Key takeaways
- Protect the scene before anything else, so there isn’t a second accident.
- Alert emergency services with a precise location and the number of injured.
- Help within your skills: talk to the injured, keep them warm, don’t move them.
- Stay as a witness if you can: your neutral account can matter more than you think.
Seeing a crash happen is frightening, and most people freeze or drive on, assuming someone else will help. You don’t need medical training to make a difference. First-aid organisations around the world teach the same simple sequence: protect, alert, help. Here is how to apply it on the road.
1. Protect
Your safety comes first: an injured helper helps no one.
- Park well past the accident, on the hard shoulder or a safe spot, with your hazard lights on.
- Put on a high-visibility vest if you have one, and place a warning triangle well before the scene to warn other drivers.
- Ask other bystanders to slow traffic down from a safe position.
- Turn off the ignition of the damaged cars if you can do it safely, and don’t smoke.
2. Alert
Call the emergency number (see /blog/emergency-numbers-around-the-world/). Give the exact location (road, direction, kilometre marker, landmark), the number of vehicles and people involved, and the state of the injured: conscious or not, breathing or not, bleeding, trapped. Mention dangers such as fire, smoke or fuel. Don’t hang up until the operator tells you to.
3. Help, within your limits
- Don’t move an injured person, especially a motorcyclist, unless there is an immediate danger such as fire. Never remove a motorcyclist’s helmet.
- Talk to them calmly, tell them help is coming, and ask them not to move.
- Cover them to keep them warm, even in summer: shock makes people cold.
- If someone is bleeding heavily, press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth.
- If someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, the operator can guide you through chest compressions.
Many countries protect good-faith helpers, and some make it an offence not to help a person in danger when you can do so without risk. Calling emergency services is always a form of help.
Being a useful witness
Once help has arrived, stay if you can, and tell the police you saw what happened. Write down or record a voice note of what you saw as soon as possible: the time, the direction of each vehicle, traffic lights, speed, and anything a driver said. Stick to what you actually saw, not what you assume. Our /blog/how-to-write-a-factual-statement/ guide explains how to write it.
Filming: when and how
Only film once the scene is safe and help has been called. Avoid filming injured people’s faces, and never post images of victims online: it hurts families and can be illegal. Footage of the vehicles’ positions and the road, given to the police, can be useful. See /blog/is-it-legal-to-film-an-incident/.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get into trouble for helping?
Rarely. Many countries have rules that protect people who help in good faith. Doing nothing when you could safely help or call for help is more likely to be a problem than trying your best.
Should I stay if I didn’t see the accident itself?
If help is on the way and others are present, you can leave, but tell the police if you saw something before or after the crash, such as a car driving dangerously.
Do I have to give my details as a witness?
You’re usually not obliged, but your account can help the victims and the police. You can give your name and phone number to the police rather than to the drivers.
General information to help you get organised, not legal advice. Procedures and numbers can change: confirm them with the office concerned, and in danger call your local emergency number first.
