According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.3 million people die in traffic accidents worldwide every year. The organization estimates that by 2030, there will be up to 3.6 million deaths on the roads. The largest number of victims was registered in the countries of Asia and Africa. In general, for developing countries, road traffic deaths are the fifth leading cause of death.

In Russia, about 27,000 people die in road accidents every year, and the total damage from road accidents reaches 2.5 of the country's GNP. At the same time, in Russia, since 2009, it is customary to consider people who died as a result of an accident if they died within 30 days from the moment of an accident (previously it was 7 days).

A road traffic accident (RTA) is an event that occurred during the movement of a vehicle and with its participation, which can lead to death or injury to people, damage to the vehicle (V) or other material damage.

The country has a road map in the field of road safety.

The risk factors contributing to the onset of an accident are:

• violation of the speed limit;
• alcohol intoxication;
• departure on a faulty vehicle (TC);
• neglect of seat belts and child seats;
• driver fatigue;
• poor quality road surface;
• difficult weather conditions;
• smoking, eating, talking on a mobile phone, loud music in the cabin, controlling the electronic devices of the vehicle while it is in motion;
• uncomfortable shoes (high heels);
• intentionally creating a situation of increased risk of collision.

In an accident, a person is in a stressful situation. This is due to the fact that an accident is an acute situation that threatens human life and health. The body is mentally traumatized. He usually responds to her with standard behavioral responses.

The first reaction. psychomotor agitation

This reaction is characterized by the appearance of a large number of fast, often superfluous movements that are performed without a specific goal. Tachycardia appears, blood pressure rises, the person's attention is disturbed, his speech takes on the character of a monologue, the pace of speech is fast.

The person involved in an accident feels thirsty and hungry. He also has a feeling of fear from what he has done or what has happened. A sense of self-preservation is included, which often makes a person leave the dangerous territory as quickly as possible, incl. escape from the scene of an accident.

Second reaction. Apathy

The variant of behavior in the second reaction is directly opposite to the behavior in the first reaction. The reaction is manifested by a sharp motor inhibition of a person; he is in the same position. There is no reaction to others. The person does not answer questions; when he starts talking, it is very slow and quiet. Breathing becomes rare and superficial (shallow), feelings of thirst and hunger are dulled. Inside a person there is a moral devastation.

It is impossible to cope with such reactions on your own, therefore qualified medical assistance is needed.

If a participant in an accident has one of these reactions, you should know a few simple rules that can ensure the safety of the victim and others:

• if possible, give the victim a sedative;
• be sure to call an ambulance at the scene of an accident;
• it is necessary, as far as possible, to distract the victim from concentrating on his own feelings with questions on extraneous topics, for example, questions about his tastes, hobbies, etc .;
• with extremely sharp behavior of the victim and inadequate actions on his part, you can fix him with the help of improvised means;
• after fixing the victim, it is necessary to monitor his heart rate and breathing;
• it is necessary to take away from a person all objects with which he can harm himself or others, or restrict a person's access to such objects;
• try to keep the victim in sight at all times.

Of course, the onset of the reactions described above is not at all necessary. Most people cope with the resulting mental trauma, and here we need to talk about how to behave after an accident.

Despite the fact that the body did not respond extremely to the received mental trauma in the form of defensive reactions described above, the stressful situation still has an impact.

We hope that these simple rules will help you in a difficult situation.

1. Provide first aid to the injured, if necessary, take the injured to the nearest medical facility (if transportation is possible).
2. Call the emergency services (Ministry of Emergency Situations) and "Ambulance" to the scene of an accident if the consequences of an accident are serious.
3. Call the traffic police or emergency commissioners to draw up a protocol and diagram of an accident.
4. Never be indifferent to what is happening, do not trust other people, even if these people are traffic police officers.
5. Take an active part in all activities at the scene of the accident. If possible, make a photo-video fixation of the place of the accident, the consequences of the accident, the nature of the damage.
6. Carefully read the report on the traffic accident, make sure that important details are indicated there: time of day, lighting (if the accident occurred at night), stopping distance, type of brake track, condition of the roadway at the scene of the accident, weather conditions, visibility at the site of the accident.
7. Never sign blank sheets.
8. Do not go into conflict with an aggressive driver, do not argue with him. When such a driver tries to move objects related to an accident or move a vehicle (even under a plausible pretext), conduct video recording, draw the attention of passers-by. Be prepared for the fact that such a driver will make a presentation during the preparation of the protocol, where he will distort the facts. Remain calm and remember that lies always come to the surface. Only specially trained people can competently lie and not be convicted of a lie.

As for the internal state, then watch your breathing and heart rate (HR). Try to take your mind off the accident. Try to talk to passengers or contact relatives, friends by phone and talk to them about abstract topics. Try to focus your brain on something, such as thinking about what to do next after writing a protocol. Find something good in the current situation, such as the absence of casualties or injuries. Rest assured that everything will be fine. It must be remembered that stress must be overcome and its effect on the body minimized, and in no case should you panic. Be careful and remember the culture on the roads. Uncultured drivers are safer to yield than to try to prove something, much less teach something.

Road traffic accidents are one of the urgent problems of the modern world, constantly taking away human life and health. Injuries in car accidents in Russia annually receive tens of thousands of people of different ages.

In some cases, the victim manages to escape with minor bruises, and sometimes he may remain disabled for the rest of his life. The most common injuries in road accidents are head and spinal injuries. Injuries after an accident can require not only long-term treatment, but also rehabilitation.

recovery program

In the complex of rehabilitation measures, a whole team of specialists from the fields of restorative medicine, psychiatry, neurology, and pedagogy can be involved in working with the patient. Qualified assistance of manual therapists, massage therapists, physical therapy teachers, psychologists is very important. In their work with patients who have suffered severe car injuries, measures are taken to return to normal all motor, behavioral and speech functions.

Special rehabilitation techniques are used for facial injuries that require the intervention of plastic surgeons. The victim often needs to re-learn how to control the facial muscles with the help of special exercises. This process requires a tactful and attentive attitude of doctors. It is important not only to return to the patient the elementary functions to which he is accustomed in everyday life, but also to maintain his self-esteem.

Elderly patients who have been injured in accidents have a particularly difficult time, since the possible number of surgical operations for them is limited by age, healing is slower, exacerbation of chronic diseases is possible along the way, and many functions are not fully restored. This fact is objectively difficult to bear - both for the elderly themselves and for their loved ones, so qualified psychological assistance comes to the fore here.

It is very important for those who have received serious injuries after an accident to be in a calm, safe environment and to eliminate stress. The patient should not be distracted by family, work, domestic problems - all his resources are required for him during this period for recovery. At home, rehabilitation is slower, since it is not always possible to organize proper and qualified care. Patients who have temporarily lost their motor functions rarely manage to be outdoors, socialize, attend cultural events - and yet all these factors play a significant role in their return to normal life.

Recovery course after car injuries

Rehabilitation in a specialized medical center helps not only to attract all the necessary specialists, but also to create comfortable conditions for the patient. is ready to provide its guests with accommodation in modern rooms with specialized medical furniture, organization of their treatment, sports and recreational activities, outdoor walks, and an entertainment program.

In such an environment, surrounded by care and attention, patients, even in the most difficult physical and psychological state, quickly gain confidence in their abilities and begin to recover.

Three heroes from Vladivostok talk about how they got into an accident and survived

Text: Maria Volodina
Photo: from the archive of heroes

On October 17, 2016, three young athletes left Vladivostok in a rented car towards the Krasnoarmeisky district. At the Arseniev-Khabarovsk junction at 05:30 in the morning, the driver lost control and the car flew into a ditch. She made three lateral rolls and crashed into a tree. "Vl3000" asked the participants in the accident to talk about their experience, and the rescuer and psychologist - to comment on it.

On the night of October 17, the driver of a Toyota Voxy minibus was traveling with three passengers to the north of Primorsky Krai. It was necessary to arrive at the destination by noon (the guys were expected with an educational program), so we left Vladivostok at 03:00 at night.

Aleksey * was sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver, Konstantin was lying behind, Maxim was in the second row of the rear seats. At 05:30 in the morning, the driver was distracted by the navigator, lost his vigilance and lost control.

Leaning back the seat, Alex was dozing, but woke up when he heard the alarmed voice of the driver. At speed, the car turned around and swept sideways into a ditch, the car managed to make three full turns until it crashed into a tree.

Alexey:“The car was carried along the gravel road and turned sideways, there was no more than three seconds to think. I grabbed the railing with both hands, tucked my head in, tensed my whole body in anticipation of a blow. The first blow thundered when the car flew into a ditch filled with water. The car rolled over on its side and started spinning. Deafening blows rained down from all sides, broken glass, dirt and water flew around the cabin.

The seat belt allowed me to keep my body tucked up, not fly out of the window, and stay without serious injury. How did I figure out how to group? So I prepared for the strike. I think the experience and the reaction developed during sports helped me.”

After the first blows, several glasses were knocked out, and at one of the revolutions, Konstantin flew out the window.

Konstantin:“I remember absolutely everything, from beginning to end. So clear, like it was today. Before departure, I felt a sharp approach to the turn, pressure to the side, a hard blow. The car began to turn, and literally on the second turn I was thrown out of the side window. After flying about six meters, I landed in the bushes. At the moment of the flight itself, there was nothing that is usually shown in films. Thoughts were calm and clear, and time lasted more slowly than it might seem from the outside - a blow to the ground ... and silence.

After the first blow, there was not a single thought to group or grab onto something. On the contrary, I relaxed and let go of everything that was happening at that moment. I felt glass and things turn over and smash against me. The instinct of self-preservation worked so that the body was completely relaxed - apparently, that's why I escaped with minor injuries.

Another passenger lay unfastened in the back seat, he immediately received several blows to the head.

Maksim:“I didn’t see what was happening, but almost immediately I realized when we drove onto the gravel that now we were kicked. I'm not used to spinning over my head, but this is a little different. My first thoughts were: “Damn, this can't be happening, I'm probably still dreaming. I have to go to the Krasnoarmeisky district, how stupid it would be to die like that.

I can’t remember how my body behaved in general, but then the muscles of the press, back, shoulders and hips ached for a long time. Perhaps in a stressful situation they were in an overstressed state. After the stop, I understood that I had to get out, but I couldn’t remember where we were going and why, who was nearby and why I wasn’t at home at all.

After the car hit a tree, Alexey came to his senses, held a roll call: “Max, Sergey, Kostya, everyone is alive, there are fractures, can you move?” When he was convinced that everyone was safe, he called his colleague in Vladivostok and asked to pick them up from Spassk.

When the guys responded in turn, I was already getting out of the car and wildly glad that everyone was safe. Light bruises of soft tissues, scratches on the face, abrasions - this is a miracle! This day is called the second birthday. For the first time in my life, I was so close to a ridiculous death. These three rotations, like slow motion, imprinted in my head.

Aleksey and the driver began to pull out all the things from the overturned car. The vehicle behind them stopped and illuminated the scene with its headlights.

Konstantin:“When I landed and it became quiet, one of the guys asked: “Is everyone alive?”. I immediately got up. At first there was a small veil in my eyes, but after a few seconds everything dispersed, and I realized: we crashed! I stood barefoot, there was a slight pain in my side, and my head was covered in mud. I was very worried that no one was hurt. Fortunately, everything worked out.

To be honest, leaving the city at three in the morning, I told myself that in the morning I would write and wish good morning to a charming girl. So that she might smile and start her day with that smile. And so, after hitting, twisting, flying and falling, I got up, making sure that everyone was alive, found my phone in the bushes and sent her a message. The thought never left my mind even then. After that, we began to search and collect all our things that were scattered on the ground.

Over time, I am more and more surprised that after all that has happened, of injuries, we have only small cuts, scratches and bruises, and no concussion. ”

Cars passing by stopped several times nearby, the drivers asked if everything was in order and if help was needed. One of them called the police and reported the accident.

Maksim:“When I got out of the car, I started shaking a lot, the guys immediately gave me three jackets. We partially fell into the swamp, we were all wet, but I was shaking, it seems, not at all because of the cold. The understanding came that any of us could remain crippled or die. And although I remembered where we were going, I could not recover for another half an hour.

My head was a complete mess: I have so many plans for this week, now I have to reschedule everything, but among them there are several significant things. I also had to say something important, but I could die and that's it ... Lord, but I have a wife with a child at home, how would she raise him without me? And the feeling of endless fatigue - why is everything so complicated, is it really impossible for happiness to live easier, without such complex schemes?

Alexey called his acquaintances in Spassk-Dalniy, they called a tow truck. Soon after the accident, a traffic police brigade arrived. Maxim limped a little, but they did not call an ambulance. At about 9 am, the guys were already on their way to the hospital. By that time, the adrenaline had subsided, Maxim felt severe pain in his back and feared for his internal organs. All the bones were intact, the tests were normal - he got off with a concussion, bruises and sprains.

Alexey:“I imagined what would happen if I died. How upset my mother, father and brother would be, how I would let the guys and girls who train with me. But what about those areas where we are just going to go? I recalled the most valuable moments of my life: whom I helped, whom I influenced, where I spent the time allotted to me, and once again I was clearly convinced that material things mean nothing when it comes to life and death. I smiled, rejoicing at the salvation, then sad, remembering loved ones. I took a photo in which I smile, this is how I like myself more.

What the lifeguards say

Any accident is a severe physical and psychological test. It is important to behave correctly in an emergency and be able to recover from the incident.

Sergey Udovik, rescuer of the Vladivostok City Search and Rescue Service (MKU "VGPSS"):“The first step is to turn off the car if it is running and call an ambulance. Ambulance staff will report the accident to rescuers, firefighters and police. Next - to check whether the passengers are conscious, to understand who has injuries. The most important thing is to listen to the breath and stop the bleeding. You need to listen to the pulse, but it is not as effective as breathing - you can take your own heartbeat for someone else's.

If a person is pinched by something, in no case should you get him out, so you can only do more harm. The same applies to fixing broken parts of the body: you can only help if you know how. Remember that for all wrong actions you can be held responsible.

Check if the car is on fire (recently, VL.ru wrote about fire prevention). If nothing threatens, then it is better not to pull the person out and first bring him to consciousness, and if the car starts to smoke and burn, then the main thing here is to have time to pull everyone out. If possible, you need to remove the terminals from the battery and put the car on the handbrake or put something under the wheels so that it does not go.

Albina Yakovenko, clinical psychologist:“After an accident, give yourself time to recover: do not drive, move in the transport in which you feel safe, walk.

When you learned to drive a car, the first thing you did was sit in the driver's seat and get used to the dimensions, feel the car. Do the same. Sit in a chair, relax, close your eyes and remember the most pleasant moments in your life - the first date, receiving the desired gift, the day when you first went on the road and realized that the car was listening to you. Try to re-experience your feelings. Start the engine only when you feel that there is no panic. This may take several days.

First, do not rush to leave far from home. Feel the car, try to negotiate with it, press the brake pedal, turn left, right. You must see and understand that the car is not your enemy, it obeys you.

Once you feel comfortable, you can drive onto a busy road. Monitor your condition and feelings. When fear and malaise appear, do not panic, turn to the side of the road, calm down. If everything passed - go on about your business, if not - return to the parking lot.

Perform each stage without haste and violence against yourself. If you have not been able to cope within two to three weeks, then contact a psychologist. He will select a program and exercises that help you, most importantly - do not leave everything as it is. The longer you do not seek help, the more difficult it will be to get out of the state of traumatization.

The head was intact and retained complete clarity of thought. When the glass cut the femoral artery, Lyudmila felt that life was flowing out of her along with the blood. She tried to pinch the artery until her fingers weakened. Already on a stretcher, with tourniquets applied, she found the strength to emerge from oblivion and name her blood type.

The operation went well. The doctor said that she was born in a shirt: no mobility restrictions are expected, no crutches - perhaps even a slight limp will not remain. Of course, recovery will take time.

Lyudmila herself, like many after returning “from there”, felt euphoria: she dreamed of filling life with new meaning, enjoying every moment, not worrying about trifles ...

The body was healed for the first five months. Between procedures, she read a lot, including poetry, the existence of which she had forgotten for twenty years. She remembers this time as very happy: a renewed, bright feeling of life. It seemed that after what she had experienced, there was nothing to be afraid of.

But the very first attempt to get behind the wheel again presented problems. From a short trip around the city, Lyudmila returned in a cold sweat. All the dangers that lie in wait for the driver on the city streets seemed so vivid and real to her that she crossed every intersection, as if under shelling. There was a sudden threat around every corner.

The next test was the sound of breaking glass. The bottle thrown by the boys into the garbage container plunged her into a state of panic: her heart was pounding, her skin became wet ... Then she noticed that all sharp and shiny objects frighten her - not only broken glass, but also kitchen knives, tools ... In rainy weather at night, with a strong gusty wind, she lay awake, waiting for the wind to squeeze out the window panes and scatter them around the room.

Gradually, her fear spread to a variety of things that had nothing to do with the misfortune experienced. Crowding in the subway, a low-flying plane, Chinese fireworks, even just taking the elevator...

Like many survivors of a disaster, attack, war, or other terrible event, she lost her faith in a safe and predictable world. The normal nonchalance that most of us wear like body armor has left her. It seemed to her that the barrier between life and death had become as thin as a cobweb.

She did not think that all her countless fears were somehow connected. She didn't know the phenomenon had a name: PTSD.

Where is the fear?

According to statistics, three out of four face a traumatic event at least once in their lives. And a quarter of those who have experienced trauma experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress: excitement, haunting memories, nightmares, insomnia, detachment, insensibility.

For most people, symptoms resolve within a week, month, or year. For some, they get worse over time. At the same time, the possibility of their treatment is reduced.

This phenomenon was first studied when American doctors working with Vietnam War veterans encountered the syndrome. However, it was known to physicians in the last century, not without reason, after two world wars, the term "traumatic neurosis" appeared.

Two or three decades ago, most psychiatrists considered PTSD to be a purely emotional reaction to an event. Few have thought about whether there is a connection with the neurochemistry of the brain.

Since the mid-1980s, a new generation of specialists has emerged, trained in both psychiatry and neuroscience. It was they who discovered that moments of extreme horror change the chemistry and perhaps even the structure of the brain. And it doesn't matter if it was momentary horror during an accident or prolonged stress during a war.

Biochemistry

Transformation begins immediately at the moment of a threat to life. Our nervous system, knocked out of normal mode into survival mode, releases a powerful dose of adrenaline and other substances that prepare the body for fight or flight. Everyone who has experienced at least once an “adrenaline attack” knows this feeling of clarity of consciousness, speed of reaction, an unexpected surge of strength, thanks to which people with the most modest physical abilities literally set speed records, jump over two-meter fences, climb tall trees along a smooth trunk. ..

When life is endangered for a long time, the body releases other hormones, including cortisol and endogenous opiates. They suppress inflammation, muffle the pain.

But these life-saving biological mechanisms in extreme situations can have a negative impact on the brain. Excessive doses of adrenaline can impair memory and learning ability, in some cases they can cause amnesia.

The state of biochemical "anxiety" persists in people who fought in "hot spots" many years later. Doctors have discovered elevated levels of adrenaline in the urine of traumatized Vietnam veterans twenty years after the end of the war.

What to do?

● Do not hide from yourself or from those around you your problems. It is necessary to talk about them with loved ones, or with a specialist psychotherapist. You can keep a record of your feelings. The last option is good because you can do it at any time of the day. For example, waking up in the middle of the night from a bad dream. Few dare at this moment to wake up loved ones or even call the doctor.

● Do not hesitate to contact the experts. After major accidents, terrorist attacks, the authorities usually inform the population on which phones you can find professional support.

What techniques do psychologists and psychotherapists use?

For example, the "flooding" technique, when the patient again and again revives the traumatic event in his memory, visits a place that reminds him of it, tells again and again about how it happened. For most people, the severity of experiences after this is dulled.

Another technique is processing with the help of eye movement. Within an hour or an hour and a half, the patient restores the circumstances of the traumatic event, while moving his eyes from side to side following the doctor's finger. When this technique was proposed in the late 80s, no one believed that it worked. Today, however, many well-known experts admit that they are amazed by the results. Veterans who have suffered from nightmares for decades have gotten rid of them in a single session.

Fears, worries, fear ... Feelings familiar to everyone who has ever been in a car accident - drivers and passengers of a car

Fears, worries, fear… Feelings familiar to everyone who has ever been in a car accident - drivers and passengers of a car. Scientifically, these conditions are called post-accident syndrome. How to live with it, how to fight? Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Medical Psychology of the Ural State Medical Academy of Additional Education of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation Vladimir Sergeev agreed to consult on this issue.

- These conditions are quite amenable to therapy. Therefore, for a start, it would be nice for a driver who has survived an accident to visit a psychotherapist, putting aside the fear associated with the traditional idea of ​​such specialists for our country.

So, post-accident syndrome. This is a stress disorder, a mental trauma. It happens that the person himself was not injured, only his car was damaged, but the driver still experiences constant anxiety and fear. He is afraid of oncoming and passing cars, everything irritates him, the driving process itself strains ...

It requires treatment with drugs, psychotherapy and for some time a complete cessation of driving a vehicle.

Why can't you drive? The tension of the driver, inevitable in such a situation, reduces the speed of reaction. Moreover, the response may be inadequate. I'll give you an example. A friend of mine went at speed for risky overtaking. He touched a little with the car he was overtaking, it was “striped”, turned around, and then carried into the oncoming lane. Opposite is a car.

But, thank God, the friend's car continued to be carried by an unknown force. He ended up in a snowdrift (it was winter). Only the car was damaged.

Looks like he got off lightly. But! Earned a mental disorder. His sleep worsened. Then he said: as soon as I close my eyes, this picture appears in the smallest details, an obsession is just ...

What can be recommended here? First, the situation should be analyzed in detail. Together with a friend, we analyzed all his mistakes and tried to understand the motivation of other drivers. He felt his share of guilt. I came to the conclusion: there was no need to rush. It was better to wait, not to overtake. However, he hoped that he would carry it, because he had committed similar violations before, and nothing happened.

He did not take into account that there could be ice covered with snow on the road, that it was generally slippery in winter, that an unforeseen car could jump out onto the road from the side. Plus, he realized that he had deliberately violated the rules of the road, and this began to enter his system. But sooner or later, retribution had to come true.

My friend stopped driving for a while. Moreover, the car required repair. After fixing it, he sold the car. And he did the right thing! Because along with the loss of the “unlucky” car, his negative memories noticeably weakened. As a result, he got behind the wheel only six months after the accident. After careful work on consciousness, elimination of fear and all its consequences…

And already behind the wheel of a new car.

Of course, six months is an individual term. For some, the post-accident syndrome lasts less. But you should get behind the wheel only when the fear is overcome: the driver coped with it (not by himself, but with the help of a doctor). After a break, you should try to drive first somewhere in a wasteland in order to fully restore all driving skills.

If you ride, trying to overpower yourself: overcoming fear, experiencing stress, you will harm yourself, consistently destroying your body. The pressure may rise, fatigue will be felt more acutely, more often and to a greater extent, sleep disturbance may occur, as was the case with my friend. Therefore, it is worth really resting, taking sedative medicines in order to fully recover.

After an accident, a mental disorder can occur - the so-called emotional anesthesia. Outwardly, a person may look calm, but in fact he feels a loss of interest in his previous activities, anxiety, feels a sense of remoteness from other people, he develops lethargy, up to stupor. Or, on the contrary, he is haunted by humiliation, anger, shame.

A person endlessly reproaches and blames himself, all the time scrolls through the experienced situation in his mind.

This is also wrong, there must be a limit. It is necessary, I repeat, to realize the degree of your guilt, having analyzed the situation in detail: it may be that not only you were wrong, but also other participants in the movement. Admit your mistake and draw conclusions for the future. Lest something like this happen again!

Some people drink to calm down. This is a big illusion. Alcohol does not relieve stress. It turns off the emotional sharpness for a while, but as soon as the effect of alcohol wears off, all your unpleasant sensations return and, what is most unpleasant, with renewed vigor. A person drinks again and again, destroying his body, and drives questions deep into the depths, not solving them.

As a result, he adds another problem to the existing problems - alcohol addiction. This is the wrong way.

What conclusion can be drawn from what has been said? Unpredictable situations are possible on the road. Do not violate the rules of the road, and you will be able to save your nerves. But if you still have an accident, do not expect that psychological problems will go away by themselves, solve them with the help of a specialist.

Tatyana, 35 years old, driving experience for six years:
- About two years ago I got into an accident: the right mirror on my car was demolished by a cargo "gazelle" when it drove too close. Basically, it's rubbish. But six months later, the situation repeated itself with an accuracy of one hundred percent! Also the right mirror, also a cargo "gazelle" ...

Since then, I have become terribly afraid of "gazelles". As soon as I see them on the road in the immediate vicinity of my car, my hands immediately shake with a small tremor ...

Andrey, Toyota driver:
- After 17 accident-free years, I did have one accident: I met with the "godson" near the intersection. But there were no such "emotions". I didn't even sweat! Just an annoyance for the car.

And the "godson", by the way, was also adequate, although I sent him the entire rear wheel arch on the "twelfth" to the salon, and only crushed my wing. But he himself was to blame, he had at least three opportunities to avoid this accident.

Katya, 25 years old:
I crashed my friend's car. The accident doesn't get out of my head, I can't sleep, I can't get behind the wheel of my car... Fear and panic. And my sister keeps telling me not to drive, that I'll die at the wheel, that I'm not allowed to drive!

My boyfriend, on the contrary, does not blame me for the accident, does not blame me for crashing his car, and insists that I do not stop driving ... They both put a lot of pressure on me. How to be, how to fight ... I understand that I can not cope with fears and problems on my own.

Larisa Ponomarenko, pedestrian:
- I didn’t experience anything like that, but more than one accident happened to my acquaintances, and their behavior after that was absolutely unpredictable. Often the realization of what has happened comes only after some time.

Prepared by TATYANA LOROV