What should I do if I am involved in, or first to arrive at, a road traffic accident?

- First and foremost, you should protect the scene from any further collisions.

- Call 999 if the accident involves serious injuries or has created a hazardous situation (blocked road, hazardous debris, damage to railway tracks, etc.). Think hard about giving exact, clear and unambiguous location information.

- Only move any casualty if there is real and immediate danger (eg fire), since you could aggravate internal, back or neck injuries. Make sure they can breathe, look in the mouth and at the back of the throat and remove any choking hazard such as food or false teeth. If they have stopped breathing, attempt mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Do NOT remove a motorcyclist's helmet, unless he has stopped breathing. If he does stop breathing, you have less than four minutes before the brain starts to die. Two people are required to remove full-face helmets safely. One supports the head and neck throughout, the other undoes the strap, carefully moves the helmet back and up until it's free of the chin, then forwards until it clears the base of the skull, and then lifts it straight off. Then attempt mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If there is serious bleeding, apply firm pressure to the bleeding point. Look for limb fractures and stop these limbs from moving.

- If there are no injuries (or someone has suffered only very minor injuries), and there is damage to property only and no hazard, then there is no need to call the police to the scene, but you MUST stop and give your name and address to anyone who has reasonable grounds to ask for it. If you are not the registered keeper, you must also supply their name and address. If everyone is able and willing to provide their details, there is no need to report the accident to the police at all (although some accident compensation solicitors advise reporting it anyway so that there is a record of the accident). However, If you are unable to supply any of this information you must immediately (and certainly within 24 hours) obtain it and report it at a police station (take your driving license and registration, MOT and insurance documentation too, just in case).

- If someone was injured, you must also supply your insurance details.

- Write down:
  * any witness names and addresses,
  * the other driver's details,
  * the make, model, colour and registration numbers of any vehicles involved and number of occupants,
  * a rough sketch plan of the accident scene and where the vehicles ended up, noting any damage to other vehicles,
  * your version of what happened.

- Take pictures of the scene with a disposable camera, or failing that, a camera phone (although these currently don't really have good enough resolution). Use the whole film, getting as many angles as you can. Include any skid marks. If practical, get other drivers/vehicle occupants in some of the shots (in case of later fraudulent whiplash claims from non existent passengers, etc.).

- Keep a receipt of any expenses you incur and always contact a specialist motorcycle accident compensation solicitor who will advise if you have a claim and what additional immediate action is necessary. These guys are often very clued up and usually offer 24 hr acceptance numbers. If you are not at fault, they can sort out all kind of things for you, like alternative transport. - Report the accident to your insurance company (whether or not you were at fault or are making a claim - it's in their small print).