Emergency Procedures and Incident Response
Emergencies reward calm, correct actions. If a tyre bursts, hold the steering wheel firmly, ease off the accelerator, avoid harsh braking, and let the car slow before steering gently to a safe place. If your brakes fail, pump the pedal, use engine braking by changing down, and if necessary use the handbrake gently or a safe run-off area. If the steering feels heavy or unresponsive, slow gradually and stop safely.
If you skid, steer smoothly in the direction you want the front of the car to go and avoid sudden braking or acceleration. If your vehicle breaks down, move it off the carriageway if possible, switch on hazard lights, and place a warning triangle behind the vehicle where it is safe to do so. Occupants should wait in a safe place away from traffic, not in the vehicle on a fast road.
At the scene of a crash, your priorities are to protect the scene, call emergency services, and give first aid within your ability. Do not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger such as fire. Switch off engines, do not smoke, and warn approaching traffic. In Bahrain the emergency number is 999. You must stop after any crash involving injury or damage and exchange details; failing to stop is an offence.
Traps include questions suggesting you should immediately remove a motorcyclist's helmet after a crash (do not, unless trained and necessary to maintain the airway), and questions implying hazard lights let you park anywhere.
Worked example: your car breaks down on a highway. You steer onto the hard shoulder, switch on hazard lights, and place a warning triangle well behind the car if safe. You and your passengers leave through the doors away from traffic and stand behind a barrier. You call for assistance and wait clear of the carriageway.
Rule of thumb: protect, call, assist, in that order.
Driver Conduct, Penalties and Licence Administration
Driver conduct covers how you behave towards other road users and how the licensing system responds when things go wrong. Bahrain uses a points-based penalty system: traffic offences carry points, and accumulating points can lead to suspension or disqualification. Serious offences such as driving under the influence, reckless driving, and causing death by dangerous driving attract severe penalties, including fines, imprisonment and long disqualification.
Licences are issued by the General Directorate of Traffic after the required tests: theory, practical and, where applicable, medical fitness. Learner drivers must display learner plates and be accompanied by a qualified driver. A licence is issued for a class of vehicle and carries an expiry date; driving with an expired or wrong-class licence is an offence. Licences may be renewed, and drivers must keep personal details up to date.
Conduct matters legally as well as socially. Failing to stop after a crash, driving without insurance, and using a vehicle in a dangerous condition are offences. So are aggressive driving, excessive noise, and racing on public roads. Traps include questions implying a licence never expires, or that points are erased by paying a fine; paying a fine does not remove points from your record.
Worked example: a driver accumulates points for several offences within a period. Once the total reaches the threshold, the authority may suspend the licence. Paying each fine promptly settles the financial penalty but does not cancel the recorded points, so the suspension can still follow.
Rule of thumb: treat every drive as if your licence and your record depend on it, because they do.