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Thread: G4 head-on collision fatality

  1. #21
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    I saw the stories in my email alerts yesterday.

    Who knows what the circumstances were and whether it was potentially avoidable, but the driving school I taught for (years ago) used to teach & practice (simulated) head-on collision avoidance maneuvers in 2-lane highway situations just like this.

    Imminent collision coming at you in your lane?

    1) if you have time, signal right (communicate so you don't BOTH end up heading the same direction to avoid the crash)

    2) maintain speed

    3) drop the right tires onto the shoulder and as smoothly as possible steer the left tires over to run near the edge of the asphalt

    4) when clear, while holding speed, steer the right tires gently back onto the asphalt

    5) find somewhere safe to stop to change your shorts

    In the above scenario, there's enough room for 3 normal size cars to pass all at once on a typical 2 lane highway.

    The rationale for maintaining speed through the maneuver was to avoid putting the driver into a situation where they were (A) rapidly changing speed (B) while steering, while also (C) going off a high-traction surface (asphalt) onto a low-traction surface (gravel). That's a recipe for loss of control/rollover for a typical driver, never mind a novice one.
    I was taught that you should do pretty much anything you can to avoid a head-on, as these are the worst kind of accidents you can be in. The logic being, any way you crack up your car avoiding the head-on will be less lethal than the head-on.



  2. #22
    Of course. If it's a situation where your only choice is to wrench the wheel and slam on the brakes, go for it!

    Another thing I thought of this AM (while driving on a 2-lane highway):

    Headlights on for safety.

    We've had DRLs on all cars in Canada since sometime in the 90's. I know some cars in the States have them, but not all.

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  3. #23
    Just A Mirage!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    I was taught that you should do pretty much anything you can to avoid a head-on, as these are the worst kind of accidents you can be in. The logic being, any way you crack up your car avoiding the head-on will be less lethal than the head-on.
    That's what I've always had in mind. If I had the choice, I'd rather sideswipe the car to the right of me that's going closer to the same speed as me, than to hit something head-on that's going a much different speed. It's that speed differential that'll determine how back it's going to be.

    Maybe it's just me, but it always seems like a lot of crash tests have shown that not just head-on crashes, but slight overlap are the worse kind (vs. dead-on). Does anyone else notice that?

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  4. #24
    Yeah, overlap seems worse. There's less crumple zone to crumple in an overlap verses straight head on. And there isn't much metal there behind the fenders.
    Mirage videos:

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  5. #25
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by phaux View Post
    Maybe it's just me, but it always seems like a lot of crash tests have shown that not just head-on crashes, but slight overlap are the worse kind (vs. dead-on). Does anyone else notice that?
    Crash tests are intentionally offset for that very reason.

    https://www.iihs.org/ratings/about-our-tests
    Simplify and add lightness.

  6. #26
    Senior Member AtomicPunk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    Yeah, overlap seems worse. There's less crumple zone to crumple in an overlap verses straight head on. And there isn't much metal there behind the fenders.

    Many moons ago, when I was a Honda tech, we were at a Honda training facility. Topic of the day was airbags, and how people overestimate their effectiveness. Instructor told us in a collision there are always 3 impacts:

    1. Car into other car/tree/etc.
    2. Your body into the seatbelt/airbag
    3. Your internal organs against your body

    A lot of times, the safety devices work great. But at higher speeds or harder impacts, there isn't much that can be done. The way the heart hangs in the chest, a severe sudden stop often rips the aorta away from the heart. Not to mention the head trauma from brain hitting skull.

    Did I mention I left flat rate work to get my BSN? I've worked in the ER and the ICU; make sure you're all prayed-up before you hit the road, folks. Nobody ever thinks it will happen to them...

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  8. #27
    Yeah and wear your seat-belt. Heads go threw them surprisingly easy. And become detached just as easily. So you're gonna have a bad time. And don't forget to bring a towel. And a helmet.
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  9. #28
    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    Yeah and wear your seat-belt. Heads go threw them surprisingly easy. And become detached just as easily. So you're gonna have a bad time. And don't forget to bring a towel. And a helmet.
    No matter where I go or what I do, I ALWAYS bring a towel. Towel could save your life one day, just saying.

  10. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    I was taught that you should do pretty much anything you can to avoid a head-on, as these are the worst kind of accidents you can be in. The logic being, any way you crack up your car avoiding the head-on will be less lethal than the head-on.
    If you're driving a Mirage, yes. Theoretically, two equal cars heading-on (is that the correct verb?) with the same speed, get the same deceleration as if they smashed a concrete wall right-angled, and so have he same damage (both car and driver).
    So in that case avoiding a head-on by driving into the wall won't help you. (But the other car lost it's opponent, and can have no damage at all).

    Things change when the cars are not equal. The heavier car will decelerate less, and have less damage. The lighter car will decelerate more, and so have more damage.
    Odds are that a Mirage is the lightest of the two, so yes, you'd try to avoid a head-on. On the other hand, if you're in a Hummer, and you have the choice between a head-on with a Mirage and a right-angled crash into a firm concrete wall, or a substantial tree, for your own health you'd better choose the Mirage.

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  11. #30
    Where's the leak ma'am? Marklovski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    No matter where I go or what I do, I ALWAYS bring a towel. Towel could save your life one day, just saying.
    Yeah I got some random stuff in my car like a blanket, med kit, cords, etc.


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