First aid - the right way to help
As with every accident, in traffic accidents minutes and even seconds can make the difference between life and death. Everybody is obligated to provide first aid. Don't forget: The only and the worst mistake you can make is to do nothing.
When there is an accident on the motorway you have to act quickly. The fast traffic behind you represents a particular danger. To protect yourself and others, you must take the following three steps:
Protection
First of all, look out for your own safety when you are on the scene of an accident! Leave the danger zone as quickly as possible – the safest place is behind the guard rail.
Secure the scene of an accident only if you can do that without putting yourself at risk:Switch on your car's hazard lights
- Switch on your car's hazard lights
- Put on your safety vest
- Put up a safety triangle around 200 to 250 metres behind the vehicle
Emergency call
Make an emergency call. We recommend that you use our emergency telephones that are set up along the motorways and expressways every 1.5 kilometres. This allows us to identify where you are. You can also use a mobile phone. The most important emergency numbers are:
- 112 Euro emergency number
- 122 fire service
- 133 police
- 144 rescue service
Giving first aid
This includes all life-saving first aid that you as the first responder perform on the injured person (such as stopping the bleeding, side position, resuscitation etc.).
To ensure that you are prepared in an emergency, we recommend that you seek advice from the rescue organisations such as the Austrian Red Cross, or the Austrian Samaritan association.
The only thing you can do wrong with first aid is not to provide it. Every individual is obligated to provide first aid according to their knowledge. Not helping an injured person is an offence and punishable. Important: You cannot be punished for making a mistake while giving first aid.
