What should a driver do when he experiences a severe, burning pain in his chest?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
A. He should immediately stop, call the ambulance, because he might be having a heart attack.
Explanation
In the photo, a motorcyclist and a motor scooter rider are riding along a street in town. A driver who has sudden, severe chest pain stops immediately and calls for medical help, because it may be a heart attack - answer A.
The Road Traffic Act requires a driver to be careful and to avoid anything that could endanger road safety, and only a person who is physically and mentally fit may drive a vehicle. Sudden, severe, crushing chest pain, often spreading to the left arm, the jaw or the back, with shortness of breath and cold sweat, is the typical picture of a heart attack. A heart attack can turn into cardiac arrest at any moment, and an unconscious motorcyclist at 50 km/h dies and kills others. That is why you pull over in a safe place, switch off the engine, call 112 or 999, and wait at rest, without getting back on the motorcycle. Coffee (answer B) speeds up the heart rate and does harm; painkillers and continuing to ride (answer C) hide the symptoms and risk loss of consciousness on the road. If someone is with you, you ask them to stay with you - in cardiac arrest, immediate resuscitation is what counts.
Legal basis: Art. 3 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym); Art. 3 para. 1 of the Vehicle Drivers Act (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami)