The World First Aid Day has been celebrated annually all around the globe for 13 years. The day acts as an chance to celebrate first aid and raise awareness about how important it is understand basic first aid which can save millions of lives the world over. This year, the World First Aid Day theme was ‘first aid and road safety’ acknowledging the huge safety issues surrounding the road.
Read the original story at the Internation Red Cross Red Crescent wesbite here
World First Aid Day, which was introduced by the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in 2000, is an opportunity to raise awareness about a life saving act. This year on World First Aid Day, the theme is ‘First aid and road safety’.
Road traffic accidents have become a major global killer. Today, there is one road fatality every 30 seconds and more than 50 per cent of deaths from traffic accidents occur in the first few minutes after the crash. Yet much of this loss of life is preventable. First aid training educates citizens on accident and injury prevention, and gives them the skills to respond immediately to both major or minor emergencies.
This year the Red Cross Red Crescent is asking for legislative provisions to make first aid training compulsory for every driving licence candidate. It is also essential to introduce first aid training at all stages of a person’s life – at home, in school, at the workplace. First aid training should be accessible to everyone, not just to those who can afford it.
First aid saves lives. It is for everyone, everywhere.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescenet share some key examples of road safety in action around the world during the day from countries that implemented road safety action.
Last September, the Slovak Red Cross first-aid team took part in a successful training course in the neighbouring Czech Republic. Organized by the Czech Red Cross youth, it aimed to improve practical and theoretical first-aid skills.
Throughout the weekend, participants had the opportunity to experience a range of realistic situations, both indoors and outdoors. One particularly challenging evening focused on how to handle injuries that could result from a road traffic accident. The weekend ended well, and with their training still fresh in their minds, the team headed back home along the motorway. They did not know, however, that their training would be put to good use so soon.
Good morning, Tanzania! On your dial today, a little music, some chit chat, and how to save a life! For listeners more accustomed to the latest tunes, Radio Victory’s Usalama Wetu programme – Kiswahili for “Our Safety” – might not be quite what they had expected with their breakfast.
The programme, broadcast in conjunction with the Tanzania Red Cross National Society, is proving to be a vital component in the battle to tackle road accidents and prevent deaths in the northern Tanzanian region of Mara.
Every year, nearly 100 people are killed on the region’s roads. The radio show, which is broadcast to thousands of people in northern Tanzania, is part of the urgent action being taken to solve the problem. With hard-hitting messages such as ‘driving + phone = death’, the charismatic host talks passionately about the need to follow the rules of the road with his guests Ngodoki Chupa, the Red Cross branch manager of Mara, and two local policemen.