pulled out by force. Call rescuers and an ambulance.

If a car falls into a pond

The car will be on the surface of the water for some time, so you should use the time to the maximum. Do not panic. It is panic that can provoke unnecessary and unnecessary actions. You should get out of a sinking vehicle through the windows.

If you try to open the doors, the car will sink much faster. Even if you were unable to leave the cabin while the car was afloat, you should not stop trying to escape. Turn on the headlights. They will light your way to the surface. In addition, this will later help you find your car to lift it out of the water.

Wait until the cabin is half filled with water, push off from the hull and rise sharply. Don't forget to take important documents with you. Even if the car completely sinks to the bottom, but the windows and doors are closed, you will have enough air for several minutes.

Once ashore, call an ambulance. In extreme situations, a person cannot adequately assess his well-being, so an examination by specialists is mandatory.

Accident prevention

Causes of road accidents

In order to minimize the chances of being involved in an accident, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Regularly undergo technical inspection of the vehicle
2. Do not use the vehicle if there is a malfunction. Even if they seem insignificant to you.
3. Don't forget your seat belt
4. Replenish your first aid kit in a timely manner. Check medications for expiration dates.
5. Have any heavy object in the cabin. With its help, if necessary, you can easily break windows.
6. Do not drink alcoholic beverages if you are a driver.
7. Do not carry flammable or flammable loads on personal vehicles.
8. Try to avoid direct confrontation until the last moment.
9. Follow the basic principle in an emergency situation - be as low as possible and take up as little space as possible. Group up.

Children should be taught the rules of behavior in case of a car accident. Do not allow anyone to sit in the cabin without a special chair. Prohibit minor passengers from turning door handles or playing with electronic devices installed in the vehicle. Use central locking and window locking. Remember: you, not the child, will be responsible for the consequences.

Quick post on behavior in the event of an accident.

Good evening, colleagues, friends.

The post is written based on the results of views of 100,500 videos from DVRs.

Videos of corpses and meat often start like this:

Two or four lane highway.

Ahead the driver sees some small thing, there is someone slowing down, or someone shuffled, or some freak from the next lane is pressing into his side.

What does the driver do?

And he turns the steering wheel, dodging and braking.

He starts chatting, skidding, and carries out:

1. In the oncoming lane - there is a truck, or some kind of minibus at a speed of 120 km/h.

Blood, guts, meat in all directions, if by miracle the driver survived, all the dogs will be blamed on him.

2. Takes it to the side of the road, usually with flips. And it’s good if there is no pole, building, or parked vehicle there.

Here everyone unbelted begins to fly around the cabin, receiving injuries of varying degrees of severity, beautifully flying out of a rotating car in a parabola, ending their stay in this world, and so on.

The worst thing is, of course, seeing someone flying into oncoming traffic.

Especially when a family is driving, there are conversations, children in the car.

Then something happens in the oncoming traffic, and from there, dodging some piece of crap like a wheel, a jeep or truck flies into their face. The roar of bursting plastic and metal, the end of the recording. And you understand that the family is no longer alive. The speed according to the recorder was 90, another hundred from the oncoming traffic, the windshield at 200 is fucked up.

How many damn records does one have oncoming traffic flying into his head, he starts to leave, the one who flew out also furiously turns the steering wheel, they think the same way, that’s why the cars steer exactly into each other. Well, along the way, I often take someone with me.

Therefore, open clause 10.1 of the Russian Traffic Regulations and read, damn it!

“If a traffic hazard arises that the driver is able to detect, he must take possible measures to reduce the speed until the vehicle stops.”

IT IS PROHIBITED to turn somewhere! He put his hands on the steering wheel, his foot pressed the brake, and yelled “FUCK!!”

We pray that the airbags are not shot, and the body is not seriously damaged before, if we drive a used one.

Yes, there may be an accident, but the chances of surviving are greater than flying into oncoming traffic or onto the side of the road, because there a car braking at a decent speed will spin and turn over with a probability of about 100%.

Here is a link to the Consultant. Rule clause 10.1

The most insidious clause of the traffic rules, which often sends the driver to jail

There is clause 10.1 in the traffic rules, which most motorists once read, but remember in fragments. But they memorize it by heart when something irreparable happens, because very often it is this nondescript clause of the rules that forms the basis for blaming drivers.

10.1. The driver must drive the vehicle at a speed not exceeding the established limit, taking into account the intensity of traffic, the characteristics and condition of the vehicle and cargo, road and meteorological conditions, in particular visibility in the direction of travel. The speed must provide the driver with the ability to constantly control the movement of the vehicle to comply with the requirements of the Rules.

If a traffic hazard arises that the driver is able to detect, he must take possible measures to reduce the speed until the vehicle stops.

Comments
Established speed limits are general, special and local:
general restrictions apply to all roads in the country;
special restrictions are introduced for certain types of vehicles or certain types of transportation (transportation of dangerous, heavy or large cargo, etc.);
local (local) speed limits can be set for a specific section of the road and are regulated by road signs.
The driver chooses his own speed based on general, special and local speed limits, as well as safety considerations related to factors such as:

traffic intensity;
the characteristics and condition of the vehicle and cargo;
road and meteorological conditions, in particular visibility in the direction of travel.
If a traffic hazard arises that the driver is able to detect given the specific conditions, he must take possible measures to reduce the speed until the vehicle stops. This situation may arise due to a technical malfunction of the vehicle, the unexpected appearance of people or animals in the path of the vehicle, sudden braking of a vehicle moving in front, etc.

It belongs to the section “Traffic speed” and is not at all scary in its wording: “The driver must drive the vehicle at a speed not exceeding the established limit, taking into account the intensity of traffic, the characteristics and condition of the vehicle and cargo, road and meteorological conditions, in particular visibility in the direction of movement. The speed must provide the driver with the ability to constantly control the movement of the vehicle to comply with the requirements of the rules. If a traffic hazard arises that the driver is able to detect, he must take possible measures to reduce the speed until the vehicle stops.”

The last sentence of the paragraph is especially difficult to understand - where we are talking about the emergence of danger. As soon as the driver has discovered it, the rules instruct him to brake, and if necessary, to brake all the way. What does this mean in practice?

For example, you are driving along the main road, and a sleepy miracle rolls out from the secondary road. And since the speeds are low, you decide to teach the scoundrel and ram him. Well, it's his fault, right? In fact, if you had the opportunity to stop, you should have stopped, and clause 10.1 makes no exception for hazards that themselves violate the rules. If you see danger, brake.

However, the situation described above relates more to the field of psychiatry, and of course, any normal driver would prefer to avoid an accident than to “teach” someone. Therefore, let’s imagine the same situation, only the distance to the intruder car is not enough to stop. You have two alternatives: still brake to the floor, even if you ram the second car, or try to dodge. What to do?

This is a very tricky issue. The rules do not prohibit you from maneuvering, and if, thanks to a clear road, skill and ESP, you managed to make a saving maneuver, you can put a plus in your karma. But if at the same time you provoked another accident, for example, by hitting parked cars or, even worse, getting into an accident with an oncoming car, responsibility for this new accident will lie with you. Because clause 10.1 required you to slow down and did not say anything about exemption from liability in the event of other accidents. By the way, it often happens that the provocateur car drives away (you dodged), and you find yourself guilty of a new accident.

It is impossible to give unambiguous recommendations here, because everything depends on the specific road situation. But in any case, know: if you, while urgently braking, rammed the offender, you will have a good chance to prove that you are right. If you cause another accident, you may be at fault; moreover, this accident often turns out to be even more serious than the collision you were trying to avoid.

Clause 10.1 almost always appears in cases involving hit-and-run pedestrians. As we know, they often jump under the wheels in the wrong places and in the most unexpected way. But the requirements of the rules are such that the pedestrian’s wrongdoing does not mean the driver’s innocence. A pedestrian can jump out from behind a stall or dash across the road where there are barriers, but the driver will still come under suspicion.

Why? Because there is clause 10.1. Having discovered a danger, the driver is obliged to brake until he stops, and it does not matter whether the pedestrian is right or wrong.

Let's talk briefly about how incidents involving a hit-and-run pedestrian are investigated. Without going into details, we can assume that the driver’s guilt is determined by the following: did he have the technical ability to stop? That is, having detected a danger, as required by clause 10.1, did he have sufficient distance to perform emergency braking or not?

Let's say investigators have determined that the moment a danger is detected is when a pedestrian approaches the edge of the roadway. They calculated that at that second the car was 42 meters from the point of impact. They further found that with the selected driver reaction time, brake response time and braking distance, the stopping distance was 36 meters. Since this distance is less than the distance (42 meters), the driver is found guilty. That is, physically he could have stopped, but for some reason he didn’t - let’s say, he was distracted, he didn’t consider the threat serious, he was confused. The charges will be based on the notorious clause 10.1.

Naturally, the above calculation is very simplified. In reality, each of the given parameters becomes the subject of endless debate, and each value is determined with a large error, which often determines whether the driver will receive a prison term or be found innocent.

For example, the speed of a pedestrian crossing the road is often critical. Usually, the larger it is, the more chances the driver has to justify himself. The speed of a pedestrian is often determined based on witness testimony and special tables, which allow for a given height and age of pedestrians to translate qualitative descriptions (walked quickly, ran, etc.) into quantitative values. Naturally, the accuracy of this method is very low. And this is far from the only “play” in the system.

But in any case, a driver who was driving over the speed limit, did not brake hard enough, or was simply late, has every chance of ending up in a penal colony, even if the deceased pedestrian was completely wrong. These are the features of Russian legislation.

Therefore, develop the habit of being extremely concentrated while driving, and when danger arises, first of all, brake. This applies to a whole variety of situations: someone jumped into your head while overtaking, you found an open hatch or a lying pedestrian on the road, a car rolled out across you... If the situation is critical, then you must first of all brake, and if you are maneuvering - it is guaranteed to be safe for other road users and yourself.

And finally, we note one more nuance of clause 10.1 - the rules require us not only not to exceed the established speed limits, but also to drive in accordance with the road conditions. Let's say you're driving 60 km/h in a city where it's legal and you hit a pedestrian. But there is fog in the city, and investigators determine that the safe speed according to visibility conditions was 45 km/h. They also prove that it was your driving at a speed higher than safe for the given conditions that caused the collision, and you are at fault. Although by ordinary standards they did not violate anything.