Under the project, a day of road safety training has already been run by Driver First Assist (DFA), a not-for-profit organisation comprising drivers who have been trained to provide life saving first aid and manage the scene at a road traffic collision, with plans for further courses in the pipeline.
DFA course participants were taught a variety of information, from how to manage the scene of an RTC prior to the emergency services arriving, to learning basic first aid which gives drivers the skills they need to carry out life-saving first-at-scene treatment.
Alongside a number of the council's own staff, selected members of the local police and fire service, NHS workers and employees of businesses based in the surrounding area were also invited to participate.
Nigel Flower, safer travel strategic officer, organised the course on behalf of Devon County Council. He commented: ‘With a very mixed crowd in terms of experience, we were impressed with how well the instructors were able to cater for all abilities. The two instructors were professional and very knowledgeable and everyone found the day extremely useful.
'The course's excellence was clearly reflected in the feedback I received from those who attended. Everyone agreed that after completing the course they now feel more confident in dealing with an RTC and assisting the emergency services.
'Driver First Assist is a fantastic initiative which really could make the vital difference to saving lives on our roads. I am very pleased we took part, and I am now keen to establish local trainers to roll the course out across Devon,’ added Flower.
David Higginbottom, founder of Driver First Assist, said: ‘We are confident that the DFA approach will help drive down deaths on the UK road network, but it is the support of organisations such as Devon County Council that is essential for raising awareness. To ensure this initiative makes a real difference to road safety we need many more fleets and drivers to sign up for the training, and we look forward to developing the work we've already started with Nigel and the team.’
