A NEW course has been launched in the West Midlands to give professional drivers the skills and confidence to provide first aid in emergency situations on the road.

The course launches as statistics reveal that eight out of 10 drivers, who need training to meet an EU directive, could soon be risking their license if they do not start soon.

In the UK in 2009, 24,690 people were seriously injured in road accidents and 2,222 people died. That is over six fatalities on the roads each day.

Meanwhile, 1,104 LGVs were involved in serious accidents and 284 were involved in fatal accidents and 877 buses or coaches were involved in serious accidents, with 85 involved in fatal accidents.

Basic first aid delivered effectively in the time it takes for paramedics to arrive could have saved many of those lives, according to St John Ambulance, which is urging drivers to include first aid in their training so drivers can be the difference between lives lost and lives saved.

The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), an EU Directive, came into force in 2008/09 to maintain high driving standards and improve road safety.

It requires all PCV and LGV drivers to complete 35 hours of training, which can include first aid, every five years, yet 81% of those required to carry out Driver CPC training have not started.

If drivers are caught without proof of compliance after September, 2013 (for PCVs) and September, 2014 (for LGVs) then they face on-the-spot fines and an investigation, which might lead to them losing their vocational licence and, thereby, their livelihood.

The new St John Ambulance Professional drivers first aid course has been approved by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT), which validates Driver CPC training.

The first aid training is practical and handles situations that drivers might face on the road, such as: Spinal Injury: responding to a casualty with suspected spinal injury Unconscious casualty: recognition of life-threatening conditions Bleeding: responding to a casualty with minor or server bleeding Resuscitation Safer handling and moving How to act safely and effectively with emergencies in public Mel Fox, the regional director for St John Ambulance in the Midlands, said: “It’s tragic that every year over 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.

“Our professional drivers first aid course gives drivers the skills they need to cope in a vehicle emergency, as well as helping them achieve their Driver CPC qualification.

“First aid is not just a skill you can use at work but something that is invaluable in general.

“It’s worrying that eight out of 10 drivers have not yet started their Driver CPC training and could be at risk of fines or even losing their license. Our training can help towards their qualification and can be organised swiftly. We urge them to book soon.”

There are scheduled courses at St John Ambulance’s training centres but if anyone has a group of drivers to train, it can be more cost-effective for their trainers to deliver bespoke training on their premises.

To find out more, call 0844 324 5535 and speak to a St John Ambulance training adviser.