How to survive a car accident

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An accident can be fatal for both the driver and passengers. These recommendations will help you stay alive if something went wrong on the road.

We all travel in cars: behind the wheel, in minibuses, with friends, by taxi or hitchhiking. And it doesn't matter what we are driving: on a rusty Gazelle with a leaky bottom, in the back seat of an S-class, in a credit Solaris, on my father's SUV or on a rumbling ashtray with clear signs that Adam was still driving his Eve. There is always a risk of getting into an accident. But if you know what to do in an emergency, you can stay alive.

Things to do before you travel

Regardless of what you are going to ride, there are three important things to keep in mind.

Buckle up

No matter how trite it may sound, you always need to buckle up. Of course, you can remember the story that you heard from Uncle Vasya, that his second cousin on his mother’s side survived only because he was not wearing a seat belt.

Statistics show the opposite: seat belts increase the chance of survival by 75%. In a frontal impact, seat belts increase your chances of survival by 2, 3 times, with a side impact - by 1, 8 times, and by a rollover - by 5 times.

Adjust the headrest

They are comfortable to sleep on, but they were not invented for that. They are designed to prevent your cervical vertebrae from fracturing in a rear impact or in the final phase of a frontal impact. So be sure to adjust them before riding. The top of the headrest should be flush with the top of the head.

Choose a safe place

Where you sit also matters. If we are talking about some old car, for example, VAZ-2106 or VAZ-2110, then it would be best to sit behind the driver. The second most secure place is in the middle. The most unreliable place is in front, to the right of the driver. The fact is that the driver at the moment when an accident is already inevitable, at the level of instincts, takes the blow away from himself, exposing the right side of the car to the blow.

If we talk about modern foreign cars, then the safest place in them will be the front passenger one. There are airbags and more advanced seat belts. In the back, the best place will be behind the driver, then the place in the middle.

However, all this only matters if you remember to buckle up. Otherwise, you will have to come face to face with an airbag that takes off at a speed of about 300 km / h.

What to do at the time of the accident

With a frontal impact

Put your hands on the front panel or chair if you are sitting in the back, and your feet on the floor. Pull your head into your shoulders so that your chin is pressed to your chest. When you are first thrown forward, your head will be buried in your chest. When you are thrown back, the headrest will cushion the impact.

If you are driving, put your hands on the steering wheel and your feet on the pedals and the floor. The left foot should press the clutch pedal all the way down or position itself on the platform on the left, and the right foot should press down on the brake with all its might. The seat, by the way, should be adjusted correctly: when the shoulder blades are pressed against the backrest, the outstretched hand should rest on the steering wheel in the wrist area.

With a side impact

If a side impact hits your side, it is best to move away from the impact site as far as possible and lock in by grabbing the back of the seat or the handle of the opposite door. If you are sitting in the back, lie on a chair or on your neighbor's lap and tuck your legs under you so that they do not break from the sharp blow.

If you are in the front seat, you will not be able to kneel down to the driver without interfering with him. So just move away from the place of the intended impact further away, rest your feet on the floor and protect your head with your hands, pulling it into your shoulders, as in a frontal impact.

When struck from behind

If you understand that the impact will occur from behind, put your feet on the floor and press your head against the headrest. If there is no headrest, slide down on the seat and push the back of your head into the backrest. This will almost certainly save you from death, disability, and cervical fracture.

In a coup

Group and lock in, gripping with all your might on something that is still, such as the back of a seat or a doorknob. It is better not to touch the ceiling handles above the doors, they are very frail. Never unfasten your seat belt. It holds you down and prevents you from chaotically moving around the cabin.

When flooded

If the car falls through the ice or falls into a pond, the main thing is not to panic and try to open the doors and windows as quickly as possible in order to surface. If the car is already submerged in the water, the external pressure will prevent it from doing so. Wait until the body is almost completely filled with water. When there is very little air left, you need to take a deep breath, open the doors (the pressure will equalize by this point) and float up.

If you feel that there will be a collision now, but do not understand which side, group: raise your knees to your stomach, pull your head into your shoulders and cover it with your hands. In this position, even if the car is crumpled, it will be easier for you to breathe and wait for help.

Don't feel like jumping out of the car at full speed is a good idea. This only works in Hollywood action movies. In real life, at speeds over 60 km / h, it is safer to stay in a car, especially if it is modern. Programmable crumple zones, harnesses, head restraints and airbags will help you survive.