Jumping off a moving vehicle is a dangerous move, however, there are times when doing it is the only option for survival. How then do you jump off a moving car safely? That’s the scary big question in the minds of many.
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There are so many fun and crazy things many dream of doing with their cars. Some daydream about drifting their car across a race track while others hope to perform some of the crazy driving stunts you see on TV.
However, one car stunt nobody really dreams of is jumping off a moving car. In fact, people only jump off a vehicle in motion when they feel their lives are under threat.
As dangerous as jumping off a moving car is, there are instances where doing just that saves your life. It could be that your car is on fire and the risk of the vehicle exploding is very high or you are cornered in your car and jumping out is the only option of survival.
So, in the event a dangerous scenario like the one mentioned above presents itself and you have no choice but to jump off your car, how then can you go about the whole jumping off thing in a manner that is relatively less dangerous?
This article will help highlight the safety steps to jump off a moving car safely, in a manner that you do not end up killing yourself or aggravating the level of injuries you are likely to sustain.
Essential Safety Tip for Jumping off a Moving Vehicle
We don’t pray for situations that require one jumping off their vehicles to occur. But, here are safety tips to memorize on the rare occasion it does occur.
- Be Mentally Prepared to Jump
This is obviously the first and most important step to being able to jump off a moving car. You must be mentally prepared for the task, or else you will likely not jump at all or go about the jump the wrong way.
Unfortunately, in some instances, you may not have so much time to make that decision as the event may come up really fast especially when your car is on the verge of exploding while in motion.
At some other times, the conditions though dire might still allow you a good deal of time before you may have to jump. Either way, you must be mentally prepared for the jump.
Safety Tip: If your car is not on the verge of exploding, please do not jump off the car. Rather, carefully but quickly bring the car to a halt while also hurriedly stepping out of the car and moving a safe distance away from it. Remember, jumping off a moving car should only be attempted as a last resort.
Secondly, if you are being kidnapped or held hostage in your car, make sure you are in a position where you can make the jump. If you are being held by “One Chance” criminals, please only attempt the jump where there is a good population of people around who can easily come to your aid. Please do not attempt it when the odds are stacked against you, rather following your abductors’ instructions is advised.
- Choose a Good Condition
Some conditions will reduce the force of impact and the degree of injuries you may likely sustain from making the jump. Below are some of these conditions you should look out for:
- First, ensure to look out for a bend ahead and try to make the jump when the car you are travelling in is making that bend. Also, make sure you jump in a direction opposite to the direction the car is travelling.
For instance, if the car is making a left turn, jump out of the car through the door on the right side, directly opposite to the direction the car is travelling. If you are the driver look for a right turn ahead and then make your jump from the driver’s side door when the car is traveling through the right bend (Provided you are using a left-hand drive car).
The advantage of jumping opposite to the direction of travel of the car is that it will help reduce the force of inertia you are travelling with by causing you to roll after the initial impact with the ground. This helps in reducing the degree of friction injuries you will likely sustain and also makes sure you will roll away from the car to avoid being crushed. So, do not try to break that rolling motion by any means as it is advantageous to you at that time.
- Look out for and try to avoid dangerous objects and oncoming cars, in fact, do not make the jump if you notice any of these ahead. This is to make sure that you do not roll onto these objects or the oncoming car as these can be very dangerous. Ultimately defeating the purpose of the jump altogether.
- Look out for some kind of soft landing spots as this will definitely reduce the impact on your body when you hit the ground and during the roll that follows.
- Safely Jump
As scary as it is, you will have to jump else more harm may come to you. However, before you jump consider these important jump tips,
- Make sure you do not jump off the car facing the ground, as this could result in serious head injury. One part of the body that should be protected more seriously is the Head. Thus jumping face down increases the chances of head injury. Moreover, by jumping facedown, you will likely have to break the fall with your hands which will most definitely result in a broken wrist or hand at worst. Instead, jump off the car in a way that targets you landing on your back or bicep.
You should target landing on the mid-region of your back to help spread the impact across that area. Avoid landing on the upper region of your back close to the shoulder as you might just hit the back of your head on the ground.
- Before jumping, make sure your arms are folded on your chest and your knees are bent. After hitting the ground, do not try to stop the roll rather allow yourself to roll until you come to a safe stop.
Conclusion
The above-listed tips are some of the safe ways to jump off a moving car in dire conditions. It can be a lot to remember on the spur-of-the-moment, but if you must come out with minimal injuries or even alive then you try to follow these tips. No one plans for this to happen but you should be prepared for it. You never know when the information might come in handy. Also, ensure the speed of your car is down to between 30-35 mph before jumping provided you are on the wheels.
