What to do during a traffic accident?

How to behave at the scene of an accident?

Deputy Inspector Mariusz Olko from the Traffic Department of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław answers readers' questions.

– If a traffic accident occurs in which there are injured or dead people, the driver must:

• provide the necessary assistance to victims of an accident and call an ambulance and the police;
• take appropriate measures to ensure road safety at the scene of an accident (install an emergency stop sign, turn on the emergency signal, etc.);
• do not take any actions that may make it difficult to determine the course of the accident (it is advisable not to touch anything);
• stay in place, and if an ambulance or police call requires you to leave, immediately return to this place.

In the event of a collision (so-called accident), the participants must stop the vehicles without endangering road safety. Then they must remove them from the scene so that they do not create a hazard or impede traffic. The parties must also agree on a common position on whether to call the police to the scene or write a statement of guilt and the circumstances of the collision.