Safety, emergency situations and first aid
This domain tests what you do in the first sixty seconds: securing the scene, calling for help correctly and giving basic life support. It also covers handling a vehicle that has failed under you at speed.
At the scene
- Stop safely, hazard lights on, handbrake, engine off, hi-vis vest on before you step out.
- Place the warning triangle far enough back that approaching traffic can react - around 50 m on an ordinary road, considerably further on a motorvej where speeds are high.
- Call 112. Give road number, direction of travel, nearest exit or kilometre marker, number of casualties, and hazards such as spilled fuel, fire or dangerous goods.
- Work in the order: alarm, secure the scene, rescue, first aid. A secondary collision is the most common way helpers become casualties.
First aid
Check response, airway and breathing. Unconscious but breathing: recovery position. Not breathing: CPR at 30 compressions to 2 breaths and send for an AED. Stop heavy bleeding with direct pressure. Do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet unless the airway demands it, and do not move casualties unless there is fire or traffic danger. Keep them warm and monitor.
Vehicle emergencies
- Blowout: grip the wheel firmly, ease off the throttle, avoid hard braking, let the vehicle slow and steer to the shoulder.
- Brake failure: pump the pedal, use engine braking and retarder, downshift, apply the handbrake progressively, look for a run-off area.
- Fire: stop, switch off, get everyone well clear, call 112, and only tackle a small fire with the extinguisher aimed at the base of the flames.
Worked example. A front tyre bursts at 80 km/h on a motorvej. You hold the wheel straight, release the accelerator and let engine braking reduce speed, ignoring the instinct to stamp on the brake, because hard braking on a deflating front tyre pulls the vehicle into the adjacent lane or into a spin. Only when the speed is low do you brake and steer onto the hard shoulder, then set out the triangle and call 112 if the vehicle is in a live lane.
Traps that cost marks
- Moving an injured casualty who is not in immediate danger.
- Placing the triangle a few metres behind the vehicle.
- Giving an incomplete 112 call without the road number or direction.