First Aid Training Could Become Part of Driving Test

A new Bill could see learners required to undertake a first aid course as part of the driving test.

The move supported by the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance would see learners attending a compulsory four-hour practical first aid course taught by an approved instructor. The Ten Minute Rule Bill tabled by Conservative MP Will Quince this week is intended to help tackle the high levels of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads – in the past 12 months, 1,780 people were killed and a total of 23,700 either killed or seriously injured.

The reason for the Bill is simple – 59% of the British public “wouldn’t feel confident enough to save a life at the scene of an accident” according to a survey undertaken by St John Ambulance and “24% would do nothing until an ambulance arrived or a passer-by who knew first aid appeared”.

The charity points out that when someone is seriously injured, every second counts: “It is vital that the first person on the scene of a road traffic accident – who will most likely be another driver – knows how to keep someone alive,” said Joe Mulligan, head of first aid education at British Red Cross. “Just knowing how to roll an unconscious but breathing casualty onto their side and lift their chin can be all it takes to save a life.”

Experts believe that if the Bill does pass, it could lead to thousands of lives being saved each year on and off our roads thanks to the first-aid initiative. Such a qualification is nothing new on Continent though where first aid is a compulsory part of driver training in countries including Germany where learners must attend a seven and a half hour first aid course and Switzerland where pupils are expected to have 10 hours of first aid training before they can qualify.

It’s time we followed the lead of many other European countries in making first aid training a requirement for receiving a full driving licence. The change would ensure millions more Britons are first aid trained and know what to do at the scene of an accident or emergency. Within a generation, this Bill could cause a step change in first aid skill levels in Britain.'

– Will Quince, Conservative MP for Colchester.