Accidents, Emergencies, and First Aid (Nepal DOTM Category B)
At the scene
Stop, switch off the engine, put on hazard lights and place a warning triangle up the road on the traffic side, far enough back that approaching drivers can react. Do not move an injured person unless there is fire, fuel or falling-load risk - a suspected spinal injury is worse than a delay. Call for help: police 100, ambulance 102, fire 101.
First aid you may be asked about
- Airway, breathing, circulation first.
- Bleeding: press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth; a tourniquet only for a limb bleed you cannot control.
- Burns: cool with clean running water for at least ten minutes; do not burst blisters.
- Fractures: support and immobilise; do not try to straighten a limb.
- Unconscious but breathing: recovery position, and nothing by mouth.
- Do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet unless the airway demands it.
Vehicle emergencies
Brake failure: pump the pedal, change down through the gears, apply the handbrake progressively, sound the horn, and aim for a safe runoff rather than a cliff. Blowout: hold the wheel straight, ease off the accelerator, do not brake hard. Skid: look where you want to go and steer gently. Engine fire: stop, switch off, get everyone out and away, and do not open the bonnet fully.
Legal duties
Stop, give your name, address and insurance details, report to the nearest police station, and do not leave the scene. Hit-and-run turns an accident into a serious offence.
Worked example
Your brakes fade on a long descent. Reasoning: pumping may restore some pressure, a lower gear adds engine braking, and the handbrake applied gradually slows you without locking the rear wheels - so you do all three while looking for a safe place to stop.
Traps that cost marks
Giving water to an unconscious casualty. Moving a casualty "to make them comfortable". Driving away because the damage was small.