Rising road toll sparks new push for mandatory first aid for learners

Rising road toll sparks new push for mandatory first aid for learners

Road deaths have soared in Victoria, leading to fresh calls for a major change to licensing requirements that would see all learner drivers forced to train in first aid.

An alarming rise in Victoria’s road toll has led to renewed calls for first aid training to become mandatory for learner drivers.

So far in 2023, 135 people have died on the state’s roads – a 39.2 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the latest TAC figures.

The spike follows a spate of tragic accidents, including the crash in Bochara, in the state’s southwest, that killed teenagers Joshua Elmes, Lucus Garzoli and Meghan Fox and 31-year-old Alicia Montebello.

Also dramatically up year-on-year are vehicle passenger (250 per cent to 35) and driver deaths (62 per cent to 68), while the 21-25 age group has seen the largest percentage increase in fatalities (133 per cent to 14).

St John Ambulance Victoria chief executive Gordon Botwright said these harrowing figures should be “shouting at us as a community” to take greater action to ensure road users were equipped to help others in need – including mandating first aid courses for learners.

St John Ambulance initiated a national campaign calling for this in November, after launching a free 30-minute online course.

Upper House MP Nick McGowan also initiated a push for laws that would require drivers to keep their lights on during the day this week, in another bid to tackle the soaring road toll.

Despite the World Health Organization highlighting the importance of training drivers in first aid, to prevent death and lessen the impact of injuries from crashes, no Australian state or territory requires this in their licensing arrangements.

But Mr Botwright commended the ACT government for offering a five-hour discount from learners’ 100-hour supervised driving requirement for those who completed the St John course.

“We’d love to see Victoria follow a similar path to encourage young people to do the training,” he said.

While St John’s online course is targeted at learners, Mr Botwright encouraged all road users to complete it as even basic first aid like controlling severe bleeding and performing CPR could save lives.

“The first three minutes after an accident are critical to survival,” he said.

“About 85 per cent of deaths that occur are the result of people not being able to breathe. So the simple action of lifting an unconscious person’s chin, opening their airways, can save them.”

The actions of Shamus Gillen, Fiona Hooi and an unidentified nurse helped save Kim Smith after she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while driving in Ringwood, causing her car to crash into a pole and spin out.

Mr Gillen said after finding “no sign of life in Kim”, he directed other bystanders to help carefully remove her from the car. He and the nurse then performed CPR until paramedics arrived, Ms Hooi remained on the phone to Triple-0 and helped redirect traffic.

Ms Smith ended up with “14 broken ribs and two punctured lungs” from the compressions, but miraculously survived.

On the one-year anniversary of the incident, a grateful Ms Smith got a tattoo with Mr Gillen and Ms Hooi’s initials.

“We were really fortunate to be there and able to act as quickly as we did,” Mr Gillen said.

“Everyone should know basic first aid, it’s an awesome skill.”