Safety, First Aid and Liability for Traffic Offences
Defensive riding and driving
Safety rests on observation, anticipation and space. Keep a two-second gap, scan far ahead, and assume other road users will make mistakes. Fatigue, alcohol and mobile-phone use are the main causes of serious crashes. A driver must not drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication that impairs reaction.
First aid
At the scene, the priority order is: secure the scene and call emergency services, then check responsiveness and breathing, then control severe bleeding, then treat shock and fractures. Do not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger. For a motorcyclist, do not remove the helmet unless the airway is blocked. Use direct pressure on bleeding wounds. Begin CPR with chest compressions if the casualty is not breathing.
Liability
Administrative liability covers most traffic offences: fines, penalty points and licence suspension. Criminal liability arises for driving while intoxicated, for leaving the scene of an accident with casualties, and for offences causing serious harm. A driver involved in an accident must stop, warn other traffic, render assistance and report to the police.
Traps in questions
Questions often test whether a helmet should be removed (no, unless the airway is blocked) and the correct order of first-aid actions. Another trap is the penalty for refusing a medical examination for intoxication, which is treated as severely as driving intoxicated.
Rule of thumb
Scene safety first, then call, then airway and breathing, then bleeding. Never move the casualty unless there is danger.
Worked example
A motorcyclist is unconscious after a crash but breathing. The correct action is to leave the helmet in place, support the head, and wait for emergency services.