There is hardly a week in which we do not note a serious accident that is the result of a head-on collision. Another serious one happened a few days ago, when a young driver – with a license for 4 months, hit another car head-on on the Primorsko-Kiten road. The young driver died, and five people are in hospital. What can we do if we find ourselves in such a situation… Former racing driver Rumen Dunev speaks to FAKTI.
– Mr. Dunev, another serious accident with the death of a young driver on the road after a head-on collision during an overtaking maneuver. How can we avoid a head-on collision on the road?
– When we see that the situation is becoming critical, but before we get to it, it is good to take a maneuver. When it comes to a critical situation, drivers should know that a head-on collision always results in severe injuries and danger to life. Therefore, they should try their best to avoid the obstacle – be it another car, be it a tree, be it a wall, etc. In order for them to avoid it, the fastest option is to turn the steering wheel. But what actually happens on the road. Drivers who find themselves in such a situation make one basic mistake – they hit the brakes and wait to see what happens. The brake is not the best solution. Yes, it reduces the speed, but if the steering wheel is used to maneuver around the obstacle, it would be many times better. There is an unwritten rule when driving – where the eyes look, the car goes. In such situations, inexperienced drivers stare at the object they are going to hit, or the car is going there. If they shift their gaze to the side, it will give them a wider worldview.
– In the sense that in this way they will see what is happening around them and what opportunities they have?
– Exactly. The brain sometimes instinctively sends impulses and gives them another option, besides the frontal blow, of course. It is best not to fall into such a situation, but surely drivers should know that
in such a critical situation a little more sense is needed.
Naturally, the best option is to avoid it, but people who have already fallen into such a situation, let them look for ways out. Even if they turn into the ditch, the car flips over the roof a few times, it’s a much better option, I can’t say it’s safe – of course drivers have to wear seat belts, but it’s better than the frontal impact. In a head-on collision, there is a huge acceleration and load that the human body cannot bear. The strain experienced by the human body is so great that the victims of such traffic accidents often suffer lacerations of the organs. The medical team that arrived at the scene can hardly provide adequate help.
– If we enter into a hypothesis that we attempt a maneuver and the two motor vehicles collide, for example, right in the right headlight, is this a better option…
– In general, it is a better option, but here we already have a different situation, because we are not talking about a frontal strike, but a cover strike. When covering, it is less special, because the two cars can also pass each other. The horns in the front basket, which are the main load-bearing elements of the body at the front, absorb this impact. With it, the probability that people will survive is many times greater.
– So we can say that this is one option for a way of reacting in a critical situation…
– This type of approach is related to the go-around maneuver. When two cars are moving towards each other and a head-on collision is imminent, it is desirable to make a correction with the steering wheel. We try to get away. But when a right headlight hits a right headlight, the kinetic energy is refracted and the impact is not as severe.
– In general, modern cars, when they are manufactured, are precisely tested for frontal impact. How far modern cars can roll and absorb such a blow. Of course, this all depends on the speed…
– Experiments and statistics show that modern cars will withstand a frontal impact up to 50 kilometers per hour. Air bags will pop, save people. The cars are designed so that the horns themselves at the front of the car will act as a buffer and absorb this impact. A large proportion, I’m talking percentage, of the people in the car that hit head on at 50km/h would have survived. This percentage decreases sharply and depends a lot on the health of the passenger in the car, his age, etc. However, we must note that in a frontal impact, if the speed of one car is 50 km/h and the other is 50 km/h, then the force of the frontal impact is 100 km/h. And the probability of surviving such a traffic accident is minimal.
– And at a higher speed, things get really bad…
– Unfortunately, it’s like that.
– Recently, we have been witnessing more and more accidents caused by young drivers who have had their license for a few months to two years. Is there a way to protect them from this inexperience of theirs. Modern cars are powerful and faster…
– In recent years, many positive measures have been taken towards young drivers. Soon, literally days ago, in the theoretical exam, already young driver candidates will look at situations on interactive videos. This will already be part of their theoretical training. Another positive thing for me is that the route of the exam will not be determined by the examiner, but point “A” and point “B” will be set, and the system will determine the route. The road will be random and will not be one that the driver has been on and knows to do well. A random route is a good thing. Because then, after passing the test, the driver will get into different situations in different places and have to find a way out of them. Work is underway in this direction and the “Automotive Administration” is preparing the necessary methodology. It is also working well to minimize the possibility of buying a driver’s license.
A limit on the power of the cars young drivers can drive would be a positive thing.
I believe that the picture would be different today if such a thing were done. You know that with motorcycles, a 16-year-old rider can ride up to 50 cc, then the category goes up, but according to age.
– The option for a young driver to drive for 2-3 years with a companion until he gains experience…
– To be honest, I don’t think this is a very good measure. Does the companion have to have a license? No such thing is mentioned. In reality, the companion does not have the levers and mechanisms as in a training vehicle to react in critical situations. In my opinion, this measure is not that workable, and the option of just reducing the power of the cars would improve things significantly. And here I want to draw attention to something that, in my opinion, would greatly improve the approach to young drivers and their abilities. It is high time in Bulgaria to build training grounds for drivers in a controlled environment. Thus, every young driver who gets a car will be able to practice. What is the first thing a young driver wants to see when he gets into a car…
– How much can he lift…
– Unfortunately, that’s right. And in Bulgaria there is no place where one can do this in a controlled environment. And since there is nowhere, this usually happens either on the boulevards in Sofia or on the highway. And then when someone takes the right of way, serious crashes happen. So my appeal to the state is rather to invest in such facilities, because in Bulgaria every year we lose about 1000 people in accidents, and hundreds more are very seriously injured. Respectively, the victims then depend on the health and social system. If a cursory calculation is made, it will be seen that a large part of these costs, which are the result of traffic accidents, can be avoided if there are similar facilities where young drivers can acquire additional skills.
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2023-07-10 09:58:00
#avoid #headon #collision #road #Rumen #Dunev #front #FACTS
