Safety, accident prevention and emergency procedures
This domain covers preventing the incident and behaving correctly when it has happened: securing the scene, calling for help, and handling vehicle failures.
Prevention
Pre-trip checks (tyres, brakes, lights, load securing, coupling) are the first line. Fatigue is the second; the driving-and-rest rules exist because tiredness degrades judgement before you notice it. Keep at least three seconds to the vehicle ahead, and more when loaded, in rain, or in a tunnel.
At the scene
- Stop, switch on hazard lights, put on a hi-vis vest before leaving the cab.
- Place the warning triangle well behind the vehicle, at least 100 m at high speed and further before a bend or crest. Do not walk in the live lane.
- Call 113 for injured people, 110 for fire, 112 for police; give road number, direction, kilometre marker or tunnel name.
- Do not move an injured person unless fire or traffic demands it. Keep them warm; hypothermia comes fast in a Norwegian winter.
Equipment failures
Tyre blowout: hold the wheel, ease off the accelerator, avoid hard braking, steer gradually off the road. Brake failure: pump the pedal, use retarder and engine braking, look for an escape route. Load shift: slow progressively, stop as soon as it is safe, re-secure before continuing.
Worked example
A truck stops in the right lane of a 90 km/h road at night. The driver sets the triangle 100 m back, leaves the hazard lights on and stands behind the guardrail. Standing behind the truck, or waving traffic past from the lane, is how secondary collisions happen.
Traps that cost marks
- Moving casualties to tidy the scene.
- Placing the triangle only a few metres behind.
- Leaving the cab in the dark without a vest.