I was driving round the M25 and there was an accident in front of me, I could still get round so I slowed down, put hazards on but drove past and carried on my way.
What’s the actual protocol in those situations? I could see all the airbags were deployed, there’s nothing I could do for the people inside and for sure getting out on a motorway is a bad idea.
But I feel like I should have done something different. Can anyone with knowledge enlighten me?
I think you have to use your best judgement.
If there was a multicar crash and you were early to the scene, you could pull around them and stop in front and go to check in the occupants but you are in danger if the traffic hasn’t slowed because someone else could pile into it.
In cases like yours, it’s often best to keep the flow of traffic moving and you did the right thing (including hazards). If you have a passenger, they should report it to the police so they can get a car out asap. You can feel a little… impotent doing this but often it’s the best thing.
Rules 282 and 283 of the Highway Code seem the key ones.
Oh yes, those are right on point thanks. You’re right, I did feel a bit unhelpful just passing by, but it looks like it was the right thing in the circumstances.
It sounds like you did. Too many people stopping to help would be a problem in itself. If you keep traffic flowing it means emergency services can get in easier and it reduces the risk of secondary accidents as inattentive drivers run into the back of stopped cars.
If you have medical training, that might be another issue and, I assume, doctors and the like would have been given more explicit advice for such circumstances.
There’s a difference between too many people stopping and no-one stopping though. In OPs situation it sounds like it was right in front of them. That’s different