What Is The Dodge Maneuver

Have you ever heard of the dodge maneuver? Let’s imagine that we are going down the cart and suddenly a car or animal appears in front of us. Obviously, the only way to escape unscathed is to abruptly change into the other lane, but without colliding with another oncoming vehicle.

As its name suggests, this movement consists of avoiding any object that suddenly crosses us. Its importance in the world of motorsports is such that this technique is used in the safety tests of cars.

In practice, it is appropriate for all vehicles to allow us to perform this maneuver successfully. In this type of eventuality, human life can be at risk, so it must be taken very seriously. Not everything will really depend on the vehicle; It will also be a test of the driver’s skill in extreme situations.

What is the dodge maneuver?

There are basically two movements that are required to carry out this maneuver properly:

• The first has to do with the act of avoiding an object that appears suddenly in front of us and that obstructs our lane. It enters so quickly that it prevents us from braking, forcing us to react and go to the next road.
• The second reaction is one of safety. As we have changed to a lane that goes in the opposite direction, it is logical to quickly return to our road.

The right thing to do to get back into the lane is to do it after passing the obstacle; among other things, to avoid collision with an oncoming vehicle. If we do not take off, that car will hardly be able to overcome both objects and a collision will occur.

Why is this expertise in extremis useful for security testing? All cars should be able to react to this type of movement, with quick turns to opposite sides. Otherwise, the safety of the occupants of that vehicle would not be guaranteed.

The ISO 3888 standard contemplates this movement

The dodge maneuver is used as an example with the aim of measuring the capabilities of a model on the road. This exercise is called ‘the moose test’ and it hails from the Scandinavian countries. All you need is a few cones and a free space to run it.

The ISO 3888 standard has a two-part test. The first measures a vehicle’s ability to double lane change. In the second, the spaces to make changes are reduced ; The response path must be measured with this.

To carry out the tests, three lanes of cones are placed. The first lane is 12 meters long, that of the contravía 11 and the third 12 meters. They will be arranged according to the width of each vehicle. All the specifications to perform the test appear in the ISO 3888 standard.

The importance of conducting these drills

There are many variables that are taken into account when making this type of measurements. The main thing is the probability we have of getting out of these situations unscathed; the name given to these quotations is  ‘animal in the middle of the road’.

• Stability control: it is essential that the car does not make a ‘spin’ and responds in a stable way to the sudden movement of the two curves.
• The stability of the chassis: the turns made in this type of maneuver put this component to the test.
• Different types of driving: the response of our car may be different due to the driving assistance systems and the traction. The right thing to do is know how to respond at all times.
• The skills of the driver: it is about all the components being the right ones to facilitate the maneuver. Now, in the end everything could depend on the reflexes and abilities of each one of us.

Publications that value cars according to the dodge maneuver

Scandinavian experts are the creators of this drill. In these countries there are magazines that rate car safety based on the ‘moose test’. One of the most prestigious publications is the Swedish Teknikens Värld.

In the 90s this publication had important effects; His criticisms generated a current of opinion that forced Mercedes Benz to correct defects in some models.

EuroNCAP also performs multiple tests to verify the stability control of the cars. When buying a new car, it is important to verify this variable that could save our lives.