This is a quick guide on report writing on road accidents for class 10th and 12th students.
In today’s busy lifestyle, road accidents have become a frequent happening and it’s crucial for 10th and 12th standard students to learn how to write a report on them.
As part of your academic curriculum, you may be asked to write a report on a road accident, and this guide provides you all the necessary tips and tricks. 10 marks are generally allotted to report writing in the question paper of class 12 in the ‘writing skills’ section and you’re asked to write the report in 150-200 words.
By mastering the skill of report writing on road accidents, you will not only improve your writing expertise but also learn to communicate succinctly and purposefully.
So, let’s dive in and discover the key features of a good report on road accidents!
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Format for Report Writing on Road Accident
The real secret to write a perfect report on road accident or for that matter, any event, is an ideal format. Here is a suggestion for a format to write such a report:
Introduction
State the purpose of the report and provide the first-hand information on the incident. Mention date, time, and place of the accident.
Description of the mishap
Give a thorough portrayal of the incident, including the series of events that led to the accident, the vehicles involved, and the existing condition around the spot before the accident. Incorporate precise details such as the speed of the vehicles, the weather conditions, and other factors like traffic signalling glitch or driving error.
Casualties and damage
Describe injuries of the drivers and passengers and also damage to the vehicles or nearby property.
Eyewitness accounts
Include the statements of the eyewitnesses to the accident, if you find any. Make a mention of what they saw and felt. If you were unable to obtain their names and contact information, quote them as ‘eyewitnesses’ or ‘bystanders’. Even if you have their names and contacts, it’s not good to put the same in public domain.
Police investigation
Try to find and include in your report, any information provided by the police in their preliminary investigation as to why the accident occurred and any charges or citations issued.
Conclusion
In the end, summarize the salient points with the cause of the accident and the factors that led to the mishap. Offer suggestions on how similar accidents could be prevented in future.
Additional information
Here’s a chance to make your report unique. Include any extra information relevant to the report, say, foggy conditions or malfunctioning traffic signal at the spot, an erroneous traffic handling system etc.
Above all, remember to keep the report factual, easy-to-understand, and short. Use precise language, avoid hypothesizing and drawing conclusions supported by evidence.
For quick learning, you may visit the following link and watch this video. Else, read the examples below:
Examples of Report Writing on Road Accident
Question 1
Write a report on a road accident that you witnessed in about 250 words.
Answer
At about 17:30 Hrs. on April 5th, a tragic road accident occurred on Highway 45. It resulted in demise of one person and left many more injured. The accident occurred when a car, collided head-on with a truck. Both the vehicles immediately swung out of control and came to a halt in the mid of the highway. The car rolled over several times.
According to people who watched it happen, the accident took place due to the car driver losing control of the car and slipping into the track of the arriving truck. The impact of the crash was severe, resulting in extensive damage to each vehicle.
Emergency services were called quickly, and the wounded were hurried to a nearby nursing home for immediate medical care. However, despite arduous work from the medical staff, the life of one of the passengers in the car could not be saved. He was declared dead within half an hour of arrival at the hospital.
Huge traffic delays and disruptions could be seen on the highway after the accident. Though authorities worked hard to clear the debris and restore normal traffic, it took about an hour before everything came back to normal.
An investigation has been ordered into the accident. The purpose therein, is to find out precisely why the mishap took place and also what precautions may be taken in future to avoid such destructive happenings.
The incident would stand as a reminder of why we, as good citizens, must learn and apply safe driving practices and adhere to traffic rules and regulations.
Question 2
An accident occurred near the place you reside in the city. Write a report on the accident mentioning what, how and why of the incident and also the lessons that should be taken from it. The report should be written in about 250 words.
Answer
In the afternoon hours of February 27th, an ill-fated road accident took place at the meeting point of the Maidan Road and the thoroughfare leading to KASTA Auto Centre. In consequence, three people died at the spot and several others were injured seriously.
The mishap occurred when a luxury bus full of passengers lost control and collided with a road-divider while turning to its right. Owing to this, the bus reeled around several times striking and felling several light posts on the road. Bystanders said that the bus was full of passengers going to a marriage. There was a lot of hue and cry inside the bus resulting into loss of concentration of the driver that led to the unfortunate incident.
Police and emergency services arrived soon at the spot, and the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where a sizable staff of paramedics was available for immediate medical attention.
The urban development wing must take lessons from such accidents. Advanced traffic signalling systems at crowded crossroads may perhaps avoid such accidents. Moreover, the uncovered, high voltage electric lines which had gotten dismantled in the aforementioned accident case, may pose serious threats to life and property. As such adequate prevention measures need to be incorporated in the infrastructure.
Apart from that, the incident highlights the importance of following traffic signals and being careful while driving through crossroads. It is important for the passengers not to distract driver’s attention because driving is a high-concentration work.
Question 3
A horrendous road accident took place. You visited the site, talked to the eyewitnesses and collected details on the matter. Write a concise report on the road accident in about 150 words.
Answer:
In the evening rush hours of March 28th, 2023, a ghastly road accident occurred on the elevated highway by the river side. According to the eyewitnesses, a speeding inter-city bus lost control and struck against a car coming from the cross-connecting subway, resulting in deaths and casualties.
The effect of the collision was so terrible that the car turned upside down and the passengers inside it scattered and fell away. Even the bus crashed into a roadside cold storage house breaking and destroying its front gates and doors. The wounded were taken to the nearest hospital and the bodies of the deceased were taken for post mortem.
An investigation is underway and as per sources, the driver was found drunk, which led to his irresponsible driving.
The traffic came to a sudden standstill after the accident and assumed its normal flow only after about two hours. This gruesome accident will act as a reminder of the importance of following traffic rules and regulations and the dangers of drunk driving.
Useful Vocabulary
You may describe the accident as
- gruesome,
- unfortunate,
- terrible,
- horrendous,
- shocking,
- ill-fated, or
- ghastly
depending on how you felt about it.
Medical care attempts may involve the following terms
- a nearby nursing home’
- nearest medical help’
- a closely situated health centre
- an adjacent sanatorium’
Emergency services can be any of the following
- EMS
- First aid squad
- Emergency squad
- Ambulance squad
- Life squad
Collisions
- Head-on – When the vehicles involve in a frontal clash.
- Sideswipe – Sides of two vehicles, generally running in adjacent lanes, touch.
- Lane departure crashes – they occur when a vehicle leaves its lane and shifts in an adjacent lane.
- Rear-end collisions – When vehicles’ rears are involved in the accident.
- Rollover collisions – When a vehicle turns upside down or sideways
- Serial clash / multiple vehicle collisions/ pile-up accidents – When many vehicles are involved in the collision.
Mastering Report Writing on Road Accident
Such writing needs an understanding of the main points and writing in a format. The format items are introduction, description of the incident, damage involved, eyewitness accounts, investigation details, and conclusion.
It is best to use precise words and avoid wordiness while writing a road accident report.
My advice on the matter is you should write an accident report 3-4 times, using different vocabulary each time. For report writing on other subjects also, I recommend writing in a format. This will make you perfect and you may easily score full marks in the report writing question.