Professional drivers across the county are being urged to take part in a first aid course, or risk losing their licence.
St John Ambulance launched the new scheme to give drivers the skills and confidence to provide first aid in emergency situations on the road. The move comes as statistics reveal that 81 per cent of those required to complete the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), an EU directive, have not yet started.
Drivers risk on-the-spot fines and an investigation caught without proof of compliance after September 2013 for PCVs and September 2014 for LGVs. Sabarah Cursons, regional director for St John Ambulance training in the South East, said: “It’s tragic that every year more than 2,200 people die because of road accidents.
“If more drivers were first aid trained and knew how to react in an emergency then they could be the difference between life and death. First aid is not just a skill you can use at work but something that is invaluable in general. It’s worrying that 8 out of 10 drivers have not yet started their Driver CPC training and could be at risk of fines or even losing their licence.”
The EU Directive came into force in 2008/09 in a bid to promote high driving standards and boost road safety. PCV and LGV drivers need to complete 35 hours of training, which can include first aid, every five years.
The first aid training teaches how to handle situations some may face on the road, such as spinal injury, bleeding, resuscitation, and safer handling and moving.
Last month the Basingstoke Observer reported how a St John’s Ambulance trained volunteer saved the life of a 15-year-old who was hit by a lorry on Pack Lane.
Quick-thinking Tim Goddard, 35, from Whitchurch, used a specialist jaw thrust, which dislocates the jaw and clears the airway to save the youngsters life. He was awarded by St John’s Ambulance top brass with the Dr Reddy Memorial Cup for his heroism.
He said: “I am just grateful that I had the skill to help. I was able to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.”
For more information on the courses, call 08443 245535.
