More drivers want first aid training

A survey produced by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and Driver First Assist (DFA) has shown that 84% of people think more drivers should be trained in the skills needed to deal with the aftermath of a road traffic collision (RTC).

Of the 2198 respondents, half said they would like to participate in such training themselves, and 34% were interested in finding out more. The majority of people (79%) said that they would stop and help if they arrived at a RTC before the emergency services, with just under half having already done so. The survey also questioned whether respondents knew the ‘best practices’ when attending to the scene of an accident. The answers were reassuring although 39% thought that their exact location could be tracked from their mobile phone, which is not the case.

DFA founder, David Higginbottom said, ‘The fact that nearly half of drivers have come across the scene of a collision before the emergency services arrive clearly demonstrates the potential the motoring public has to help, and individuals’ responses to the survey show how willing they would be to do so. A person will die from a blocked airway within four minutes, but the target ambulance response time is twice that. Having a network of volunteers on the road, trained in the skills needed to correctly report a crash to the emergency services, or even to deliver life-saving first aid, has the potential to reduce road deaths by up to 46%.’

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