// when seconds decide
Crash scene?
Act right.
The first 10 minutes decide most outcomes. Save the numbers now, learn the six things below, and you'll be the calm person every crash scene needs.
// at a glance
The six things.
Make the scene safe
Stop in a safe place if possible and avoid creating another collision.
Safety basicsDocument safely
Only record information when it can be done without creating another hazard.
Report// the detail
The golden 10 minutes, on a clock.
The six cards tell you what. This is the how, minute by minute — the version we teach at the free drills.
read it once. it sticks better than you'd think.
Breathe first
One calm person changes a whole scene. Decide: "I am helping now." Then move.
Make it safe
Park upstream of the crash, hazards on, engine off. Triangle 50–100m behind. No smoking anywhere near fuel.
Call 999 / 112 — use the script
"I am at [landmark or GPS pin]. [Number] people are injured. Dangers: [fire / fuel / blocking traffic]." Send one clear caller; keep the line open.
Bleeding: press, don't rinse
Hard, continuous pressure with clean cloth. Don't wash wounds, don't pull out embedded objects, don't lift the cloth — add more on top.
Not breathing? Push to the beat
Hands-only CPR, 100–120 pushes a minute. The tempo of the song Stayin' Alive. Yes, really. Yes, on our site of all sites.
Comfort and protect
Talk to the conscious. Shade from sun, space from crowds, faces away from cameras. Helmets stay on unless there's fire.
Hand over, then pin it
Tell responders what you found and what you did. Later, pin the blackspot on the map so the junction gets fixed for the next person.
// the other half of helping
Never do these.
Half of first response is knowing what not to do. Good intentions cause a shocking amount of the second injury.
⬤ the mnemonic
calm → safe → call → compress.
everything else is detail. train once at a drill — free, monthly, see events.
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Don't drag the injured. Spinal injury turns a survivable crash into lifelong paralysis. Move only for fire.
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Don't remove a rider's helmet. Unless they're not breathing and you're trained for the two-person removal.
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Don't give food or water to someone seriously injured — they may need surgery, and water ruins the anaesthesia plan.
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Don't film live. Protect faces and privacy. The internet is not a first responder.
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Don't crowd. Injured people need air, and the road needs space for the ambulance you called.
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Don't disappear if you're involved. A witness statement is part of first response too — it's how the blackspot gets fixed.
// in the glovebox
Carry these. Seriously.
about 90,000 UGX kits out a car properly. cheaper than one regret.
