good motoring
How to be road-wise
H.Kishie Singh

The Chandigarh police organises a road safety week in the beginning of January every year. There is so much to be learnt that I think every one using the roads, whether drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians, should attend one of these sessions.

You will come away a wiser person, with information that may save a life. It will certainly make you a road-smart and road-wise citizen who could make a contribution to society.

Dr Mahesh Inder of Fortis Intensive Care and Anaesthesia Department recently gave a talk on trauma care and how to deal with accident victims on the road at Police Lines in Chandigarh. He said that when you arrive at an accident scene, you should quickly assess the situation. Immediately call 100, so that a Chandigarh police PCR or ambulance will be with you in minutes.

If it is a car accident, you may wonder whether it is safe to approach the car. The car may have turned turtle or could be balancing precariously on one side. As you pull the victims out of the car, you may upset the balance of the car and it could roll over on to you, pinning you under it. You have not solved a problem, simply compounded it. Beware of making hasty moves.

In India there are always enough people around and they never refuse help. If possible, organise them, don’t try and be a lone hero. Pull the injured away from the car with the help of bystanders.

In case the car has overturned, it is very possible the car is spilling petrol onto the road. No cigarettes or bidis should come close to the accident scene.

There can be a fire under the bonnet. In this case, move swiftly and get the injured as far away from the vehicle as possible. Petrol explosions can be violent.

Your own safety is paramount. If you get injured, you are a liability and that does not help the situation.

If there are three or four injured people, whom do you help first? The person who is motionless, and not responding to your call, is the person who needs most attention. There could be a person moaning for help. Remember, he can breathe and talk, so he could be better than the motionless people. Here, a first-aid course that you may have attended will be of great help.

Happy Motoring!