Accident risk & control loop

Understanding how an accident comes about is more useful than memorising statistics. Two simple models are enough: the control loop and the hazard fork.

The three factors

Driver, vehicle and environment influence each other constantly.

DriverVehicleEnvironment

The driver: perception, experience, condition of the moment. By far the most decisive factor.

The vehicle: technical condition, tyres, brakes, load, assistance systems.

The environment: road, weather, visibility, traffic density.

These three form a loop: you perceive, decide, act – then the situation changes and you perceive again. An error at any stage propagates through the whole cycle.

The hazard fork

From a hazardous situation three outcomes are possible – they are decided early.

Situation handledSituation criticalAccident

Every hazardous situation can develop in three ways: it resolves, it turns critical, or it ends in an accident. What decides the outcome is when you react – not how hard.

Remember: the earlier you intervene, the smaller the means required. Easing off the accelerator at the right moment replaces an emergency stop three seconds later.

Where you keep control

Before setting off: vehicle condition, tyres, visibility, your own state.
During the journey: speed, distance, scanning, attention.
In the situation: react early rather than hard.

You rarely get to choose the environment – but you do choose the speed at which you meet it. That is the most effective lever you have.

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Over 800 official questions of the Swiss driving theory exam.

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