Whether you walk, cycle or drive a motorbike or car, road safety is important for all of us. As such, it is essential to know how to respond in the event of a road accident as they can affect any of us, at any time. Being able to perform emergency First Aid means you are prepared to help yourself and those around you.
This article outlines how you can provide help in the event of road accident.
Road Accidents and Safety
Roads are busy with cars, buses, taxis, bikes and pedestrians. More families are out riding their bikes. At the same time, electric cars are also gaining popularity. They are silent, so you or your little ones may not hear them coming. Consequently our roads are dangerous places and road accidents are more and more common.
This article gives you a brief overview as to what to do in order to stay safe on the road. It will also guide you through how to help safely in the event of an accident. Take one of our First Aid courses to properly gain the confidence to help.
Pedestrians and Child Safety
Children struggle to judge speed and distance until they are at least eight.
- Show young children you’re serious about them holding your hand near the road. Toddlers may try to fight it but it’s a good time to stay firm. Especially with unpredictable traffic and distractions.
- You can start to teach the Green Cross Code from around five years. If you’ve forgotten your ‘stop, look, listen and think’, you can easily find the rules online. As we have noted above, electric cars are silent, so it is absolutely vital to depend on all of our senses to avoid an accident.
- Many people, especially teenagers, get distracted by their phones when they are out. As a result, they are less aware of dangers in their surroundings such as other people or traffic. If your teenager insists on wearing their headphones, encourage them to opt for the ear bud types and ideally only use one side. Furthermore, the dark conditions in Winter increase the risk of danger. Read our article on Keeping children safe in the dark for more tips to protect your children on the roads.
- Children learn by copying what you do. Now more than ever, it’s helpful to set a good example before you step off the pavement.
Cyclists
Cyclists are particularly vulnerable road users and are more at risk in the event of a road accident. It is vital that all cyclists know what to do (and what not to do) if there is an accident. If you are cycling with children or teenagers, reinforce the importance of not overtaking lorries, buses and other large vehicles on the inside lane. Explain about their blind spots.
The simplest way to protect children (and yourself) is to wear a helmet every time. Even if it’s a quick cycle around the block or down to the park.
All road users should have basic first aid supplies with them, even if it is just a couple of calico triangular bandages.
You can build confidence to deal with cycling incidents by joining our First Aid for Cyclists course or for more tips on preventing cycling injuries, download our free ‘How to cycle safely’ ebook.
Drivers
It’s mind boggling the difference speed makes to a child’s chances of survival if hit by a car. 20 mph means most children will survive, just more than 20 mph and nearly all will die, or at the least experience serious life-changing injuries.
- It is incredibly important to slow down in built-up areas or where you seeing children playing. It only takes a moment to take a life.
- Avoid the temptation to look at your phone when driving. If you get into the habit of keeping it out of reach, it makes that easier.
- No matter how short your journey, remember to use the right child car seat or booster seat for your child’s weight and height.
Car drivers and motorcyclists should have an appropriately stocked kit: advice as to what to put into your kit can be found here.
What to do in the Event of a Road Accident
The following is a step by step approach as guidance, should you be the first on scene at an accident:
First steps:
- When approaching an accident scene it is really important to ensure your own safety. Make sure that all traffic has stopped. Also, ensure everyone is aware that there has been an accident otherwise there may be additional casualties.
- Be aware of oncoming traffic to ensure that it is not posing an additional danger. Note if there is any fuel spillage or potential fire risk – turn off car ignitions if possible. Put on vehicle hazard lights and use a warning triangle if there is one available.
- If other people are around; get them to phone the emergency services. Further, if you are on your own, assess the situation and treat any life threatening conditions first.
- Lastly, quickly establish how many vehicles have been involved. Assess the occupants of all the vehicles to ensure no one has life threatening injuries.
Check the Quiet Ones First:
- People screaming, crying and making a noise have to be breathing – your initial priority is therefore to check anyone quiet and not moving.
- Quickly check if quiet casualties are responsive: – if there is no response check if they are breathing. If they are unresponsive and breathing ensure they are in a position where they are leaning forward or to one side in a position where the airway will remain open. Move them the minimum necessary and avoid twisting them. Keep talking to the unconscious person calmly as they can hear you even if they are unconscious and remember to keep them warm.
Important checkpoints:
- If the person is not breathing you will need to resuscitate – if you are on your own and have not called an ambulance – do this now and ask their advice as to the best way to resuscitate, as this is not easy to do in a car.
- Only remove an unconscious person from a vehicle if there is an immediate danger to their life from fire, flood, and explosion. Ask the emergency services over the phone for their advice as to what you should do. It is very difficult to remove an unconscious person from a vehicle and there is a major danger that you could worsen their injuries and injure yourself in the process.
- Moreover, conscious casualties should be in the care of bystanders and removed from the wreckage to a safe area. Be aware of confused and dazed casualties who may wander into danger. Brief the bystanders to keep the casualties warm and calm and help them to contact the next of kin. Look for any major bleeding and life threatening injuries and treat these first.
- Also note the nature of the wreckage and be aware of possible injuries as a result: bodies are softer than metalwork, so if there is major damage to the vehicle it is possible that there could be internal injuries to the casualty – ensure the bystanders notify you if there is any change in the casualty’s condition.
- You should monitor anyone trapped in a vehicle carefully and notify the emergency services immediately, this includes the exact time of the accident. If there are additional people around, show them how to support the person’s neck to avoid them twisting as there is the possibility of a spinal injury.
- Wear gloves and apply dressings if trying to control severe bleeding.
Be Careful How and When you Move Them:
- Only remove a motorcyclist’s helmet if they are unconscious and there is no other way to assess their breathing or their airway is in danger. There is usually a way of lifting the visor, it may be sensible to loosen their chin strap. Take a look at our article on How to remove a motorcycle helmet following an accident.
- If a casualty has been hit by a car and they are lying on their back unconscious and breathing – they should be carefully rolled into the recovery position to keep their spine in line. Ideally, this should include the support of others to avoid twisting the spine.
- If a casualty has been hit by a vehicle or thrown from one and they are conscious in the road, they should try to keep still. Ensure that someone is directing traffic and maintaining safety. Support their head and neck, keep them warm and dry and wait for the emergency services.
About us
First Aid for Life provide award-winning first aid training tailored to your needs – Please visit our site and learn more about our practical and online courses. It is vital to keep your skills current and refreshed. Book onto our First Aid for Drivers course for more information about how to assist in road related medical emergencies.
It is strongly advised that you attend a fully regulated Practical or Online First Aid course to understand what to do in a medical emergency. Please visit https://firstaidforlife.org.uk or call 0208 675 4036 for more information about our courses.
First Aid for Life is a multi-award-winning, fully regulated first aid training provider. Our trainers are highly experienced medical, health and emergency services professionals who will tailor the training to your needs. Courses for groups or individuals at our venue or yours.
First Aid for life provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. First Aid for Life is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information.
There is information on first aid in the theory information for the driving test. However, in translating these questions into the multiple choice element they have sometimes got things wrong. My daughter questioned me on a question from her driving test and the question itself was obscure to say the least and misleading. First Aid really should be taught properly at this stage. We are one of very few countries in Europe where this doesn’t happen and it is a great opportunity to gradually upskill a whole generation.
I couldn’t agree more
Hi .I wish to follow a 1st Aid course in Road Accident .Will you please send me details and condition to join your class.With thanks. Best regards.
Dear Lindsay,
We seem to have overlooked your comment, are you still interested in joining us for a first aid course?
Best wishes,
Elsa
Please, what is MILS training?
Manual Inline stabilisation – MILS – preventing spinal twist following a possible spinal injury
I wish I could also join your class for 1st Aid road accident. Thank you.
I would like to follow and join the first aid class would you please send me the information thanks
Dear Janice, you’d be very welcome on one of our practical courses or to take one of our online courses. If you’d like to get in touch please do email emma@firstaidforlife.org.uk. Best wishes, Emma
Hi. I have heard that it is important to rest the victim’s legs on a raised platform or even place their legs on your knees. Is this necessary and why?
Dear Patricia, you would only do this if they were showing signs of shock. Best wishes Emma
E
It is necessary because, we want to maintain a good flow of oxygenated blood to the brain
If a person has their leg trapped under the wheel of a car, crushing it and leg twisted, should people remove the car?
I was at an accident with motor bike rider trapped under the wheel of a car. He was asking people to get the car off, but people were saying wait for ambulance and saying he could bleed out. What should we have done??
If the person has been trapped for less than 15 minutes, it is safe to remove the car – providing you are absolutely sure that this is the case and can do so without causing additional harm. If they have been trapped for longer than 15 minutes (or you are not sure), then you shouldn’t remove the car as it will allow toxins to flood through the body and could prove fatal.
Dear Patricia, the only best position is to put the casualty into recovery position but if showing some signs of shock you can now elevate the legs to allow good flow of oxygen to the brain.
Thanks and best regards Lomurye Emmanuel
Putting someone in the recovery position is the right thing to do to protect their airway if they are unconscious. You would raise their legs if they were conscious and showing signs of shock
I would like to learn more about your comment of
Putting someone in the recovery position is the right thing to do to protect their airway if they are unconscious. You would raise their legs if they were conscious and showing signs of shock.
Is that wrong to raise their legs and just turning only the head a side if they are unconscious and showing sings of shock simultaneously?
If they are unconscious, the airway is their priority. Only worry about raising their legs if they are conscious and showing signs of shock
I was at a car accident scene and there were three cars involved. One of the cars was smoking a lot and the passenger was unconscious. I removed the passenger from the car as I was afraid he’d die from smoke annihilation before medics arrived. Did i make the right decision?
Dear Destiny, thank goodness you were there to help. Never question your actions, they felt appropriate to you at the time and you were doing your best for the casualty. Well done
Is good.but i have not get the information on the way how to remove the threat from the injured person.
Stop the cars, ensure someone or something is positioned in advance to alert other road users that there is an accident
Should a person having seizures in the front seat of the crashed car be removed from the car incase of vomit/foaming of the mouth/tongue obstruction, despite the obvious cervical spine precautions ?
Airway can often be managed in the seat of the car. It is important to ensure the person having the seizure is protected from danger and that they are breathing once the seizure has stopped. The seizure could be a result of a cardiac arrest or a head injury or many other causes. I would not try to remove someone from the car unless they were in imminent danger, it was impossible to manage their airway in the position they were in, or you need to give CPR
What is MILS
Dear Stewart, thanks for your question: MILS is manual in-line stabilization – read more about it here if you like https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/6/3/124/375420
I have question
What if I find an unconscious victim (car hitting) lying on his face with no pulse and not breathing, should I rotate him on his back and start CPR?
If I should rotate him, what is the ideal way to do it?
Thanks
If they are unconscious and not breathing, then that is the priority. Unconscious people are heavy, just do your best to roll them onto their back, without twisting them if at all possible. Start CPR as quickly as possible and get help on the way.
If a motorcyclist had an accident and having blood out from mouth and little from the head, what we should do? Thanks
Call an ambulance quickly and monitor their level of consciousness and airway. If they become unconscious check if they are breathing, if they are not breathing start CPR
Great information. You always bring us up to date information, stated in easy to understand terms and It is not overwhelming . I appreciate that and I look forward to what is next.
Thanks so much for your feedback. We will continue to update the blog with everything you could need
Hi
If you arrive and there is an upturned vehicle and a person inside, but you see smoke coming from the engine and petrol leaking and flowing from underneath the car, can I remove the person? They are talking but have blood on their head and have just come out of unconsciousness
You should phone an ambulance immediately
The victim is able to say that the child has pain in the back and forehead and there is no bleeding. What can we do in this situation?
You should still call an ambulance
Safety is very important. This article is helpful for all.
During a traffic accident please explain the psychology of the victim and the first aider.
I like how you emphasized that understanding your lawyer’s reputation is vital since you’ll want someone with a good reputation. My buddy was in a major vehicle accident, and while she is recovering, it could take up to a year for her to fully recover, during which time she will be out of work.
Not a comment but a question. If a person has been hit by a car and is unconscious or otherwise helpless, should I remove them from the roadway to the pavement before beginning resuscitation? I am a retired paediatric intensive care nurse, did APLS several times – not recently -am confident with CPR and understand neck stabilisation- although this is certainly difficult without equipment! I suppose my question is really about avoidance of immediate danger.
Dear Stephen, always stop traffic rather than move the casualty if at all possible. Best wishes Emma
Thanks for sharing this, very helpful. Is first aid course training still available?
It has been a while since I’ve done a first aid course. Thanks for the refresher. Hope I never need it!
These are life-saving tips that every driver should know. Would be good if there was a section for the basics in the highway code.
Casualties Trapped in Motor Vehicle Extrication
https://www.roadsafetyknowledgecentre.org.uk/extrication-in-trauma-exit-project/