Cause of the incident

The possible causes of this accident are:

- A failure in the car handbrake system,

and / or

- Inadequate setting of the handbrake.

- Non familiarity with risks of parking on sloping road.

Learning Points and Action to Prevent Recurrence

- Ensure that your car handbrake is serviced regularly by a professional at your official car dealer.

- Test the handbrake reliability/efficiency yourself (while staying in control of your car).

- Preferably park your car in a dedicated parking place. If not possible, anticipate hazards prior to leaving your car “as it is”.

- When you decide to park your car on a sloping road, we recommend you to do the following:

1) car with a manual gearbox

hand break ON and

once the car engine is stopped, engage one gear (preferably the 2nd gear).

2) car with an automatic gearbox,

leave the gearbox on “P” (parking) position and

hand break ON

- Don’t leave children alone inside a car.

- Switch off your engine as soon as you decide to leave your car even “just for two minutes”.

07/98

Dangers of parking cars on a sloping road/driveway

Safety Alert

Background

A car accident occurred recently in RAS al Hamra when a 4WD vehicle, after being parked and locked on a hill, rolled towards another 4WD parked behind, resulting in a collision. Inside the second vehicle were two children. One sustained small wounds due to shattered glass, the other was unharmed. Two other children, who were standing outside of the second vehicle had to move quickly out of the way of the rolling vehicle to avoid being crushed.

Committed to Safety