When involved in a collision, you should:
- Move the injured as far away from the road as possible.
- Avoid moving the injured by yourself unless absolutely necessary. ✓
- Insist the injured are fine without immediate medical attention.
- Move the injured to their desired location.
Answer: B. Avoid moving the injured by yourself unless absolutely necessary.
Avoid moving the injured person by yourself unless it is absolutely necessary.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says not to move or lift a crash victim unless it is absolutely necessary. It warns that unskilled handling can do more harm than good, and it says not to assume people are uninjured just because they say so. If a victim truly must be moved, the handbook says to get help and try to keep the body in the position it was found in. That is why leaving the injured where they are, and waiting for skilled help, is the safer choice.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Move the injured as far away from the road as possible. — Dragging the injured far from the road is still moving them, which the handbook says to avoid unless it is absolutely necessary, and doing it alone counts as unskilled handling.
- C. Insist the injured are fine without immediate medical attention. — The handbook says not to assume people are not injured just because they say they are not, so brushing off their condition ignores that warning.
- D. Move the injured to their desired location. — Hauling an injured person to a place they want to go is moving them for no medical reason, which the handbook does not allow.
Remember it
Think of the victim as fragile cargo: leave them where they landed and bring trained help to them.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 11: Motor Vehicle Crashes , p. 60