DRIVER'S HAND SIGNALS

• TURNING TO THE RIGHT Extend the right arm and hand, with the palm turned to the front, and hold rigid in a horizontal position.

• TURNING TO THE LEFT Extend the right arm and rotate it from the shoulder in an anticlockwise direction.

• LETTING VEHICLE OVER TAKE Extend the right arm and hand below the level of the shoulder, and move backwards and forwards.

• STOPPING AT TRAFFIC JUNCTIONS Extend the right arm bending the elbow at right angles and turning palm to the front.

• SLOWING DOWN Extend the right arm with the palm of the hand turned downward, and move the arm slowly up and down. Keeping the wrist loose.

ELECTRICAL TRAFFIC SIGNALS

• Red means Stop wait behind the Stop Line.

• Amber means Be Ready. You may go if the amber appears after you have crossed the line or so close to it that to Pull back might cause an accident.

• Green means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if your mean to turn left or right and give way to pedestrians who are crossing.

• Green Arrow means that you may go in the direction shown by the arrow. You may do this what ever other lights may be showing.

• Flashing Amber Signal means slow down & proceed with caution.

• Flashing Red Signal means you must bring your vehicle to a stop & proceed only it is safe to do so.

ACCIDENT VICTIM ASSISTANCE

Should an accident occur the most important things is to save the life of the individual and prevent further complications of the injury by proper handling of the victim. In order to ensure quick medical aid to the accident victim we need to have.

• A healthy attitude of the driver who should not leave the injured person in the lurch;

• The cooperation and positive attitude of the public who would come to the aid of the injured in case the driver has escaped from the spot;

• The helping attitude of the medical practitioner who should not refuse to deal with the case for fear of involvement in a medico-legal case;

• An effective communication system for summoning ambulance vans;

• Trained staff in the vans to give first aid and prevent what is called 'second injury' which may be caused by careless handling of the inured person;

• The helping attitude of the policeman at the hospital casualty ward who does not make fuss over the formalities by giving precedence to forms and not the injured person;

• Quick attention by the medical staff who must act at the earliest and not waste time in formalities;

• The availability of life-saving equipment and other complementary facilities for diagnosis and treatment;

• The capacity of more hospitals to deal with cases of accidents so that valuable time is not wasted in taking the injured person from hospital to hospital.

The treatment of the injured person is likely to be affected adversely in case any item is likely to be affected adversely in case any item mentioned above is missing. Lack of quick response in anyone can create conditions in which valuable time is lost and the victim denied proper care. Any show of formality by the public, the police, or the medical expert is sure to hamper the treatment of the injured person. The term 'medico-legal' is a myth that scares and causes apprehension in the minds of the people. The sooner this scare is removed the better it would be for the community.

Every accident results in privation. It may be a simple or grievous injury, or a fatality. Whatever be the extend of pain to the individual, the agony caused in the form of hospitalization, permanent incapacitation of limbs, loss of labour days, the discomfort in case of injuries, and permanent loss of a relative in case of death is immense. It is thus necessary to lessen the burden of hardship by some compensation for the loss to the property damaged, the mandays lost, and the lives lost so that the calamity of loss can be faced by the victims or the survivors. The aspect of accidents covers a whole gamut of insurance laws policies for sale, the popularity of various schemes, the compulsions of law relating to motor vehicle insurance, the response of the police and the hospitals in making available of copies, the reaction of the insurance companies to the settlement of claims, the procedures of the accident claims tribunals, the helping attitudes of the lawyers, the availability of free legal aid to those who cannot afford litigation at their own cost, the initiative taken by the organizations exempt from compulsory insurance in settling the claims etc.