Road Safety, Accident Procedures and Emergency Response
This domain tests your legal duties after a collision and whether you can help without making things worse. Answers here are marked strictly: some omissions, such as leaving the scene, are criminal offences rather than errors.
Duties at the scene
- Stop. Failing to stop after a collision is a serious offence.
- Switch off engines, put hazard lights on, and warn other traffic without standing in the road yourself.
- Do not move an injured person unless there is fire, spilled fuel, or further danger from traffic.
- Call the police and ambulance. Gambia's emergency numbers are commonly given as 117 for police, 118 for fire and 116 for ambulance; if you are unsure, dial 117.
- Where police did not attend, report the collision at the nearest police station as soon as possible - certainly where there is injury, death or serious damage.
- Exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, registration, insurer and policy details; record witnesses, time, location and photographs.
First aid essentials
Check danger, then response, airway and breathing. Control severe bleeding with direct pressure. Keep the casualty warm and still and treat for shock. Do not give food or drink. Do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet unless the airway is threatened. An unconscious but breathing casualty goes into the recovery position.
Scene hazards
Spilled fuel, fire risk, oncoming traffic on a bend, broken glass, and cables that may be live. No smoking. Keep bystanders back so the casualty has air and space.
Worked example
You arrive at a fallen motorcyclist, unconscious but breathing, lying in the road on a bend. Reasoning: your first duty is not to be hit yourself. Stop before the scene, hazards on, send someone beyond the bend to warn traffic or place a triangle, call 117 and 116, then put the rider in the recovery position, helmet left on, and monitor breathing. Move him only if a vehicle is about to strike him or there is fire.
Traps that cost marks
- Driving on and "reporting later" - that is a hit-and-run.
- Moving casualties to make them comfortable.
- Crowding a casualty and blocking their air.
- Forgetting to record the other vehicle's registration and insurer.