First Aid Course that is mandatory for drivers. I like the idea. Book in to our first aid course in Canberra and get a free first aid manual and CPR face mask.
International Road Federation makes suggestion to Transport Ministry
To lower the number of fatalities and injuries due to road accidents, the International Road Federation (IRF) wants to equip more people with first-aid and trauma care knowledge.
The federation has also suggested that such training be made mandatory to obtain a driving licence.
The IRF, which has devised a training module in partnership with an AIIMS team, also wants to train bus and truck drivers. Additionally, it wants to extend to training to employees of petrol pumps and dhabas as well as the public.
India has made a commitment to lower road accidents and fatalities by at least half by 2020. As of now, about 1.5 lakh people die on Indian roads a year, and many more are left severely injured. However, there is a silver lining, albeit small, with India reporting an almost 5 per cent drop in road accident deaths in the first half of 2017.
Trauma care
Explaining the proposed project, IRF Chairman KK Kapila, who has already taken up this proposal with the Ministry of Road Transport, told BusinessLine: “Whenever there are accidents, buses and trucks are likely to pass through the area soon.
“If the drivers are trained, they can provide first-aid and trauma care, apart from moving victims to the nearest hospital, preventing deaths.”
IRF has earlier trained about 12,000 bus and truck drivers across the country, and wants to roll out a similar programme on a wider basis.
Half of the lives lost in road crashes can be saved if the victims get immediate assistance, said Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO working in the road safety sector.
“Training citizens in first-aid is crucial and must begin at the age of 13 itself and continue throughout schooling. Trained bystanders can play a game-changing role in saving lives.
“They can inform the authorities after a crash and keep the victim stable through first-aid while waiting for ambulance or alternate transport to hospital.”