Breakdown, accident and emergency procedures
The final domain tests what you do in the first minutes: secure the scene, call correctly, help without making things worse, and know the legal duties that follow.
Breakdown
- Get the machine off the carriageway, hazard lights on if fitted, and get yourself behind the barrier on a motorway - never between the bike and the traffic.
- Wear something high-visibility. A warning triangle and first-aid kit are not compulsory on a motorcycle but are strongly recommended; if you set one out, place it well back (about 100 m on the Autobahn, 50 m outside built-up areas).
- Call for help: 112 in an emergency, otherwise a breakdown service. Give location, direction of travel, vehicle and what has happened.
At an accident scene
The Rettungskette runs: secure the scene, emergency call, first aid, hand over to the emergency services.
- Warn following traffic first; do not become the second casualty.
- Notruf 112 with: where exactly, what happened, how many injured, what kind of injuries - then wait for questions.
- Leave a rider's helmet on unless the airway is blocked or resuscitation is needed. Do not move casualties unless there is an immediate danger such as fire.
- Failing to help is punishable under §323c StGB; leaving the scene of an accident is punishable under §142 StGB.
Worked example
Your chain snaps at dusk on a country road. Correct order: coast onto the shoulder, hazard lights on, high-visibility vest, get behind the guardrail, place the triangle about 50 m back if you have one, then call for recovery with an exact description of the location (road number, direction, nearest kilometre marker). What you must not do is stand in the carriageway to flag traffic or try to repair the chain at the roadside in the dark.
Traps that cost marks
- "Securing first aid" before securing the scene.
- Removing a helmet reflexively.
- Waiting for someone else to call, or driving on after a scrape.
- Believing a Warndreieck is legally required on a motorcycle - it is not, but it still helps.