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Highway Code

Highway Code, Annex 7. First aid on the road (part 2)

Annex 7. First aid on the road. Advisory guidance you are expected to follow.

  • Annex 7. First aid on the road
  • Advisory rule
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Advisory

Remember the letters D R A B C: D - Danger Check that it’s safe to approach. R - Response Try to get a response by gently shaking the casualty’s shoulders and asking loudly ‘Are you all right?’ If they respond, check for injuries. A - Airway If there’s no response, open the casualty’s airway by placing your fingers under their chin and lifting it forward. If the casualty is unconscious and breathing, place them in the recovery position until medical help arrives B - Breathing Check that the casualty is breathing normally. Look for chest movements, look and listen for breathing, and feel for breath on your cheek. If there are no signs of breathing, start CPR. Interlock your fingers, place them in the centre of the casualty’s chest and press down hard and fast – around 5 to 6 centimetres and about twice a second. You may only need one hand for a child and shouldn’t press down as far. For infants, use two fingers in the middle of the chest and press down about a third of the chest depth. Don’t stop until the casualty starts breathing again or a medical professional takes over. C - Circulation If the casualty is responsive and breathing, check for signs of bleeding. Protect yourself from exposure to blood and check for anything that may be in the wound, such as glass. Don’t remove anything that’s stuck in the wound. Taking care not to press on the object, build up padding on either side of the object. If nothing is embedded, apply firm pressure over the wound to stem the flow of blood. As soon as practical, fasten a pad to the wound with a bandage or length of cloth. Use the cleanest material available.

Burns

Put out any flames, taking care for your own safety. Cool the burn for at least 20 minutes with plenty of clean, cool water. Cover the burn with cling film if available. Don’t try to remove anything that’s sticking to the burn.

Rule text reproduced verbatim from the official Highway Code (Crown copyright) under the Open Government Licence v3.0, see the attribution at the foot of this page.

In plain English

Stripped of the formal wording, this guidance comes down to one idea: remember the letters D R A B C: D - Danger Check that it’s safe to approach. It is advice rather than law, but examiners and the courts still treat it as the expected standard of safe driving.

It belongs to the annex 7. first aid on the road part of the Code, the habits a confident, considerate driver builds until they are automatic. The aim is not to memorise the sentence word for word, but to understand the hazard it protects you from, so you apply it without having to think when it counts.

If you are learning, treat this rule as one piece of a connected set rather than an isolated fact. The related rules below sit in the same section and reinforce each other, reading them together is how the annex 7. first aid on the road part of the Code starts to feel like common sense rather than a list to revise.

Because this is advisory rather than legal, no one will fine you for the rule alone, but ignoring it can still count against you in a careless-driving case, and it will cost you faults on the test. Either way, the safe move is to build the habit early, while a driving instructor can correct it, rather than relearning it under test pressure. That is exactly what the practice routes and coaching in the DriveRoutes app are designed to help with, turning the rules below into the way you naturally drive.

Why this rule matters on the road

Following this rule keeps your driving predictable and safe, which is what every other road user is relying on. It is one small part of the habit-set that, taken together, prevents the everyday mistakes that cause collisions.

Common faults examiners record

In the annex 7. first aid on the road part of the Code, the faults most often written on the marking sheet tend to be the same handful. Knowing them in advance is the quickest way to drive them out of your own habits:

  • Acting too late because the situation was read close rather than early.
  • Incomplete observation before committing to a manoeuvre.
  • An unsuitable speed for the road, the traffic or the conditions.

On the day

On the day, applying Highway Code, Annex 7. First aid on the road (part 2) is about doing the safe, deliberate thing slightly earlier than feels necessary: read the situation in good time, observe fully, and act smoothly. The examiner is looking for planned driving, not perfection, and good habits formed in lessons carry you through.

Quick checklist

  • Read the situation early and plan your response.
  • Observe fully before you commit to anything.
  • Keep your speed suitable for the road and conditions.

More from Annex 7. First aid on the road

Related Highway Code rules

Highway Code, Annex 7. First aid on the road (part 2), your questions

Remember the letters D R A B C: D - Danger Check that it’s safe to approach. It is advisory guidance rather than law, but you are still expected to follow it and an examiner can mark a fault if you do not.

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