The answer options
- Slow pulse
- Warm dry skin
- Rapid shallow breathingCorrect
- Flushed complexion
Why the other options are wrong
- “Slow pulse” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which rapid shallow breathing 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.
- “Warm dry skin” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which rapid shallow breathing 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.
- “Flushed complexion” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which rapid shallow breathing 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
Rapid, shallow breathing is a key warning sign that a casualty is suffering from shock. Other symptoms include pale, cold, clammy skin, sweating, and a rapid, weak pulse. Warm, dry skin, a flushed complexion, or a slow pulse are incorrect because shock starves the body of blood and oxygen. This causes heart and breathing rates to speed up while blood is diverted away from the skin. Always follow official first-aid guidance at an incident scene.
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, a casualty isn’t breathing. What should you do while helping them to start breathing again?