I would like to thank Gary Franks for his help in loading the car ready to go to the Emergency Services Show, and Nick Carrington, Kevin Hugo, Chris Oldland, Dave Venman, Greg Scawen, and Oliver Graham for their help at the show.

The day went exceptionally well and seemed to be the busiest we have ever been at a show with many enquiries being received. Now we will keep our fingers crossed and hope that all our efforts will have helped to attract some new members to the group.

Monica

This month’s presentation was one of the most comprehensive and thought-provoking I have seen for some time – any presentation which turns the Wiltshire RoADAR crowd quiet at several points must be good.

Our guest presenter, Perry Payne, recently retired after 31 years service in the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service. For the older readers who remember the Wiltshire Fire Brigade, the addition of “Rescue” has been prompted in large part by the fact that the Wilts FRS helps ten times as many people in car crashes as it does in fires. And indeed, car crashes are no longer “RTAs” (Road Traffic Accidents) but “RTCs” – Road Traffic Collisions. As advanced drivers, we all know that there’s little accidental about a coming together of vehicles, but in the vast majority of cases lacking or entirely absent driving skills are the culprit.

Perry’s interest in the mechanisms by which RTCs injure people, or cause life-threatening or life-changing injuries, was sparked by a crash on the M4 between the two Swindon junctions. Despite extricating the 17-year-old casualty (who had suffered serious head injuries) within 11 minutes of arrival, he died the next day in hospital. Given that the FRS and Ambulance services has got the casualty to hospital within the so-called “Golden Hour”, Perry wanted to know why the crash had killed the teenager. That interest lead directly to his current work.

The latest RoSPA figures (from 2012) show that RTCs in the UK killed 1754 people, seriously injured 23039, and slightly injured almost another 194,000. In total, this is more than the population of Swindon – the first sobering thought. One third of the fatal casualties were at work – driving to/from work, driving for work and so on.

The measurable direct financial cost of one RTC is about £1.9 MILLION pounds – over the year, other sums related to RTCs bring the figure to £17 BILLION pounds. While the numbers are large, the analogy Perry used of a pebble in a pond causing ripples was immediately more recognisable – the death of an individual spreads much further than the immediate family or families affected and is the one which is remembered longer.

The majority of the presentation was given to an explanation of the mechanisms which cause injury. In a serious RTC there are in fact three separate collisions – the first is of the vehicle into another object, be it another vehicle, road furniture or trees and hedges. This impact will almost certainly deform the vehicle and the extent of the crushing will determine what happens next.

The second collision is when the body strikes parts of the inside of the vehicle – if the primary collision has deformed the safety cage, then the momentum of the body and the position it was in will cause further injuries – for example holding the steering wheel with arms braced and crossed will result in broken arms as the body continues onwards, and the steering wheel comes backwards.

The third collision is one which can be least seen but most serious. The internal organs will continue to move and major arteries such as the aorta can be torn – the volume of blood which is then lost is almost always swiftly and certainly fatal.

The injuries sustained can be predicted based on the type of accident – the physics of the accident and human physiology contribute to the end result.

Frontal impacts cause leg and arm injuries as the passenger compartment is crushed, and the dashboard, pedals and steering wheel come closer to the occupant. Side-on impacts break arms, ribs, the pelvis and the legs and cause head injuries – even if the skull is not fractured, it will strike the side window causing the brain to shake in the skull, and potential bleeding. Rotational impacts will cause all manner of injuries, especially if the vehicle strikes other objects in its path.

All these injuries happen even in modern vehicles with all the safety aids you can think of. Passive aids designed into the vehicle structure such as crumple zones, side impact bars and laminated windscreens reduce the energy transmitted to the body. Passive aids inside the vehicle like seatbelts, airbags all around and even the humble head restrain the occupant and help prevent impact with the inside of the vehicle. Active aids such as seatbelt pre-tensioners reduce the movement of the body even further.

Despite these improvements in vehicle safety, people still die in RTCs. Even if you are using your advanced driving skills at the time, there are simple things you can do to minimise your risk of injury and maximise your chances of survival in a big smash. Firstly always adjust the head restraint to the appropriate position for you, not the previous or next occupant – this stops the head hyper-extending backwards and causing neck, head and spinal injuries. Then always wear your seatbelt – being flung around the inside of a moving vehicle will probably not only kill you, but any passengers you may have.

Lack of space means that this is a small sample of a great talk - there was so much information it has been difficult to condense it down. Suffice to say, if you see Perry listed as a speaker then try to get along to hear him!

Dave Venman