Preparing For A Collision

Posted on: 30 August 2016

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Too often, a collision with another vehicle seemingly comes out of nowhere. On those occasions, your safety equipment is the best hope you have to remain safe. Sometimes, you will be able to see that a crash is inevitable. When that situation occurs, you can take steps to minimize the damage to you and your vehicle if you react quickly enough.

Speed

When you see that crashing is inevitable, you need to do what you can to slow down. That might seem like an obvious step, but drivers often freeze in anticipation of the upcoming impact. In almost all instances, hitting the brakes is the best strategy. Do not pump them. Your anti-lock brakes will do that for you. Simply press the pedal to the floor.

There are rare exceptions to this rule. If you see an opening to dart around the upcoming obstacle, you can actually accelerate to accomplish this maneuver; however, you need to go to the right. Going left may mean you are struck by oncoming traffic, a fate worse than the original scenario. Remaining at your current speed is never the right answer, however.

Angle

Try not to hit the object straight on. You and your car will be safer if you drive into the collision at an angle. Experts urge you to try and strike the obstacle at or behind your rear wheels. If you can't do that, try and strike the other car or guard rail as far back on your vehicle as possible. With luck, your seat belts and airbags will do the rest to protect you from harm.

Brace Yourself

You may have heard that relaxing your body before an impact will minimize the injury you suffer. The opposite is true. You should brace yourself as much as possible. Press your body back hard against the seat. Make certain that your neck is firmly against the headrest to help prevent whiplash. Your tendons and ligaments will be in better shape after the collision if you do. Staying loose is not only difficult to accomplish, it's the wrong action to take.

If you know that you are about to collide with something, you can make a few split-second decisions that may help you emerge with minimal injury. Your vehicle may also benefit from these steps and require less collision repair. Try to stay calm and logical in these situations if possible to make them less traumatic. Once the collision has occurred, call for medical help if needed and contact your insurance agent as soon as possible.

For more information for what to do after an accident, contact local professionals like Fenza's Auto Body Inc.