Dominica Driving Test: Road Safety and Accident Prevention

The Road Safety and Accident Prevention domain tests what you do to prevent harm before a collision and what you must do afterwards. On Dominica's roads, with narrow verges, motorcycles, minibuses, pedestrians sharing the carriageway and frequent rain, these questions are practical rather than theoretical.

Preventing harm

• Seat belts are compulsory for the driver and every passenger; children need an appropriate restraint, not an adult belt.
• Head restraints should sit at about ear level to reduce whiplash.
• Use dipped headlights in rain, fog and at dusk: you must be seen, not just able to see.
• Give motorcyclists and cyclists room. They are hard to spot at junctions and vulnerable on wet patches, painted lines and potholes.
• Expect pedestrians on road edges where there is no pavement, especially near schools, churches and markets.

If a collision happens

1. Stop. Failing to stop is a serious offence.
2. Switch off engines, use hazard lights and set a warning triangle where it is safe to do so.
3. Check for injuries and call the police and ambulance.
4. Do not move an injured person unless there is fire, spilled fuel or traffic danger.
5. Give first aid within your training: control bleeding with pressure and keep the casualty warm and still.
6. Exchange names, addresses, registrations and insurance details.
7. Report the collision to the police within the period the law requires, even if nobody appears hurt.

Worked example

You arrive first at a collision where a motorcyclist lies in the road, breathing but unconscious. The correct sequence is to stop and protect the scene, call emergency help, leave the rider in place because movement could worsen spinal injury, and keep them warm while you wait. Dragging them to the verge is the wrong answer.

Traps

Leaving the scene to fetch help instead of sending someone else; assuming that no visible injury means no report is needed; forgetting to record the other driver's insurance; and failing to warn following traffic on a blind bend, where a second collision is likely.