Dealing with Road Accidents

If ever you are unfortunate enough to be involved a traffic accident then you will be legally obliged to follow certain procedures.

If the accident causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property then you must:

You must abide by these requirements even if you were not directly involved in the accident. Fail to do so and you will be committing two criminal offences - failing to stop and failing to report. Sentencing guidelines state if you are convicted of either you can face a fine of up to £5000, have five and to penalty points placed on your driving licence and be banned from driving.

Insurance Issues

In order to have a smooth insurance claim it is vital that you record as much detailed info as is possible. Insurance claims can be tricky, long winded affairs especially if no one takes overall responsibility for the accident. Remember your no claims bonus could be on the line. Take photos of the scene using your mobile phone or camera. If you do not have access to a camera then try and make a sketch of the scene.

It is important that you try and gather as much information as you can. If you're able to take some photos of the accident then do so. At the very least try and draw a sketch of the accident scene. You must also obtain:

Offering Assistance At The Scene Of An Accident

If ever you find yourself at the scene of a road accident then follow the golden rule - never put yourself at unnecessary risk. However, if you can safely offer assistance then this is what you should do.

Dangerous Goods Vehicles

If a dangerous goods vehicle is involved:

First Aid At The Scene Of An Accident

The golden rules:

People who are unconscious should be given priority. To help you remember what to do, think DR ABC:

Airway - place one hand on the forehead and two fingers under the chin and gently tilt the head back.

Breathing - with the airway open, check breathing by placing your cheek over the casualties mouth and nose, listen and feel for breath, and look to see if the chest rises. Do this for ten seconds.

Compressions - if you detect no breathing, place two hands in the centre of the chest and press down 4-5cms at a rate of 100 per minute. You may only need one hand for a child. Give 30 chest compressions.

Then tilt the head back gently, pinch the casualty's nostrils together and place your mouth over theirs. Give two breaths, each lasting 1 second. For a child use gentle breaths.

Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths until medical help arrives.

For Children under one year old the same procedure should be used, however:

To watch a video showing you how to give mouth-to-mouth.

If a casualty is unconscious but breathing place them on their side in the recovery position, see image below.

Recovery Position

Dealing With Bleeding

Dealing With Shock

The effects of shock may not be obvious. However, look out for:

To treat a person in shock:

Treating Burns

Douse the burn in cool liquid for at least ten minutes. Try and use clean and non-toxic liquid.

Never remove anything that is sticking to the burn.