ŠKODA AUTO Helps

How not to panic when you see an accident

Useful advice on what to do if you find yourself at the site of an accident with an injury

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specially during the holidays, on long holiday trips or even short bike trips, you may come across an accident. In this case, each of us has a civic duty to help, but it is important not to panic.

The biggest priority is your safety

A dead or injured rescuer can’t help anyone. Therefore, in the event of an accident, think about your own health and that of your fellow passengers first. Don’t make hasty decisions. Stop at a sufficient distance from the accident (depending on the situation, either behind or in front of it) so there is enough space for the rescue units to arrive and do their work. Put on a reflective vest before getting out of the car, preferably on the shoulder side of the road. Unless they are helping, other passengers should wait a few metres behind the crash barriers or as far away from the road as possible.

First steps at the accident site

Mark the place with a triangle, prepare your first aid kit and call an ambulance – you can use the Ambulance application to determine the location of the accident more precisely. On the call, specify: your name and location, what happened and to whom. Do not hang up. Switch on the speakerphone to free your hands and provide help based on the instructions that you receive.

How to care for the injured

Put on rubber gloves from the first aid kit and determine whom you need to help first. Preference is given to wounds with massive bleeding and people who are unconscious. Also, those who call for help are usually in better shape than those who do not. Unless necessary, do not pull the injured person out of the car. Also, be sure not to put your head in any area where an airbag could still deploy. 

When a life is at stake

Do not try to assess whether the wounded person has a heartbeat; unless you are a professional, you will not be able to tell anyway. Focus on whether the injured person is breathing. You can determine this by looking at the person’s chest and placing your ear to their mouth. If they are not breathing, check the injured person’s airways by tilting their head, moving their chin to the front and removing items from their mouth if necessary. If the injured person is still not breathing, do not start artificial respiration; it is essential to maintain blood circulation by massaging the heart. In this case, fix the injured person’s head and pull them out of the car. If the injured person is breathing, leave them in a stabilised position or keep their head in the correct position inside the car. It is also essential to stop the bleeding. Use gloves or a bag and stop the massive bleeding directly in the wound with your hand. If possible, apply a pressure bandage.

Waiting for the paramedics

If you have already administered first aid, do not leave the wounded persons unattended. Talk to them, calm them down, stroke them and provide them with shade. As a precaution, also prepare fire extinguishers in case they are needed; for example, get help from truck drivers, who are well equipped for such situations. ED

While in line at the accident site

If you arrive at the accident later and it is not up to you to carry out first aid, keep in mind that you can still help the rescuers, yourself and others to alleviate the situation.

Keep the way clear for rescue vehicles, even after they pass through. Other rescuers can still arrive.

If it is hot, help those in need, such as the elderly, young children and pregnant women, for example, by providing shade or giving fluids.

Switch off the engine when waiting for a long time.

Do not walk far away from your car so you do not prevent the line from moving.

Education as the safety basis

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he safest possible road traffic is a priority for ŠKODA AUTO, and the carmaker thinks about it not only when designing its cars. The carmaker supports a number of activities in this area, which has been expanded by the partnership with the Start Driving project. It focuses on educating young drivers, who are the most at-risk group in terms of accidents. Practical demonstrations in the safe driving centres and subsequent driving in traffic help graduates to deepen their skills in driving vehicles, and traffic-psychological seminars focus on responsible traffic behaviour. The project is organised by the Association of Driving Schools of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Association of Safe Driving Centres, and it is funded from the Damage Prevention Fund of the Czech Insurers’ Bureau. 

700 

more than this number of hours of traffic education with the NFŠA support took place in the Mladá Boleslav region this year.

Educational projects supported by the ŠKODA AUTO Endowment Fund (NFŠA) in the Mladá Boleslav, Vrchlabí and Kvasiny regions form a long-term pillar. This year, a lot of the teaching took place in the online environment, and the school evaluations were very positive. The findings of the ŠKODA AUTO Traffic Safety Research Team, as well as visual aids that we designed, among others, are used there. After the holidays, webinars are also planned for the carmaker’s employees, which will focus on traffic accidents and can be viewed on ŠKODA Space. NFŠA is preparing other grants for dates in the autumn. ED