What to do if you witness a traffic
accident

According to the British Red Cross, if you witness a road accident you could be a real help if you know a few basics; it could mean keeping someone alive until an ambulance arrives.

Stay safe and calm
The first thing to do is to assess the situation and check to see what the dangers are. These might include approaching traffic, leaking petrol, or broken glass, so you need to keep your eyes open.

Next, you need to make sure you stay safe yourself which means keeping off the road. If you need to stop approaching cars, signal to them from the pavement.

If you are in a car and you come across an accident, first of all, park safely and turn off your engine before you get out to help.

Basic first aid
After you have checked for dangers and made sure that you are safe yourself, check the drivers and passengers for injuries. The Red Cross says if it is safe to approach the injured person, do so, but don’t move them.

You should check for a response by talking to them and tapping them gently, and if there’s no response, shout for help.

Check the casualty's airway by putting your hand on their forehead and gently tilting their head back. Gently lift their chin with two fingers. Check if they’re breathing by listening and feeling for breath on your cheek. See if their chest is moving up and down.

If they’re not breathing normally, you will need to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If you are going to do it, make sure you know how to do it correctly – don’t attempt anything unless you’ve been on a first aid training course.

Stop any bleeding if you can, as severe bleeding can cause shock. You can do this by using a piece of clean cloth and pressing on the wound.

If the person goes into shock, loosen any tight clothing and keep them warm. Lie them down and raise their legs. Then call the emergency services.

Calling the emergency services
Make sure you dial 999 as soon as you can, or get someone else to do it while you deal with the injured person.

You will need to tell the emergency services:

1. Where you are
2. What has happened
3. How many people are injured
4. Whether they are breathing or bleeding

The operator will talk you through what to do while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.

The law
The law is clear on what your responsibilities are if your own car is involved in an accident where another person or animal is injured or killed, or another vehicle or property is damaged.

If this is the case, you must:

1. Stop and stay at the scene for a reasonable period.
2. Give your registration number, name and address, and that of the vehicle owner to anyone with reasonable grounds for asking for them.
3. If you don’t exchange these details at the scene, you must report the accident at a police station or to a Police Officer as soon as you can, and within 24 hours.

Be a well-organised witness
Finally, if you are prepared to act as a witness to an accident, you should write down your evidence and retain your original notes, plus any sketches and photographs.

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