Road accidents can occur for various reasons, regardless of the driver’s experience, compliance with traffic rules, or road conditions.

Even a simple unplanned stop of a vehicle on a highway with high-speed traffic can turn into a terrible accident with multiple victims.

What happened?

You have to stop your vehicle on a toll highway. The reasons are varying — a technical malfunction, an accident, or some other incident.

Where to begin?

The main thing is not to panic and to keep a clear head. Any road accident can cause tremendous stress, but do not be impulsive, and do not do anything stupid: the situation has already occurred, you need to resolve it.

What should I do?

Remember and follow a simple sequence of actions:

  • turn on the alarm,
  • protect yourself (wear a high-visibility vest),
  • designate the place of the accident (place a highway emergency warning triangle),
  • immediately move behind the guard rails,
  • call the unified emergency number *2323,
  • provide first aid if there are victims.

On the highway, other drivers may not realize in time that an accident has occurred and hit the parked vehicle, inadvertently becoming victims in the ensuing accident. To avoid this, wear a high-visibility vest after activating the alarm exit the vehicle from the side nearest the wall, and go over the guard rail. You are not allowed to stay in the vechile.i

Walking along highways is extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, to warn the rest of the drivers about the accident, you should place an emergency stop sign at a distance no closer than 30 m from the car. Do everything quickly, and carefully follow the unfolding situation. It is better to carry the sign in front of you, so that you can be seen better by other drivers. Go to the place where you want to place the sign and when returning to the vehicle, walk behind the guard rail if possible. Look for the guardrail closest to you – if there is a guard rail in the middle of the road next to you, then running across the highway to the side of the road poses an unnecessary risk.

Where can I find help?

After you place all the necessary emergency signs, you should then call for Traffic Safety Inspector. For this, you need to call the hotline ∗2323 from your mobile.

If necessary the Traffic Safety Inspector will call to Recovery Service, emergency services, and will take the necessary photos of the scene, assist in preparing documents when filing an accident report in accordance with European Protocols, including for receiving insurance payments, and will also provide first aid and psychological assistance, and also take you to the nearest safe place.

What should I do while waiting for a specialist?

You should never get back into the car. The best option is to stand outside the guardrail while facing the oncoming traffic. Do not hide behind your car or in the area between the car and the guardrail. If there is no guardrail, you must leave a sufficient distance from the road within the right-of-way.

In the event that there are victims, provide them with first aid. However, if you do not have the appropriate skills, then it is better to wait for a specialist.

What should I watch out for?

Pay attention to special signs and the display panel. To minimize the risk of a road accident, the toll road operator warns users about any changes on the highway: the closure of lanes for repair, the occurrence of congestion, traffic accidents, emergencies or unusual situations, adverse weather conditions.