The answer options
- Check their breathingCorrect
- Take photgraphs of them
- Splash their face with water
- Move them to a more comfortable location
Why the other options are wrong
- “Take photgraphs of them” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which check their 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.
- “Splash their face with water” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which check their 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.
- “Move them to a more comfortable location” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which check their 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
When dealing with an unconscious casualty, your priority is basic first aid, starting with ensuring their airway is open and checking their breathing. Moving a casualty should be avoided unless they are in immediate danger, as this could worsen spinal injuries. Never splash water on them or take photos. Following standard emergency protocols recommended in the Highway Code helps keep the casualty safe until professional medical help arrives.
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?