Emergency Response and Basic First Aid
Make the scene safe first
In any incident your first duty is to protect yourself and others: stop safely, switch on hazard lights, switch off the engine, and place a warning triangle behind the vehicle on a highway. Get occupants behind the barrier and off the carriageway. Then call the emergency services: 999 for police, 998 for ambulance, 997 for Civil Defence (fire). Give the location, number of casualties and hazards clearly, and stay on the line.
For a minor collision with no injuries, move vehicles clear of traffic if they are drivable, exchange details and report as required. Never leave the scene of an accident involving injury.
First aid
Use DR ABC: check for Danger, then Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation. If the casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally, call 999 and start CPR: 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths, compressions at 100–120 per minute, about 5–6 cm deep, with minimal interruptions, and use an AED as soon as one is available. Control severe bleeding with firm direct pressure. Cool burns with running water. Place a breathing but unresponsive casualty in the recovery position and keep them warm.
Do not move a casualty unless there is immediate danger, do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet, and do not give food or drink.
Rule of thumb: scene safety, then call, then care. Worked example: you arrive at a single-vehicle crash - hazards on, triangle out, stand behind the barrier, call 999, then approach only when it is safe to do so.