Road Safety, Accident Prevention and Emergency Response
Road safety, accident prevention and emergency response connect defensive driving with what you do in the first minutes after a crash. The exam tests prevention, but also the correct sequence at a scene: protect, alert, assess and assist without creating a second casualty.
Prevention
- Speed is the main multiplier of crash severity; drive to the conditions, not the limit alone.
- Seatbelts are compulsory for the driver and passengers; motorcycles require a fastened helmet.
- Use child restraints appropriate to the child's size; do not hold a child on your lap.
- Do not use a handheld phone, drive when impaired, or continue when drowsy.
- Maintain the vehicle: tyres, brakes, lights and steering are safety systems.
Emergency response
- Stop, switch off the engine, apply the handbrake and turn on hazard lights.
- Place a warning triangle well behind the vehicle, further away on fast roads.
- Call the police (122) and ambulance (123); give location, number of casualties and hazards.
- Do not move an injured person unless there is fire, traffic or another immediate danger. Do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet.
- Control severe bleeding with direct pressure; keep the casualty warm; monitor breathing.
Special situations
- Tyre blowout: grip the wheel, ease off the accelerator, keep straight and slow gradually; no hard braking.
- Brake failure: pump the pedal, downshift, use the handbrake gently and look for an escape route.
- Vehicle fire: stop, switch off, evacuate upwind and do not open the bonnet fully.
- Water immersion: undo seatbelts, open or break a side window and escape; do not wait for the door to open.
Worked example
A front tyre bursts at highway speed. The car pulls and vibrates. You hold the wheel firmly with both hands, keep the car straight, ease off the accelerator and let speed fall before braking gently. The reasoning is stability: hard braking or swerving on a deflated tyre can cause a rollover.
Traps
Slamming the brakes after a blowout; moving an unconscious casualty who is breathing; removing a helmet; crowding a casualty; and using water on a fuel fire.