Precautionary Measures Before You Travel

A collision is not the moment to discover you lack basic tools. Keep a small, dedicated kit in your vehicle. The goal is not to “investigate.” The goal is to remain safe, assist responsibly, and preserve key information.

Minimum recommended items include:

  • Pen and a white writing pad (at least A5) for recording details that may be lost later.
  • Wax crayon or chalk marker for marking final positions on the road surface.
  • A reliable torch with fresh batteries or a rechargeable unit.
  • Reflective vest or jacket for day or night visibility.
  • Emergency triangles to reduce the risk of secondary collisions.
  • Blankets, ideally space blankets, for shock prevention and warmth.
  • A first-aid kit with multiple dressings and bandages.
  • Mobile airtime and charging capability (power bank and charging cable).
  • Water (at least 2 litres) for basic decontamination and wound rinsing.

A modern addition is a power bank and a phone mount, enabling hands-free emergency calls and stable photographic documentation.

At the Scene: What to Do First

If you are involved in a collision—or arrive at one—the sequence matters.

  • Your safety is the first priority.
    An injured helper cannot assist anyone and may become a second casualty.
  • Make the scene visible and controlled.
    Wear reflective clothing and place an emergency triangle at a safe distance. Avoid standing in live lanes.
  • Assess injuries and summon help early.
    If there are injuries, entrapment, or any doubt, phone for medical assistance first and then notify police.
  • Do not move patients unless there is an immediate threat to life.
    Moving injured persons can worsen spinal or internal injuries. Keep them calm and still.
  • Provide basic first aid only within your competence.
    • Apply direct pressure to bleeding wounds.
    • Prioritise airway, breathing, circulation.
    • Do not attempt “hero” interventions without training.
  • Do not touch or move evidence unless necessary to save life or prevent further injury.
    The collision scene is potential evidence.
  • Mark vehicle positions before vehicles are moved.
    Mark outer corners of vehicles rather than wheels. Corner marks remain meaningful even when wheels are turned or damaged.
  • If vehicles must be moved for public safety, document first.
    A vehicle may be moved where there is a real risk of secondary collisions, but only after clear marking and photography, and only where doing so does not endanger trapped occupants.
  • Stay calm and manage the social temperature.
    Aggression, panic, and conflict degrade outcomes. Say less. Record more.
  • Remain vigilant about traffic.
    Secondary impacts are common at crash scenes. Do not assume approaching motorists will stop.

Photographs: What to Capture and What to Avoid

Photographs preserve transient evidence. They must be taken systematically and without creating additional risk.

Photograph the following:

  • Vehicle final positions relative to the roadway, lane markings, intersections, and fixed features.
  • Wide scene views from multiple angles and, where possible, from elevation.
  • All four sides and corners of each vehicle.
  • Damage areas from multiple angles and distances.
  • Tyre marks, debris fields, gouges, fluid spills, and any visible road-surface evidence.
  • Road signage, signals, lane markings, obstructions, roadworks, and visibility limitations.
  • Identifying details: licence plates, licence discs, company branding, trailers.

If emergency activity alters the scene—vehicles lifted, doors forced, glass removed—photograph that process from a distance to preserve context.

Do not photograph identifiable victims. If a fatality is present, do not photograph remains. If photographs are required for evidentiary reasons, that is a matter for official investigators, not bystanders. If you are photographing your own collision scene, keep the imagery strictly scene- and vehicle-focused.

(Insert image placeholder: recommended photo sequence.)

Information to Record Immediately

You will forget details. Other parties may become unavailable. Write it down.

Record:

  • Names, contact details, and identity numbers (where provided) of drivers, passengers, and witnesses.
  • Vehicle make, model, colour, registration numbers, and licence disc expiry.
  • Location (nearest intersection, landmarks, kilometre markers) and time.
  • Weather, lighting, and road surface condition (wet, dry, gravel, standing water).
  • Visible injuries reported by each person or observed by you.
  • The nature and location of each vehicle’s damage, with brief description.

Exchange your information with other parties. Provide only what is reasonably required.

What to Expect From Emergency Services

Emergency response is often fragmented. Different services arrive at different times and with different priorities.

  • Tow operators may arrive first.
    They are not medical responders unless specifically qualified. Their presence can improve scene safety if they shield the scene with amber lighting.
  • When medical personnel arrive, brief them efficiently.
    Tell them where patients are, the most serious injuries observed, and any first aid rendered.
  • Do not answer medical assessment questions on behalf of patients.
    Paramedics assess consciousness and orientation. Interfering can mislead clinical assessment.
  • Police or traffic officers will assess seriousness and control the scene.
    Expect cordoning, statements, and basic measurement or documentation.
  • Expect delays.
    In serious cases, you may remain on scene for hours while details are taken and vehicles removed.

Before you leave, ensure responding services have your correct contact details.

Serious or Fatal Collisions: Scene Control and Evidence Expectations

Where there is serious injury or loss of life, the collision becomes a potential criminal investigation. Scene control should be treated accordingly.

Best practice expectations include:

  • The scene is cordoned off and access controlled.
  • Only essential emergency personnel and investigators enter the inner perimeter.
  • Evidence is photographed, measured, and recorded before removal or clearing.
  • Vehicle positions, road-surface evidence, victim location (where relevant), and road conditions are documented comprehensively.
  • Witness details are recorded properly.

In practice, quality varies. If you observe poor scene discipline—rushed clearing, absent measurements, or incomplete recording—do not argue on scene. Document what you can lawfully document and address deficiencies through formal channels later.

Intoxicated Driving: What Law Enforcement Should Do

Driving under the influence is a criminal offence. In serious collisions, it should be investigated proactively.

Where an officer has reasonable suspicion of intoxication—such as alcohol breath, slurred speech, imbalance, or other indicators—the correct process should follow. If enforcement is refused on illogical grounds, treat that as a governance issue to be escalated later, not a confrontation to be fought on the roadside.

Do not allow yourself to be persuaded by informal explanations that imply:

  • police must witness the driving personally,
  • there must be a “complainant,” or
  • enforcement depends on insurance consequences.

Your remedy is procedural, not physical confrontation.

If Officials Do Not Perform Required Functions

If you reasonably believe essential steps are being ignored:

  • Record the name, rank, station/unit, and contact details of the official in charge.
  • Ask, politely and briefly, why a specific step is not being performed.
  • Record the response and continue gathering lawful, non-intrusive documentation.
  • Escalate later through formal complaint channels, including station command and provincial oversight structures where appropriate.

Maintain a controlled demeanour. At scene level, officials have operational authority. Escalation is a post-scene process.

Final Observations

A collision is chaotic by nature. You will not do everything perfectly. The objective is to do the essentials correctly:

  • protect life
  • prevent secondary harm
  • preserve key evidence
  • record identities and observations
  • protect your legal position by avoiding admissions and speculation

When in doubt: remain safe, document carefully, and let the evidence carry the case.