Not long ago, a deadly head-on collision on B1 highway happened between Otjiwarongo and Otavi, claiming nine fatalities. This week, another, tragic accident involving an Intercape bus and a minibus on the same route claimed the lives of two women. 

A head-on collision is just as deadly as it sounds; when two vehicles crash into each other, front-end first. It happens when the driver of a vehicle crosses the centre line or a median, and runs into an approaching vehicle. That is, hitting a motor vehicle coming from the opposite direction, mostly while attempting to overtake, or when a driver enters a divided highway on the wrong side of the divider. 

These types of collisions are often deadly because most drivers do not see the vehicle coming, or do not have the time to safely manoeuvre away.  Head-on collision often occurs because of driver distractions, fatigue, intoxication  and bad decision-making like speeding or poorly executing a passive manoeuvre.  

All drivers, no matter what age or experience level, can reduce their risk of being involved in head-on collision by practising alert and safe driving with anticipation.

While head-on collisions may not happen very frequently, they are one of the most dangerous types of accidents. 

Knowing the dangers of these types of accidents may help keep one safe behind the wheel. Head-on collisions are often hard to avoid, and are shocking events. Victims often don’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. It is not right that another driver’s negligence can leave one’s life devastated. 

There are ways the driver can increase his chances of avoiding a head-on crash. One of those ways involves following the four R for avoiding head-on collision, which are: 

The driver needs to scan ahead to the top of the next hill, curve or intersection to recognise hazards. This will assist the driver to see and react faster if an oncoming vehicle crosses the centre line, and for the driver to check the shoulder of the road, to see if he has got room to pull over. The driver also needs to watch the space between the right front tyre of any approaching vehicle and the centre line, and if the spacing is becoming smaller, the situation already sends the message that the vehicle may be about to stray into your lane. 

Drivers need to drive slightly to the left of the centre lane to create an extra space between that specific driver and other vehicles. On multi-lane roadways, the driver needs to leave one lane to the right open. And, when facing a head-on collision, the driver in the right lane needs to shift left cautiously, even onto the shoulder. The driver needs not to swerve into the left lane. Because if the other driver instinctively pulls his vehicle back into the proper lane, there will undoubtedly be a collision in that lane. 

If one sees hazards ahead, immediately reduce speed. This gives the driver extra time, and gives the incoming driver to recover and move back into his correct lane. The driver should not slam on the brakes or swerve, and should never stop his vehicle immediately. Because if one stops abruptly and completely, you may be struck from behind, and potentially be pushed forward into the oncoming vehicle. 

If the driver chooses to ride onto the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision, his chances of survival are much better on the shoulder. If the driver must hit something, he must steer his vehicle to hit the object with a glancing blow rather than head-on. Every inch off-centre reduces the impact of the collision and increases his chance of survival. 

There’s also one way to reduce the risk of collision, and that is to follow traffic rules. Always obey speed limits and stop signs, use turn signals when applicable, do not pass other vehicles in no-passing zones, or blind spots and intersections, and pay attention to traffic lights. By following these basic rules of the road, one can help reduce the chances of getting into an accident. Also, to avoid colliding with a vehicle in front, look well ahead for hazards, brake lights and turn signals, and always maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front so that you have enough room to stop safely.  Importantly, turn on your headlights to bring an oncoming driver’s attention to your presence, even during the day. Be prepared to drive onto the shoulder of the road if another driver appears to be headed in your direction. Never straddle or hug the centre line. This is just asking for a head-on collision, either from distracted drivers driving
towards you, or from a slip of your hand that takes you into the oncoming lane. 

Essentially, the first step to good driving and avoiding collision is to identify, well in advance, real and potential hazards. From the thousands of objects in one’s field of vision, one must learn to filter out those that do not provide one with information relevant to the driving task.  

Therefore, a driver must pay attention to his driving, and traffic around him. He must not be texting or phoning, putting on make-up, sharing, changing clothes or whatever else. Any activities that aren’t directly needed for one’s driving are distractions that take at least some of one’s attention and brain power that would be better utilised to make one a safe driver, or to compensate for the less-safe practices of other drivers. 

In closing, the crash fatality in Namibia was recently estimated to be 23.9 per 100 000 population.  According to the Motor-Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, about 72% of road accidents are caused by human error. Such a high rate of road deaths exacts serious social and economic stress on the country. Some collisions are more dangerous than others, but all of them have hazardous outcomes of unsafe driving.  Most collisions occur due to speeding and not obeying traffic laws. The responsibility of every driver is to minimise the risk of hitting cars, pedestrians or other objects on the road.