How To Survive In A Car
When traveling by car, even a minor breakdown or error in driving can lead to the need to fight for your own life. In this situation, remaining calm and making only carefully considered decisions is essential.
This approach will enable survival and save all its passengers from death. We invite you to study a step-by-step algorithm of actions in case of various extreme situations that can happen to anyone.
Car falling into the water
When driving across a bridge over a river or near a body of water close to the road, there is a possibility of ending up in water. This can happen due to malfunction of the brakes and other components of the car, driver error, poor asphalt condition and other reasons.
To save yourself in this situation, you must adhere to a specific algorithm of actions. First, you need to eliminate panic and unfasten your seat belts quickly. Passengers should do the same. If someone cannot perform such actions independently, the people sitting nearby should come to the rescue.
Next, you need to assess the situation quickly. If the depth of the reservoir is not too great, then, most likely, only the front part of the car will go underwater, and the rear will remain on the surface. An airbag forms in it, so the driver and the passenger sitting next to him should try to get to the back and wait for help.
In cases where the car is entirely in the water, you must try to open the window. In modern models that are sold in car dealerships and at a car auction in Indianapolis, Chicago, San Jose, New York and other cities, electronics are responsible for this operation which will stop functioning after the first drops of moisture enter.
Despite this, it may work, and the window will open. You must knock out the glass with some heavy object if all attempts are unsuccessful. This must be done quickly to gain a few precious seconds.
After you break the window, you need to get out of the cabin and immediately head up. In disorientation, you can follow the air bubbles, which will always tend to the surface. After getting out of the water, you need to assess your condition and the condition of other people in the car.
If necessary, injured passengers should be helped to get ashore. In the end, it is essential to call doctors. This should be done even in cases where the current condition of all people does not cause concern.
A vehicle breakdown in winter
During a winter trip in wild places with no nearby settlements or passing vehicles, you need to be as careful as possible since, in such a situation, any breakdown can lead to the need to survive in the cold.
When the problems described have already happened, you need to eliminate panic and think through your actions.
Immediately after a breakdown occurs, estimating the distance to the nearest highway or populated area is necessary. This can be done using a battery-powered navigator, which can provide you with valuable data for several more hours, or a smartphone.
If the distance to the saving point on the map is less than 35-40 km (it is believed that in the cold, it will be difficult for the average person to walk more than 40 km without serious adverse health consequences), then you need to leave the car, take the essentials with you and hit the road on foot.
In cases where the nearest road or city is more than 40 km away, it is better to stay in the car and wait for help from rescuers.
You must find a way to warm up after choosing the waiting option. If there are blankets or warm clothes in the car, then they must be used. Also, to increase the temperature, you can cover the vehicle with snow, cover the windows with excess clothing or any fabric products, and close all the cracks through which cold air can enter the cabin.
In addition, all passengers need to sit as tightly as possible to warm each other with the warmth of their bodies. If help is delayed and the air temperature drops, you should try lighting a fire next to the car.
For this, it is best to take branches of trees growing in the immediate vicinity. If you are parked in a field and the nearest plants are very far away, you must burn various parts of the car. These may include tires, seats, interior trim elements, etc. After waiting for help, you should immediately contact a doctor. They can help in case of frostbite and other health problems.
Car hovering over an abyss
Excessive speed, malfunctioning controls, or collisions with other vehicles can result in the car ending up hanging over a precipice (for example, over a cliff). In this situation, it is essential to assess the degree of risk immediately.
If only one wheel is hanging, the likelihood of falling will be minimal. It is enough to open the doors and leave the cabin carefully in this situation. However, when two wheels are above the cliff, the problem becomes critical, and the probability of a negative outcome becomes high.
In such cases, it is essential not to disturb the existing balance; otherwise, one careless movement can tilt the car more, and it will fall into the abyss.
The following action should be an attempt to normalize the situation. To do this, people in that part of the car hovering over the abyss need to lean back or move forward as carefully as possible. For example, if the front wheels are hanging, people need to move away, and if the rear wheels are on the ground, they need to move closer.
After stabilizing the car’s position, you need to sit without moving for a few more tens of seconds. This will make it possible to ensure the situation does not change for the worse. Then, you can gradually get out of the salon.
First, this should be done by passengers sitting in the part on the road and only then by people on the side hovering over the abyss. Each movement should be performed carefully and slowly. If you cannot leave the car alone, you must remain motionless and call rescuers for help.
If your car fell into the water, hovered over an abyss, or stalled in a cold winter forest, there is no need to rush to say goodbye to life.
It is enough to perform a few correct actions, and your chances of salvation will increase. If you carefully read our article, you already know what to do in this or that emergency and you can help yourself.
