Group 10 · First aid and a driver's duties after an accident

What this topic covers on the exam

One of the 20 knowledge-test questions is on road-user safety and first aid (Decision No. 385-N, Annex 1, point 17). All 51 questions in Group 10 · First aid are text only.

The Law "On Ensuring Road Traffic Safety" ("Law") and the Rules of the Road ("Rules") set out a driver's duties after an accident but don't describe first-aid techniques. The rest of this chapter therefore summarizes the answers marked correct in Group 10 of the MIA's official question bank (cited as "question N"). They are not provisions of the law. This is a summary of exam answers, not a first-aid course: current first-aid guidelines may differ on some points, so learn the practical skills on a certified course.

A driver's duties after an accident

• A driver involved in an accident must stop at once and not move the vehicle, switch on the hazard lights, place the "Emergency stop" sign, and leave related objects and traces untouched. Vehicles stopping nearby to help also keep their hazard lights on (Law, Article 24, part 2(d)).
• The "Emergency stop" sign goes at least 15 m from the vehicle in built-up areas and 30 m outside them (Rules, point 23).
• Until a sobriety check, or a decision to release them from one, the driver may not consume alcohol, psychotropic or other intoxicating substances (Law, Article 24, part 7(h)).
• Buses, cars, trucks and wheeled tractors may not be operated without a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher or an emergency stop sign (Decision No. 955-N, Annex 2, item 6(9)).

If people are killed or injured in the accident, the driver must (Law, Article 24, part 4; for property damage only, part 4.1 applies):

1. take the necessary steps to give the victims first aid, call the ambulance service or another specialized service, and report the accident to the police;
2. in extreme cases, send the victims with a passing vehicle or, if that is impossible, take them in their own vehicle to the nearest medical facility, give their name, surname and registration number there, and return to the scene;
3. take all possible lawful steps to route other traffic around the scene;
4. wait for the police or another competent authority and follow their instructions.

Question bank answers: order of actions

• First, assess the scene and make it safe (question 17). If that isn't possible, don't approach, raise the alarm at once and keep bystanders away (question 10).
• First check consciousness and breathing (question 11); if the victim is unconscious, open the airway and check breathing (question 24). Check breathing for 10 seconds: one hand on the forehead, lift the chin with two fingers, tilt the head back, feel the exhaled air on your cheek and watch the chest move (question 44).
• Help the unconscious victim first (question 2).
• Tell the ambulance operator the location (street, house number, nearest landmarks), the number of victims, their sex, approximate age, consciousness, breathing and circulation, and any severe bleeding or fractures, then wait until the operator confirms the call (question 38).
• Take a victim out of the car if it has overturned or caught fire, an explosion is highly likely, the victim is hypothermic or has lost consciousness and breathing, or first aid can't be given inside (question 50).
• Giving medicines is prohibited (question 46). To avoid infection, don't touch the wound and help only in sterile gloves (question 29).

Positions

• Unconscious but breathing, with circulation: the stable side position, bent knees on the ground, upper hand under the cheek (question 42).
• Fainting: lay the person down and raise the legs (questions 9, 32).
• Head injury: half-lying, with the head and upper body raised (question 1).
• Chest injury: sitting, leaning on the injured side (question 13).
• Abdominal injury: lying down with the knees bent (question 31). Cover protruding organs with a clean damp cloth and plastic film (question 14).
• Suspected spinal injury: on the back on a hard, flat surface, not moved unless necessary (question 39).
• Asthma attack: half-sitting (question 30).

Bleeding

• The most dangerous sign is blood spurting out (question 27). Blood from a large artery is bright red and spurts: press the artery with your fingers, then apply a tourniquet above and as close to the wound as possible, with a note of the time (question 45).
• A tourniquet may stay on no more than 1 hour in warm weather and no more than half an hour in cold weather (question 43).
• For bleeding from veins and smaller arteries, apply a pressure bandage (question 47). For a steady flow of dark blood, raise the arm and apply a pressure bandage (question 7).
• Suspected internal abdominal bleeding: lay the person down and apply a cold compress (question 22).
• Nosebleed: tilt the head down and press the upper part of the nose (question 3).

Wounds, fractures and burns

• Wearing medical gloves, cover the wound with a sterile gauze pad without cleaning it (question 48). Wash a minor wound with soap and clean water, then bandage it (question 36).
• Keep a foreign object in a wound still (question 18).
• Open fracture: cover the wound with a sterile pad and immobilize the limb (question 12). Without a splint, bend the arm at the elbow, rest it on a scarf and tie it to the body; tie the legs together with soft cloth between them (question 49).
• Superficial heat burn: cool with water for 20 minutes, don't open blisters or remove clothing remnants, cover with a sterile pad without bandaging, apply cold if possible and give water to drink (question 51).
• Frostbite: warm and immobilize the affected parts, cover the person with warm clothes, give a warm drink, move them somewhere warm (question 40).

Special situations and numbers

• A power line on a victim: remove it with an insulating object (question 28). A power line on a car: the people inside stay in until the power is cut off (question 35).
• Engine running in a garage, person on the floor: open the doors wide, switch off the engine and, if possible, move the person out (question 23).
• A person with diabetes feels unwell: give sugar or a sweet drink (question 26). Seizure: don't touch; let it end (question 5).
• A driver complains of severe chest pain: stop the car at once and switch on the hazard lights (question 4).
• An adult's resting pulse is 60–80 beats a minute and breathing 12–18 breaths a minute (questions 19, 20).

Common exam traps

• Don't swap the tourniquet limits: 1 hour in warm weather, half an hour in cold (question 43).
• Don't open burn blisters (question 51) or rub frostbite with snow (question 40).
• No medicines; the "in extreme necessity" option is wrong too (question 46).
• A serious injury alone is no reason to take a victim out of the car; danger at the scene is (question 21).

Checklist

• I know the four duties in Article 24, part 4 of the Law.
• I remember the positions: unconscious, fainting, head, chest, abdomen, spine.
• I remember the numbers: 1 hour and half an hour, 10 seconds, 20 minutes, 60–80 and 12–18.