Motorcycle police officers and motorcycle paramedics are often the first to arrive at the scene of an accident. In order for their levels of cooperation in these situations to improve even further, the motorcycle paramedics trained the motorcycle police officers in attendance on the provision of immediate care.

The training session, which was held between 13 and 15 June 2011 in Gotenica, was attended by 22 motorcycle police officers, who learnt the basics of the functioning of the human body, resuscitation techniques for adults and children, heart defibrillation, first aid with ICT use, poisoning, injuries, and emergency childbirth. On the second and third days of the training session, the participants split into groups and practiced resuscitation, immobilisation, how to stop bleeding, the dressing of wounds, and heart defibrillation.

Motorcycle police officers already have some skills in emergency medical assistance as they receive regular training in this area. Their participation in this training session is therefore also aimed at enhancing cooperation between paramedics and motorcycle police officers, who meet regularly and provide assistance to each other at accident scenes.

Reduce the chance of accidents!

• Always adapt your speed to the conditions on the road so you do not lose control of your vehicle.
• Observe speed limits, especially in built-up areas.
• Do not drink before or whilst driving.
• Refrain from risky overtaking, especially in heavy traffic and tailbacks.
• Ensure that your vehicle is always in a roadworthy condition.
• Observe the rules of the road.

What to do in the event of an accident?

• Inform the police - dial 113.
• It is your duty to help accident victims to the extent of your abilities, and to protect the scene of the accident if the victims involved are unable to do so themselves. This is carried out for the purpose of warning other road users and preventing new accidents from occurring.
• Take stock of the circumstances in which you find the victims, especially if you did not witness the accident or if a victim is unconscious. Involve other people at the scene in providing first aid.
• Take stock of the victim's condition (consciousness, breathing, pulse, skin appearance and colour, temperature, bleeding, risk of spine injury, vomiting, etc).

What to do if you are involved in an accident?

• If anybody has died or suffered an injury in an accident, you must immediately inform the nearest police station or dial 113 (the police then inform the ambulance service on your behalf).
• You must wait at the scene and must not consume any alcohol until the inspection of the scene has concluded. As an exception to this rule, you may only leave the scene in order to assist the victims or to inform the police. Once this has been done, you must return to the scene immediately.
• If you are involved in an accident in which only material damage was caused and the other party to the accident is not present (e.g. in a car park), you must immediately inform the nearest police station and provide them with your personal details and information on the damaged vehicle.
• If you have a camera on your person, take pictures/footage of the accident from different angles in order to facilitate a reconstruction of the accident.
• If you are involved in an accident where only some minor material damage was caused, immediately remove the vehicle from the road, exchange personal details, and fill in and sign a European Accident Report. We recommend that you do this for every traffic accident as it will facilitate compensation claims.

What to tell the police when you telephone?

• Your name and location.
• What happened and how.
• Where it happened and the quickest route to get there.
• How many people are injured and how badly (minor, serious, dead).
• What has already been done and what help is expected (crane truck, welding apparatus, paramedics, etc.).