First aid in the driving theory test: questions and duties

First aid questions appear in both parts of the test: the law, the emergency number and treating a casualty. Everyone must help: an accident participant (art. 44 Road Traffic Act) and anyone (art. 162 Criminal Code). Failing to help means up to 3 years in prison, for a driver also 15 points. Ambulance: 112 or 999.

Where the first aid questions in the driving theory test come from

First aid questions are part of the official question catalogue of the Ministry of Infrastructure (Ministerstwo Infrastruktury), the same one from which the system at WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego: the regional test centre) draws the 32 questions for the theory test. They appear in both parts of the test. In the basic part (YES/NO answers) almost all the questions on the list below are worth 1 point (the exception is 14108, worth 3 points), for example whether, as a participant in an accident with injured people, you are required to call the emergency services and give help (6298: YES). In the specialist part (A/B/C) first aid questions are usually worth 3 points, for example which number you call for an ambulance (6459) or what to do with a casualty inside a vehicle (4563).

Three points is a lot. You pass from 68 out of a possible 74, so two mistakes in 3-point questions use up the whole permitted margin, and a third means a fail. We explain how the scoring works in the article on the number of questions and scoring in the theory test.

The knowledge for these questions comes from two places: the law, meaning art. 44 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym) and art. 162 of the Criminal Code (Kodeks karny), and the first aid classes that are part of the course at an OSK (ośrodek szkolenia kierowców: a driving school), under art. 23 of the Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami). This text sets out how the catalogue asks and what the law requires. It does not replace a first aid course. In a real situation the emergency call operator gives you step-by-step instructions, so you call early and listen. That is practical advice, not a legal rule.

Who has a duty to help and what the penalty is for failing to do so

The duty comes from two provisions. The first concerns a participant in the accident, the second every person.

Art. 44(2) of the Road Traffic Act: a driver involved in an accident in which someone is killed or injured is required to:

1. give the necessary help to the victims of the accident and call the emergency medical team and the Police (point 1);
2. not take any action that could make it harder to establish the course of the accident (point 2);
3. stay at the scene of the accident, and if calling for help required leaving it, return without delay (point 3);
4. until the Police arrive and test them, refrain from alcohol and substances with a similar effect (point 2a).

Para. 3 applies the same duties accordingly to the other people involved in the accident. When no one is killed or injured, the duties look different: you move the vehicle from the scene and give your details (para. 1), and you do not have to call the Police (6296: NO). We describe the full procedure after a minor collision in the article on the driver's duties after a collision or accident.

Art. 162 of the Criminal Code applies to everyone, not only drivers. Para. 1: whoever fails to give help to a person in a situation of immediate danger of loss of life or serious harm to health, while being able to give it without exposing themselves or another person to such danger, is liable to imprisonment for up to 3 years. Para. 2: a person does not commit an offence if they fail to give help that would require them to undergo a medical procedure themselves, or where immediate help from an institution or a person appointed for that purpose is available.

The catalogue tests this in several questions. Everyone has a duty to help, including people with no medical qualifications (3658: YES; 6465: B, because some rescue actions can be carried out on your own). Criminal liability applies to any person who could have given help without exposing themselves or another person to danger (4562: A). It is incurred for failing to give any help at all, not for unprofessional or mistaken action (6453: A).

On top of that come penalty points: failing to help accident victims is 15 points (code A 04 in the regulation on the register of drivers who breach traffic rules, as of September 2026). There is no fine amount for it in the fines tariff: failing to give help is a crime under art. 162 of the Criminal Code, and for a driver involved in the accident also a petty offence under art. 93 of the Code of Petty Offences (Kodeks wykroczeń), punishable by detention or a fine and a driving ban. We explain what 15 points mean for a driver in their first year in the article on penalty points and losing your driving licence.

How to call for help: 112 or 999 and what to tell the operator

You call an ambulance on 112 or 999 (6459: C). The answers 997 and 998 in this question are distractors. You can check the wording and the answer on the page of question 6459 on the number for an ambulance.

The order of the conversation with the operator follows directly from the catalogue questions:

1. First you state the location of the incident (2432: YES).
2. You give the location and the number and condition of the accident victims (4578: A). "Only the number of vehicles" and "only the number of victims" are wrong answers.
3. You describe the location by the street name and building number, or by the road number, the name of the nearest town and the kilometre marker post (6454: A). The name of the town alone is not enough, and the caller's phone number is not the most important piece of information.
4. You give your identification details (7646: YES).

One detail from level crossings: the crossing number given to the 112 operator indicates the exact position of the crossing on which the vehicle has broken down (14108: YES).

You are alone at the scene: first the phone call, then resuscitation

The catalogue settles the order when you are the only person at the scene. Question 7645 asks: should you, without first calling for help, start resuscitating an injured person when you are alone? The answer: NO. Conclusion: alone at the scene, you first call for help and only then start resuscitation.

You continue chest compressions and rescue breaths on a person in sudden cardiac arrest until the emergency medical team arrives (2165: A). "For 15 minutes" and "as long as the body keeps the right temperature" are distractors.

When looking for injured people, you check every space of the wrecked vehicle, including the boot (7643: YES). If you see people in a burning car, you are required, if possible, to give them first aid and call the fire brigade (2438: YES). Question 2457, with a video, asks the same thing in a scene from the road: you stop, give the necessary help and notify the emergency services (YES).

A casualty inside the car: when to evacuate and when to leave them

Here both extreme answers are wrong. Question 4563 gives three options: evacuate in every case (A), evacuate from the vehicle if cardiac arrest is found (B), always leave in the vehicle until a doctor arrives (C). The correct one is B.

The second exception is smoke. You evacuate a casualty from a smoking car, keeping your own safety in mind (2445: YES). Likewise, you do not leave a person with their face submerged in water out of concern for their spine (2476: NO).

If a cervical spine injury is suspected, you stabilise the head by hand until a member of the emergency medical team takes over the stabilisation (2183: B), not until the casualty starts moving it. An injured person who has regained breathing but is unconscious is placed in the recovery position (7648: YES). The catalogue also asks why: because it prevents airway obstruction and choking (6468: C), not for comfort and not because of the cervical spine.

Bleeding, burns, burning clothes, hypothermia: table of situations

Below are all the situations from the catalogue questions concerning the treatment of a casualty, with the answer and the question number.

Head restraints and seat belts are prevention, not rescue, but the catalogue keeps them close to the accident questions. We describe how seat belts work, who must wear them and what the exceptions are in the article on seat belts and child car seats.

Traps in the first aid questions

Here are the answers that sound logical but contradict the law or the wording of the question:

1. The number for an ambulance is 112 or 999. The answers 997 and 998 in question 6459 are wrong.
2. A first aid kit is not compulsory equipment for every motor vehicle; you do not have to have one in a passenger car (6452: B). The answer "yes, if it has a gas (LPG) system" is a distractor.
3. "Only a doctor" and "only a participant in the accident" are not correct. Everyone has the duty (6465: B), and liability applies to anyone who could have helped without exposing themselves or another person to danger (4562: A).
4. Moving the vehicle from the scene is a duty only when no one is killed or injured (6297: YES). When there are injured people, you have no right to move the vehicle "so as not to block traffic" (6294: NO).
5. "Evacuate in every case" is wrong (4563: B), but you do evacuate from a smoking car (2445: YES).
6. You do not urge the person at fault to drive the casualty to hospital themselves when the emergency services are on their way (2430: NO).
7. You do not leave the scene after calling the emergency services (6292: NO), after giving help but before the Police arrive (3673: NO), or because "the person at fault will give help" (2420: NO).
8. You do not take any action that could make it harder to establish the course of the accident (7241: NO).

We have collected more patterns like these, including video and photo questions, in the article on the most common mistakes in the theory test.

Is first aid tested in the practical test

No. The set of first aid questions is part of the theory test, in the basic and the specialist part. In the practical test the examiner assesses preparation for driving, the vehicle checks, the manoeuvring area and driving in traffic. There is no first aid task in the regulation on driving tests.

One motorway question is, however, linked to practice. If while driving you start to feel short of breath, get the shivers, your hands go numb and you feel pain around the stomach and ringing in your ears, you carefully pull onto the hard shoulder, call the Emergency Medical Services and unfasten your seat belt (6456: B). Driving on to the hospital, even with the window open, is wrong. We explain how to mark a stationary vehicle and where to place the warning triangle on a motorway in the article on the rules for driving on motorways and expressways.

Cheat sheet: questions on duties and calling for help, with answers

The questions on treating a casualty are in the table above. Here we have gathered the rest of the list: on the duties of a participant in an accident and on the conversation with the operator. Points are given according to the catalogue.

You can practise all these questions, with an explanation and a reference to the legal provision, on the list of category B test questions, and under conditions like those at WORD, with a time limit per question, in the category B mock test. We explain how to spread your study over two weeks in the study plan for the theory test.

A practical tip to finish: in this group of questions look for the words "killed or injured". If the wording mentions injured people, almost every answer about driving away, moving the car or leaving the matter to the person at fault is wrong. If no one is injured, the duties change to moving the vehicle and exchanging details.