37.11. If you clearly know the source of massive bleeding, the tourniquet should be applied:
UAУ випадку коли Вам чітко відоме джерело масивної кровотечі, джгут слід накласти:
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This is an exam question from the block on pre-medical assistance at the scene of a traffic accident, which is directly related to road safety: a driver must be able to quickly orient themselves in a critical situation and stop massive bleeding before the arrival of medical professionals. In the context of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, this competency is considered part of responsible behavior for road users, as correct actions in the first minutes after an injury can save lives.
The theoretical driving exam includes a check of the general duty of a driver to act in the event of an accident (Section 2 "Duties and Rights of Drivers," point 2.10). At the same time, it should be understood that the Traffic Rules do not regulate medical techniques down to the centimeter, and the specific rules for applying a tourniquet belong to the training protocols of pre-medical assistance. The logic of the task is simple: the tourniquet is applied above the site of injury, between the wound and the heart, to block the flow of blood to the source of massive bleeding and press the large vessel against the bone structures.
The analysis of the answer options in this exam question comes down to choosing the optimal distance. Placement that is too close (2–3 cm) is undesirable because the injury zone is swollen, painful, may complicate further wound treatment, and does not provide enough "field" for reliable compression. Placement that is too high (10–12 cm) unnecessarily compresses a larger area of the limb, increasing the risk of complications without adding effectiveness. Therefore, the training standard of 5–7 cm is considered balanced: close enough to quickly stop the bleeding, while avoiding unnecessary tissue damage, which is why this option is correct in the Ukrainian Traffic Rules exam tickets.
Clause 2.10 (Section 2 "Duties and rights of drivers", actions of the driver in case of involvement in a road traffic accident)
In case of involvement in a road traffic accident, the driver is obliged, in particular, to take possible measures to provide pre-medical assistance to the victims and to call (organize the call of) emergency services/medical assistance to the extent possible.
This exam question specifically checks for the presence in the Traffic Rules of the obligation for the driver to take possible measures to provide pre-medical assistance to victims in a traffic accident, but the Traffic Rules do not contain or regulate the medical technique of applying a tourniquet (in particular, the distance "5–7 cm above the wound") — this belongs to the rules/protocols of pre-medical assistance.
Thus, the correct answer is "5–7 cm above the wound," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, the driver in the event of a traffic accident is obliged to take possible measures to provide pre-medical assistance to the victims, and the specific method of applying a tourniquet is determined by the rules of pre-medical assistance, not by the text of the Traffic Rules.
The tourniquet is used as a temporary method to quickly stop massive bleeding from a limb, primarily when there is suspicion of damage to a large blood vessel and blood is being lost very intensively. The purpose of the tourniquet is to compress the vessel along the path of blood flow to the wound, that is, to “block the supply” of blood below the point of compression.
When the source of bleeding is clearly known to you, the tourniquet is not applied directly on the wound or below it. If you place it below, blood will continue to flow to the injured area, and the bleeding will not stop. Therefore, the tourniquet is placed above the wound—between the heart and the site of injury—to effectively press the large vessel against the bone structures and stop the bleeding.
It is important to maintain the correct distance. If you apply the tourniquet too close to the wound, you may damage tissues in the injury zone or interfere with further wound treatment. If you apply it too high, a larger section of the limb will be compressed unnecessarily. That is why the training guidelines use the rule: place the tourniquet 5–7 cm above the wound—this is sufficient to reliably block the vessel and at the same time not “capture” an excessive part of the limb.
In practice, it looks like this: if the victim has a cut wound on the forearm with intense bleeding and you can clearly see the site of injury, the tourniquet should be applied to the upper arm, but not “right next to” the wound—rather, stepping back approximately 5–7 cm above the wound so that the bleeding stops.
Thus, the correct answer is “5–7 cm above the wound,” since the tourniquet must block the blood flow to the site of massive bleeding, and this is optimally done a few centimeters above the wound to reliably compress the large vessel without unnecessary tissue damage.