6.3 — Road Accidents, and a Vehicle in Water

Road collisions are the most likely serious trauma most people will encounter, either as a participant or as the first person there.

And the actions of a bystander in the first minutes matter enormously.

If you come across a crash

1. Protect the scene before anything else

The most broken rule, and secondary collisions injure a substantial number of would-be helpers.

Park beyond the scene, not before it, so your vehicle does not block access.

Hazard lights on.

Put out a warning triangle or something visible well back up the road — further than feels necessary, and much further on a fast road or a blind bend.

Wear something high-visibility if you have it.

And be aware of traffic continuously. People become absorbed in helping and step into the carriageway.

2. Call

112, or 108 for an ambulance.

Say: exact location — a landmark, a kilometre marker, a junction — number of vehicles, number of people, whether anybody is trapped or unconscious, and whether there is fire or a fuel or chemical spill.

Location first (1.3).

And if a vehicle is carrying a hazard placard, read the numbers on it to the operator. It identifies the substance and changes the response.

3. Assess

From 1.2's triage: the quiet ones first.

And walk the scene. **Look for anybody thrown clear, in a ditch, behind a hedge, or under a vehicle. People are routinely missed, particularly at night, and particularly motorcyclists.

4. Do not move anybody

Unless there is fire, a real risk of fire, or the vehicle is in water — because moving somebody with a spinal injury can cause permanent damage.

The exceptions are genuine and narrow. A person in a burning vehicle is moved.

And the airway overrides the spine. If somebody is unconscious and not breathing properly, opening the airway comes first (3.1), and if you must move them, support the head and neck in line with the body and move them as one unit, with help if possible.

5. Do not remove a motorcycle helmet

Unless it is preventing you from opening the airway.

And if you must, it needs two people: one holding the head and neck steady, one easing the helmet off gently.

6. What you can do

Stop bleeding with pressure (3.4). The highest-value action.

Keep them warm — a blanket, coats, anything, including between them and the road.

Talk to them. Tell them your name, that help is coming, and that you are staying.

And reassure people who are trapped. Extrication takes a long time and it is frightening, and somebody talking to them through it is genuinely valuable.

7. What not to do

Do not give food, water or cigarettes.

Do not remove an embedded object.

Do not crowd. Send bystanders to do specific things — direct traffic, wait at the junction to guide the ambulance, fetch a first aid kit (1.1).

And do not photograph.

The Good Samaritan question

Because it is a real reason people in India have historically not stopped.

There are legal protections for bystanders who assist road accident victims in good faith, intended to remove the fear of police harassment, detention, or being made liable for costs.

The broader point: helping is protected, and the risk of harm from imperfect help is far smaller than the risk from nobody stopping.

If you are in a crash

After it stops.

Hazard lights on.

Assess yourself before moving. Adrenaline masks injury for some time.

Get out only if it is safe to do so — on a motorway or fast road, getting out into traffic is frequently more dangerous than staying belted in with hazards on until help arrives.

If you get out, go behind the barrier or well off the carriageway.

Call.

And do not stand between vehicles or in the carriageway.

A vehicle in water

A short timeline and a specific sequence, and it is worth memorising because thinking it through during is not possible.

The sequence

Seatbelt off. Immediately.

Window open. Immediately. **Electric windows generally work for a period after entering water, and this is the exit. Do it before assessing anything else.

Children out first, oldest to youngest, so the older ones can help from outside.

Out through the window.

And if the window will not open: break it. **Side window, not the windscreen — windscreens are laminated and do not break. Strike at a corner rather than the centre.

A dedicated escape tool kept within reach of the driver is the difference in this scenario, and it costs very little. A headrest post can sometimes work; a fist or a foot generally will not.

What not to do

Do not call while sinking. **Call after you are out. The time spent on the phone is the time you had.

Do not open the door. Water pressure holds it shut and opening it, if you manage, floods the vehicle instantly.

And do not wait for the pressure to equalise so the door opens. That is the last resort, it means the cabin is full of water, and by then most people cannot.

Prevention

5.4's rule: never drive into floodwater. This scenario is almost always the result of that decision.

The things that actually reduce risk

Because most of this chapter is about after, and before is where the leverage is.

Seatbelts, in every seat, every time. The single most effective vehicle safety measure there is.

Child seats, correctly fitted and appropriate to size.

Helmets, properly fastened, for two-wheelers. An unfastened helmet comes off in the first impact.

Speed. The relationship between impact speed and the probability of death is steep — small reductions produce large changes.

Not driving tired. Fatigue impairs reaction similarly to alcohol, and drivers are very poor at recognising it in themselves.

Not using a phone.

And keeping a small kit in the vehicle: a first aid kit, a torch, a warning triangle, a high-visibility vest, an escape tool, and water.

What to do with this page

Protect the scene before you help. Secondary collisions injure the helpers.

Location first when you call.

Do not move anybody unless there is fire or water — and the airway overrides the spine.

Vehicle in water: seatbelt, window, children first, out. Call afterwards.

And buy an escape tool for the vehicle. It is a small cost for the one scenario where nothing else works.

Next: 6.4 — crowd crush, which kills by a mechanism almost nobody understands and which has clear warning signs.