How You Panic
Jul. 31st, 2006 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebYesterday evening, three of us went on a walk. Not long into the walk, we witnessed a car crash.
I'm not sure who's at fault from a legal or insurance perspective. I suppose it was the driver who, without signalling, turned left in front of incoming traffic, then saw the car coming and put on her brakes so that she came to a halt while still in the other person's lane. She could have prevented the accident by watching for and then waiting for oncoming traffic, and she could still have avoided it by applying the accelerator more strongly once she noticed the approaching car.
On the other hand, I feel sure that the other driver could have avoided the collision by using her brakes, and Robin feels she could have avoided the collision by swerving to the left a little; there was no car coming the other way in the lane to her left.
We walked over to the accident in case anyone was hurt or the police needed witnesses. No one needed our help. We did learn than if you are in a collision that releases your airbag into your face, and then you can't feel the bottom half of your face, but your friends assure you that it still looks like a regular face (not smashed or bleeding or anything), then you're probably okay. It really stings because you'll have abrasions, and there will be baking soda from the airbag embedded into your abrasions, so once you rinse off your face with plain water, you should feel much better.
So this leads me to the topic of panic. The first driver panicked by slamming on her brakes. This did not work for her. The second driver panicked by freezing. This did not work for her.
I once decided that there are three ways that people typically react in an emergency. One is to take in the situation and take action, making things better. One is to overreact, generally making things worse. And the third is to do nothing.
I am the third kind. Here is why I think that.
1) In driver's ed, we had a simulation section where we got into pretend cars in front of a movie screen and pretended we were steering properly, signalling, braking, etc., along with the film. On the last day was the unit with emergencies, but they didn't warn us. They just said get in your car, as usual. Then the truck in front of us came to a sudden unexpected stop. If I had really been driving, I would have just sat there, slamming into the back of the truck. Not good.
2) Also when I was a teenager, there was a small fire in my brother's bedroom. My response was to wander around the house looking for blankets that we wouldn't mind ruining by throwing them over the fire. Then I saw my dad bringing a pot of water from the kitchen. Duh! Water puts out fires. We made several trips from the kitchen before remembering that right across the hall was a bathroom from which we could get water much more quickly.
3) Again as a kid, once when I was camping and it was raining really hard, I really had no idea what we should be doing. Finally we all ended up taking our tents down and getting driven to a church while much of the area was getting flooded. We heard a rumor that a baseball game at the Astrodome got cancelled because of flooding that next day.
While I wish I was a can-do person during emergencies, I'm just not. At least I am suggestible, so as long as someone knows what they're doing, I can be helpful.
Do you know how you respond in emergencies, and if so, how do you know this?
I'm not sure who's at fault from a legal or insurance perspective. I suppose it was the driver who, without signalling, turned left in front of incoming traffic, then saw the car coming and put on her brakes so that she came to a halt while still in the other person's lane. She could have prevented the accident by watching for and then waiting for oncoming traffic, and she could still have avoided it by applying the accelerator more strongly once she noticed the approaching car.
On the other hand, I feel sure that the other driver could have avoided the collision by using her brakes, and Robin feels she could have avoided the collision by swerving to the left a little; there was no car coming the other way in the lane to her left.
We walked over to the accident in case anyone was hurt or the police needed witnesses. No one needed our help. We did learn than if you are in a collision that releases your airbag into your face, and then you can't feel the bottom half of your face, but your friends assure you that it still looks like a regular face (not smashed or bleeding or anything), then you're probably okay. It really stings because you'll have abrasions, and there will be baking soda from the airbag embedded into your abrasions, so once you rinse off your face with plain water, you should feel much better.
So this leads me to the topic of panic. The first driver panicked by slamming on her brakes. This did not work for her. The second driver panicked by freezing. This did not work for her.
I once decided that there are three ways that people typically react in an emergency. One is to take in the situation and take action, making things better. One is to overreact, generally making things worse. And the third is to do nothing.
I am the third kind. Here is why I think that.
1) In driver's ed, we had a simulation section where we got into pretend cars in front of a movie screen and pretended we were steering properly, signalling, braking, etc., along with the film. On the last day was the unit with emergencies, but they didn't warn us. They just said get in your car, as usual. Then the truck in front of us came to a sudden unexpected stop. If I had really been driving, I would have just sat there, slamming into the back of the truck. Not good.
2) Also when I was a teenager, there was a small fire in my brother's bedroom. My response was to wander around the house looking for blankets that we wouldn't mind ruining by throwing them over the fire. Then I saw my dad bringing a pot of water from the kitchen. Duh! Water puts out fires. We made several trips from the kitchen before remembering that right across the hall was a bathroom from which we could get water much more quickly.
3) Again as a kid, once when I was camping and it was raining really hard, I really had no idea what we should be doing. Finally we all ended up taking our tents down and getting driven to a church while much of the area was getting flooded. We heard a rumor that a baseball game at the Astrodome got cancelled because of flooding that next day.
While I wish I was a can-do person during emergencies, I'm just not. At least I am suggestible, so as long as someone knows what they're doing, I can be helpful.
Do you know how you respond in emergencies, and if so, how do you know this?
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no subject
on 2006-08-01 04:43 am (UTC)I haven't had any life threatening emergencies that I could do anything other than watch myself in -- of the 2 bad car accidents I've been in one was on ice, and I tried (and failed) to steer out of, the other was the other driver's fault and I tried (and failed) to get away from her.
I've had weird emergencies that mostly involved flooding -- many years ago I lived with a roommate who had a massively huge fishtank, and one morning it sprung a leak while we were asleep. I finally heard it and ran in to tell my roommate about it, then ran around unplugging things that were plugged in (I was imagining electrocution). Don't think that was a great response, as his response was to move the fish (gasping along in about 2 inches of water) to another tank first. A much better response, I'm thinking. At least for the fish.
I've had flooding now in two different apartments due to storms, and mostly I called my landlords to deal with it. Then moved stuff out of the way. And sort of wrung my hands helplessly.
My mom fell in our house a few months ago and called me to come and get her up off the floor. I drove all the way home from work, couldn't lift her up, wanted to call an ambulance, but then she got herself up and I took her and her broken shoulder to the ER. Best action: probably should have called the ambulance from work. In fairness, I suggested that to her but she wanted none of it.
Finally, the other day from my window I saw my landlord's 2 year old kid on his little tricycle pelting down our slanty driveway toward the busy street in front of my house and I was out the door and down the stairs before I had time to think about it -- only then did I realize he was turning around and heading back up, completely in control. But I think I probably should have just called out to his father, who was much closer (but had his back turned).
So I guess I spring into action, but it isn't necessarily the right action! I'd probably be leaping into the waters from the Titanic instead of getting into a lifeboat. But I might call the steward first and point out the problem. I'm all helpful like that.
no subject
on 2006-08-02 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-08-01 09:22 am (UTC)Of the three, only the first was life-threatening (the guy was just being a jerk), but I reacted pretty much identically in all three situations: emotions on hold, slight feeling of unreality (shock?) and brain in overdrive until the situation was dealt with. THEN -- especially in the case of the tree -- I freaked.
Not so sure about driving emergencies, though. I've had a couple of minor ones, and I have the impression that I respond a little less collectedly to them.
no subject
on 2006-08-02 02:59 am (UTC)This reminds me of people who can hang on to everything through finals, and then they immediately get sick. It's as if they've been holding it off as long as necessary. It's a good skill!
emergency response
on 2006-08-01 11:37 pm (UTC)I'm not a skillful driver, and my usual response to a driving emergency is to BRAKE. (This is why it's good that I have ABS and, now, stability control - so I can brake as hard as I want and still swerve also.) The one big accident I ever got into was my fault; I started to run a red light by accident, realized it at the last minute, and decided not to stop because what are the odds a car will be right there where I can't see? Only a car was right there and hit me.
I think I respond well to crime emergencies. I am usually ready to pull out my cell phone at the first sign of trouble. I sprang away like a springbok once when a suspicious car pulled up next to me on a deserted street. I often have dreams in which I am threatened by criminals and I respond correctly and effectively (e.g., by running away screaming).
In my opinion, the key to dealing with emergencies is thinking about them ahead of time. Obviously you can't prepare for everything that might ever happen in your whole life, but you can think through a lot of situations (roommate is lying on the floor apparently unconscious; stove is on fire; basement is filling with water; all of the above) and mentally rehearse your responses (dial 911, kneel beside roommate; reach for container of flour kept in pantry, pour on fire; call a plumber; freak out!)
I'm sure this is true of driving situations also. Sometimes you can even practice things like emergency braking or swerving (when the road is empty). If you have ABS, it is helpful to practice how that feels too - try it when there is a patch of ice or a pool of water around in an empty lot so you don't have to brake super-hard to activate it.
Tam
Re: emergency response
on 2006-08-02 03:04 am (UTC)For stove fires, does whole-grain flour work as well as regular? It's got that oily wheat germ in it. I did decide that I would be too chicken to put a lid on a pot that has a fire in it. Maybe a cookie sheet, so I wouldn't have to put my hand so close.
I saw one person who caught something on fire for fun, but then it got out of control, and his automatic response was to quickly throw it in the trash. This doesn't work so well. People who automatically quickly throw flaming things into the sink do better.