Stage 2 Course Content 14 — When Traffic Accidents Occur

1. Duties of Drivers, etc.

Even if a driver drives safely, a traffic accident may occur. In the event of a traffic accident, the driver and staff must take the following actions as their duty.

Reference — "Traffic accident"

A traffic accident refers to injury or death to a person (accidents resulting in injury or death) or damage to an object (accidents resulting in property damage) caused by the traffic of vehicles, etc.

1. Measures to Prevent Accidents from Occurring Consecutively

To prevent another accident from occurring consecutively, the driver should move his/her vehicle to a safe place where it does not obstruct other traffic (shoulder, vacant lot, etc.) and turn off the engine.

※ If you cannot move the vehicle, take other measures to prevent another accident from occurring consecutively, using a smoke flare or an emergency warning reflector device.

2. Helping the Injured

If anyone is injured, you should give possible first aid such as stopping the bleeding with a gauze, clean handkerchief, etc., while waiting for the arrival of a doctor, ambulance, etc.

In doing so, you should not move an injured person any more than necessary. (In particular, when the injured person has a head injury, do not move him/her.) However, when there is a risk of accidents occurring consecutively, carry the injured to a safe place quickly.

※ When helping an injured person who is bleeding, wear vinyl gloves or use plastic bags as gloves, if possible. The last thing you should do is to leave the site without helping injured people.

3. Reporting to a Police Officer

Report the accident site, number of the injured, degree of the injuries, degree of the damage, cargo of the vehicles involved, etc. to a police officer and receive his/her instruction.

※ While calling police or fire department (110 or 119), remove the fallen object that may disrupt the passage from the site. Even if no one is injured in the accident, do not end only with the discussion between the parties involved in the accident.

Reference — Duties of emergency vehicles, vehicles that are transporting injured or sick people, or buses...

Such drivers may ask a staff member to take necessary measures, such as helping an injured person or reporting to a police officer, so that they can continue driving the vehicle.

Measures to take when you cause a traffic accident

An accident occurs → Stop driving immediately

※ Severe punishments for:

When a police officer is at the scene → Follow a police officer's instruction

When a police officer is not around:

  1. Taking measures for preventing another accident from occurring consecutively:
    • Move the vehicle to a vacant lot, etc. and turn off the engine
    • Set up an emergency warning reflector device
    • Ask people nearby to control the traffic, etc.

When there are no injured people (property damage only):

  1. Reporting to a police officer:
    • Measures to prevent danger
    • Removal of the obstacles

When there are injured people:

  1. Helping the injured → Give first aid → Take the injured to the hospital

※ When you cause a traffic accident, you must never take the following acts:

Attention — Confirmation and contact

① Items to check about the other party

When identifying the other party, you should check with your own eyes his/her driver's license card or vehicle inspection certificate and make a note on your own. A business card or a memo that the other party provides is sometimes untrustworthy.

② Items to check about the accident

③ Contacting your insurance company

Notify your insurance company of the occurrence of the accident.

2. When You Become the Injured Party

1. Notifying a Police Officer

If you are involved in a traffic accident, even if your injury is minor, identify the other party and notify a police officer. If you fail to do so, you may be put in a disadvantageous position or cannot receive a traffic accident report certificate.

Reference — Traffic accident report certificate

It is a certificate issued by the Japan Safe Driving Center, for evidencing a traffic accident of which the police has confirmed the facts. It is required when using automobile insurance.

Dashcam

It is an on-board camera device. When a vehicle receives a substantial impact due to accident or sudden stop, the dashcam records the time, position, front view, etc. of a vehicle for several ten seconds before and after the impact. It can record the image of the moment when an accident occurs, and the recorded image can be submitted to the police or insurance company. In some cases, accident processing may be performed smoothly using the recorded image as a reference. With some types of dashcam, parking monitoring mode is available, and you can check the image in the event of a vehicle break-in, etc.

Also, by watching the recorded image, people can objectively check which driving behavior of the driver is likely to cause a traffic accident, near miss, or potential incident. As such, it is expected to be used for raising awareness about safe driving, which may help prevent traffic accident, and for traffic safety education. Dashcams are gathering attention and becoming popular.

2. Having a Doctor's Diagnosis

If you have received a strong impact on your head, etc., you should see a doctor even if an external injury does not appear. Sometimes a person will suffer from after-effects that do not appear until much later.

3. When You Are at the Scene of an Accident

1. Helping the Injured, etc.

When you are at the scene of an accident, you should offer assistance proactively in helping the injured, removing the vehicles involved in the accident, etc., and prevent another accident from occurring consecutively.

2. Confirming a Hit-and-Run Vehicle

When you see a hit-and-run accident, you should help the injured and notify a police officer of the hit-and-run vehicle's number, type, color, and other features by dialing 110, etc.

Also, if you know in which direction the vehicle headed, whether there was a passenger or not, the degree of damage on that vehicle, and any parts of that vehicle left at the site of the accident (which part is missing), report such information to a police officer.

3. Prevention of a Fire

At the site of an accident, since there may be a leak of gasoline or the cargo may include dangerous substances, do not smoke a cigarette or throw away a match.

※ When gasoline is leaking, report it when you call 110 or 119.

Let's Try — Course Content 14 — Check your understanding with right/wrong questions.

(See page 275 for answers.)

  1. If an injury or damage resulting from a traffic accident is minor, you do not have to notify the police of the accident.
  2. If a part of your body has received an impact in a traffic accident, you should see a doctor without fail. Even if an external injury does not appear, you may suffer from after-effects later.
  3. If a traffic accident occurs, the person who should help the injured and make a necessary report to a police officer is the driver whose degree of fault is greater in the accident.
  4. If a traffic accident occurs, you must not move the injured person who has a head injury while waiting for the arrival of a doctor or ambulance, even if there is a risk of another accident occurring consecutively.
  5. It is important to work with each other, such as by reporting or helping when noticing a traffic accident or breakdown.
  6. When you cause a traffic accident, discontinue driving the vehicle immediately, help the injured, take measures to prevent another accident from occurring consecutively, and report the accident to a police officer.

(正: right, 誤: wrong)