First aid and emergency procedures
This domain covers the first minutes after a crash: securing the scene, calling for help correctly, and giving first aid without making things worse.
The order that matters
Stop, secure, call, care. Park so you do not create a second accident, switch on hazard lights, put on a high-visibility vest, and place a warning triangle well back - further back the faster the road. Switch off the crashed machine; fuel and heat are a fire risk, so no smoking.
Calling for help in Norway
- 113 ambulance (medical emergency), 110 fire, 112 police. For an injured rider, dial 113.
- Give the exact position (road number, place name, kilometre marker, direction), the number of casualties and how badly hurt they are, the hazards (fuel spill, blocked lane), and your phone number. Stay on the line until told to hang up.
First aid
Check response, airway and breathing. If the rider is breathing but unconscious, place them in the recovery position and monitor. If they are not breathing, start CPR - 30 compressions to 2 breaths, 5–6 cm deep, at 100–120 per minute - and use an AED as soon as one is fetched. Stop serious bleeding with firm direct pressure. Keep the casualty warm and still; a suspected spinal injury means the rider should not be moved or helped to their feet.
Leave the helmet on unless the airway cannot be kept clear - then remove it with two people keeping head and neck aligned. Norwegian law (Straffeloven § 287) obliges you to give the help you reasonably can without endangering yourself.
Worked example
A rider is down in a bend, conscious but confused, bleeding from the forearm, and petrol is pooling. Order: stop clear of the bend with hazard lights on, warn traffic, call 113, keep ignition and cigarettes away, press firmly on the bleeding, keep the rider still and talk to them, and watch their breathing until the ambulance arrives.
Traps
Dialling 112 for an injured rider; moving a casualty to make them comfortable; pulling a helmet off as a reflex; leaving the scene because you were not involved.