This is how you can save a life
Picture a scene where a serious head on collision occurs a few metres in front of you. One person has a serious neck wound and is losing blood. The other driver is unconscious and the car looks like it is at risk of catching fire. Your mind has gone blank as you panic about what to do. As you stand frozen another car comes around the bend, barreling toward you and the injured drivers.
In an alternate version, your first aid training has prepared you for such a scene. You quickly put your hazard lights on and place a marker before the bend to warn other drivers. Then you call emergency services to get them to the scene as soon as possible. You assess the injured and decide to first safely move the one driver away from the car at risk of igniting in a way that prevents further injury to his internal organs and spinal cord. While you apply pressure to the other driver’s wound, a car comes around the bend and slows down to assist.
In a country with between 30 and 40 crashes per day, you may very well find yourself in dire need of first aid skills one day. Knowing what to do as a first responder at an accident scene can make the difference between life and death. Estimates say if someone receives professional care at hospital within an hour of being seriously injured in a car crash, survival chances are considerably increased. It will be up to you to get emergency help and perform first aid until they arrive.
“With the high rate of car accidents on our roads the likelihood of encountering one is high. South Africans spend so much time in vehicles we do not grasp the full magnitude of the risk we, and others, face in cars. A first aid course teaches people what to do in the case of an emergency. You will learn intermediary skills to cope with these situations,” says Eugene Herbert, Managing Director of MasterDriver, driver training business.
Another risk drivers may not be as aware of as they should, are car fires. Statistics in the US say firefighters respond to more car fires than what they do fires in homes and apartments. Certain first aid courses also cover car fires. They teach you about the causes, how to extinguish them and information on the potential fire hazards associated with driving.
If you want to empower yourself by undertaking a first aid course, now is the time to do so. Email MasterDrive to find out about their first aid courses. Knowing what to do when an accident occurs could save many lives, even those of your own loved ones.