7.3 Accidents, Reporting & First Aid

7.3 Accidents, Reporting & First Aid

Quick Answer: If you are involved in an accident in Ghana you must stop immediately, switch off the engine, warn other traffic (hazard lights, warning triangle), and render assistance to the injured. Exchange particulars — name, address, licence and insurance details — and report the accident to a police station as soon as reasonably practicable — within 24 hours if the accident happened in a municipal area, and within 24 to 48 hours in any other case (Road Traffic Act 2004, Act 683). Never admit liability at the scene, and move vehicles only when instructed or when they endanger traffic — note their positions first. For casualties: breathing and airway first, direct pressure on severe bleeding, do not move a suspected spine or neck injury unless there is immediate danger such as fire, and treat for shock. Call 112 (national emergency), 191 (police), 192 (fire), or 193 (ambulance).

Your Legal Duties After a Crash

The Road Traffic Act 2004 (Act 683) and the Highway Code impose duties on every driver involved in an accident, whether or not anyone is hurt. The exam tests these as a sequence — learn the order.

1. Stop immediately. Driving away from an accident you are involved in is a serious offence in itself, far worse than the crash that caused it.
2. Switch off the engine. A crashed vehicle with a running engine risks fire, especially if fuel is leaking.
3. Warn other traffic. Switch on the hazard warning lights and place the warning triangle (45 metres behind, as covered in section 7.2) so the crash scene does not cause a second collision.
4. Render assistance to anyone injured — give the first aid described below and call for help.
5. Exchange particulars with the other parties: name, address, driver's licence details, and insurance particulars. You are entitled to the same information from them, and you should note the registration numbers of all vehicles involved.
6. Report to the police. The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) investigates road crashes. Under the Road Traffic Act 2004 (Act 683) you must report the accident at a police station as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours where the accident occurred in a municipal area, or within 24 to 48 hours anywhere else. Failing to comply is an offence carrying a fine of up to 250 penalty units, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.

Two behaviours at the scene are tested again and again:

• Never admit liability. Saying "it was my fault" at the roadside is a legal admission that can be used against you and your insurer. Fault is determined by the police investigation and, if necessary, the courts — not by roadside apologies. Be courteous and helpful, but do not assign blame.
• Do not move the vehicles until the police instruct you, unless they are endangering other traffic — for example, blocking a lane on a fast road. If vehicles must be moved for safety, note or mark their positions first (photographs or simple marks on the road), because those positions are key evidence for the investigation.

The reporting deadline deserves a moment of its own, because the exam tests the exact numbers. The duty is to report as soon as reasonably practicable; the outer limit is 24 hours in a municipal area and 24 to 48 hours elsewhere. If you cannot remember the split, remember 24 hours — it is the shorter, safer answer and the one that applies in every town and city. The MTTD records the crash, takes statements and measurements, and produces the report that insurers and the courts later rely on. Even a minor collision with no injury is best reported when the other party is uncooperative — a police record protects you if a claim appears later.

First Aid at the Scene: The Priorities

You do not need medical training to save a life in the minutes before help arrives. The exam tests a short, fixed set of priorities.

A few principles behind the table. The order matters because a casualty who cannot breathe will die within minutes, whatever their other injuries. Direct pressure works because most external bleeding stops when the blood vessels are compressed — lifting the cloth to "check" restarts the bleeding, so keep the pressure on. And the rule against moving a casualty with a suspected neck or spine injury is absolute except for immediate danger: fire is the classic exam example of a reason that justifies the risk of moving them. Do not remove a motorcyclist's crash helmet unless it is necessary to keep the airway open.

Calling for Help and the Role of Insurance

Call the emergency services as early as possible, and give the location, the number of casualties, and the nature of the injuries. The numbers to know:

• 112 — national emergency number
• 191 — police
• 192 — fire service, also published by the Ministry of Roads and Highways as the National Accident Emergency Line
• 193 — ambulance

Finally, remember the financial protection the law builds around every crash: third-party motor insurance is compulsory under Ghanaian law (see section 6.1). It exists precisely so that people injured, or property damaged, by a vehicle can be compensated. Driving uninsured is an offence — and after a crash it leaves the at-fault driver personally liable for injuries that can cost far more than any vehicle.