ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the first perspective on the legal context of death and injury on the road. It focuses on the response of road traffic officers to trauma on the roads and is a bridge between the consideration of the psychological impact on survivors and the consideration of the impact on the emergency services – in this case, the police. The chapter presents data from interviews with regular patrol officers which emphasises their often competing roles at the scene of a road accident. It describes the impact on police officers of their work with road accidents, and with bereaved relatives and survivors. Police officers can often be caught between their dissonant roles at crash scenes. Police officers also use anticipatory preparation to deal with sudden death incidents. Overall, however, training approaches are changing as the police service increasingly recognises its importance and potential value to those affected by road accidents.
