The Crash Triangle

Over the years, there has a lot of research done into the factors that go together to cause car crashes with the hope of being able to improve driver education, both at the learner level, but also at the rehabilitation, post incident level so that we see a reduction in killed & seriously injured (KSI) figures

This is a huge subject, that can easily go off on many different tangents, but one of the simplest aspects we can look at easily, is what I call the crash triangle

Many people will remember the “fire triangle” from their science lessons in high school. The principle is that the three factors, fuel, heat & oxygen, all need to be abundantly present in order for a fire to exist & thrive. Fire fighters will look at removing at least one of those factors when they tackle a blaze & obviously removing all three gives the best, most thorough & longest lasting result

In driving, we have a similar triangle for crashing, & just like the fire triangle, a crash can’t happen any of the three factors aren’t present, so drivers who are able to adopt these three good habits & reduce their road risk massively

Let’s take a look at the three items in insolation:

SPEED

We all know that increased speed is linked to increased road & it’s usually the first thing that’s mentioned at the crash scene. The problem is that phrases like “that idiot needs to slow down” & “it’s 30 for a reason you fool” aren’t helpful because their main aim really is to just insult the guy that’s crashed & divert blame away from you! Of course, he’s going to react defensively to that approach & say the same things back to you. It’s very blame focussed & unhelpful

The police (& other emergency services of course), drive above speed limits a lot & aren’t involved in car crashes much (it does happen, they are human!)

So the speed limit itself, isn’t necessarily a guide as to a safe speed to drive at on the road & part of our conversation needs to be that it’s entirely possible for a maximum safe speed to be above the legal maximum limit on any given stretch of road… just illegal if you’re not a member of the emergency services

Good use of speed requires drivers to also have a good understanding of how long it takes to stop their vehicle. The faster you’re moving, the more space you’re committed to travelling through before you come to a stop & vice-versa of course. Committed distance is the name that we give to that space in front of you that you will definitely pass through before coming to a stop

The golden rule of speed is that you must always be able to stop easily within the space you can see to be clear ahead of you (& staying on your side of the road of course)

SPACE

In the same way that having space in front of the car allows a driver to bring a car to a stop if they choose the right speed, some crashes involve drivers who realise, too late, that they need space to their sides too

When passing parked cars for example, the best practice is to leave 1mtr of space in case somebody opens a door

When passing cyclists or pedestrians, best practice is to increase this to 2mtrs, because these things can move sideways, potentially into the path of the passing vehicle (maybe due to wind, or to avoid potholes in the road etc) although both types of road user has intelligence & is road aware

With horses, the best practice is to leave as much as possible because horses of course can also move sideways but may not be as road aware as humans. People forget that horses might get scared by the activity of other animals that are hidden in hedges etc

Finally, it’s worth remembering that risk exists behind the car as well. EVERYONE who runs into the back of the car in front has done so because they didn’t expect the vehicle in front to do what they did. Any su

SURPRISE

So a driver can choose their speed, based on the amount of space that they have around them to keep safe & for this to really work, they need to look around them to eliminate the final part of the crash triangle, which is surprise

We teach learner drivers to look as far up the road as they can, & beyond that if it’s possible

What they means is that they’ll always be able to see up the road to a point where the road disappears from view, but then, if they notice the road bends to the right, they can look over fields to the right to see if there’s anything to learn

For example, you might see the roof of a combine harvester coming towards you over the hedges & given the narrow width of the road, you might decided to slow right down or maybe even pull over into a nearby passing place, to let the larger vehicle through

You might also see signs above the hedges, that may show you that there’s a roundabout around the corner & this may prompt you to think about queues forming just beyond the bend & cause you to reduce your speed

With regards to the vehicle behind you, you might not be totally in control of the amount of space that the driver behind is leaving but you can recognise the risk they’re creating & take steps to reduce that risk by driving in a way that is predictable & gentle. Sudden movements, particularly with the brakes, are what’s going to cause that car to hit the back of you. You can also, in extreme cases, pull over and let them past, but it’s worth recognising that the vast majority of drivers are too close to the vehicle in front of them, so managing the risk is better unless you want to take all day to get to your destination

Remember, nobody crashes because they’re an idiot, but they might crash because they’re too busy listening to the radio to take notice of these clues that the best drivers are noticing constantly – it comes down to how you’d like others to think about what type of driver do you are, do you want to be seen as “average” or “good”?

Hopefully something for you to think about over the weekend… it can help to remember these few phrases:

Less space / less speed / less risk

Always be able to stop easily within the distance you can see to be clear

Keep your eyes on main beam

Nick Heath Driver Training helps people of all levels and abilities with their driving. Established in 2005 and based on the South Cheshire / North Staffordshire border in the UK, I can help you to obtain a licence, become a driving instructor, regain your driving confidence or reduce your road risk for work purposes. I am a regular contributor to local and national radio when driving items come up in the news and am willing to contribute to the wider driver training conversation

Anyone wanting more information should call 0800 8 20 2038