Driver First Assist Could Dramatically Reduce Roadside Fatalities

Launched in 2013, Driver First Assist is a road safety programme designed to give individuals the skills they need to react quickly and properly if they are at the scene of a road traffic collision. Many fleets and industry suppliers have seen the value of this programme and have made the decision to put their drivers through the course.

Saving Lives with Skills

Driver First Assist, a non-profit initiative, believes that they can reduce the number of roadside fatalities by up to 46% with simple, effective training. To date over 1,000 individuals and 100 companies have signed up for the course and the FTA has made a suggestion that this could become an intricate part of the Driver Certificate of Competence training.

The course itself teaches drivers how to administer first aid and the appropriate ways of managing the scene of an accident prior to emergency services arriving. It is this immediate attention that can make the difference between life and death - for example, a blocked airway can kill in just 4 minutes but the target time for an ambulance to arrive is 8 minutes.

By having more people on the roads with the skills and knowledge available to save lives, chances are that help will only be a few vehicles away. Many big companies like TNT, Gist, Iron Mountain and Clugston have already taken this course on with all their drivers undergoing the training - will your fleet join the Driver First Assist programme?