The answer options
- Shake them firmly
- Put their arms across their chest
- Roll them onto their side
- Open their airwayCorrect
Why the other options are wrong
- “Shake them firmly” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which open their airway does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “Put their arms across their chest” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which open their airway does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “Roll them onto their side” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which open their airway does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
Why that is the answer
If an unconscious casualty is not breathing, your priority is to open their airway. Gently tilt their head back and lift their chin to clear the passage to their lungs, allowing air to enter. You should only roll a casualty onto their side into the recovery position if they are unconscious but breathing normally. Official first aid guidance stresses that opening the airway is the vital first step before giving rescue breaths or CPR.
What incidents, accidents and emergencies covers
- · The DR ABC approach and CPR compression rate and depth
- · Treating burns, bleeding and shock at the roadside
- · Warning triangles, hazard lights and making a scene safe
- · Tunnel incidents, vehicle fires and evacuating passengers
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Removing a motorcyclist's helmet when it is not essential
- · Placing a warning triangle on a motorway hard shoulder
- · Giving an injured person a drink or something to eat
- · Leaving the scene without reporting when nobody appears hurt
Instructor tip: Cool a burn with clean cool water for at least ten minutes — the timing is the part questions test.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from incidents, accidents and emergencies appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More incidents, accidents and emergencies questions
- After a collision, someone is unconscious in their vehicle. When should you call the emergency services?
- An adult casualty isn’t breathing. CPR should be administered to keep the blood flowing. How hard should you press against their chest?
- An injured motorcyclist is lying unconscious in the road. The traffic has stopped and there’s no further danger. What could you do to help?
- An injured person has been placed in the recovery position. They’re unconscious but breathing normally. What else should be done?
- At an incident, a casualty is unconscious but breathing. When should you move them?
- At an incident, how could you help a casualty who has stopped breathing?