Q. What is First Aid (FA)

A. First Aid (FA) consists of methods and techniques that enhance practices related to the prevention, the preparedness and immediate response to health emergencies. FA can be provided not only in relation to road safety, but also in household, workplace and recreational areas. It is a proven cost-effective, safe and simple way to save lives in a road emergency.

Q. Of what importance is first Aid to the average road user?

A. During road accidents, many people are hurt or killed from injuries and every second counts when someone reacts to a road accident. First Aid provides that initial rapid response to protect people and minimize the impact of the road crash. It is vital and necessary to know how to respond in an emergency on the scene of road crashes because FA provides the power to save lives in such situations.

Q. Who can learn first aid and how long does it take?

A. Virtually anyone can learn to administer First Aid but there are basic procedures to follow. Road users need only minimal training to feel confident that they can administer First Aid in a life-threatening emergency situation.

Q. As a road user, what should I know About First Aid ?

A. You are expected to learn quick, calm and correct actions in the event of a road crash. You will be taught how to enhance road safety, how to act safely by securing yourself and protecting the environment, how to summon help. How to make an emergency removal, how to assess the physical state of the injured, how to respond or stop bleeding, how to address unconsciousness, breathing problems, shock and bone trauma. You will also be taught how to monitor the situation, offer psychological support and where necessary transport the victim to a medical centre.

Q. What is a National FA programme?

A. It is the implementation of a major safety strategy and casualty reduction scheme by country lead road safety agency through partnerships. It is about building the local capacity to prepare for and respond to emergencies on the roads and other related situations as opposed to the national capacity only. A National FA programme is not complicated, obscure nor aimed at any particular group or individual. It is an endorsement by meeting of experts and a recommendation of the UN and Global Road Safety Partnership-GRSP (a strategic coalition of World Bank, International Red Cross, WHO, Asian Development Bank, Inter American Development Bank, and other international agencies and global private sector corporations such as Daimler Chrysler, Volvo, Ford, 3M, Heineken, Diageo), and other International Safety agencies, which aim to develop greater first aid knowledge amongst the general population, be they drivers, car-users or pedestrians involved in, or bystanders to road accidents.

Q. What is the aim of the programme?

A. The target is to assist most National road safety agencies in Africa achieve their mission of Halving the number of road accident victims by 2010. In a continent where 50% of deaths and injuries on the spot of road crashes are attributable to lack of first aid, a National FA programme if properly implemented has the potential of reducing deaths on the spot of road crashes by between 60%-80%. Credible research has predicted that such a quick impact programme can contribute in decreasing the overall level of road fatalities in African countries by 30% in 2010. In addition, the programme will generate resources for most National Road Safety agencies that are presently under funded through partnership in the sale of first aid boxes and issuance of first aid proficiency certificate to drivers. Other achievable objectives of the programme like toll free help lines, help line centres, tracing and messaging initiative for accident victims; advocacy and sensitisation measures; etc are contained on the campaign section of the Carry FAb website

Q. How will the programme operate?

A. In view of the current situation in Africa regarding deaths and injuries on the spot of road accidents and their consequences. The recommendation of the Carry FAb is that National FA programme should by operated through Public Private Partnerships model which will engage the country’s National road safety agency, NGOs with demonstrated capacity for rescue and private sector participants. The partners are expected to bring together their respective resources and capabilities to create first aid awareness and assist country’s National road safety agency train road users on FA by promoting voluntary service and community responsibility. This will help develop practical first aid skills and knowledge amongst the general public as an important way in which communities can play a part in emergency preparedness and response. In addition, Carry FAb recommends that the National FA programme offers free medical and travel indemnity scheme to serve as guarantee for payment of limited medical expenses of accident victims who often run into problems in obtaining quick medical attention in private hospitals due to lack of funds. Well-researched strategies to accomplish the above objectives can be obtained from the Carry FAb campaign team.

Q. Why is this partnership important?

A. National road safety agencies enhanced performance lies in the combined strength of all stakeholders in the country, and the way to build on that strength is through cooperation and partnership as no single organization can serve all people in need. The programme will help National road safety agencies perform better through generation of resources, complementing its efforts in road safety awarenss campaigns and most especially training of first aiders .

Q. How will the partnership work?

A. There are many strategies already in place. Interested national agencies may contact the Carry FAb campaigners.

Q. Will the project compromise country’s National road safety agencies ability to fulfill its road safety mandate?

A. The programme only seeks to complement the efforts of National road safety agencies in achieving a progressive and constant decrease of accidents on the road and most importantly, care for Accident victims as done in emerging economies.

Q. How will the project assist National road safety agencies?

A. Every minute of every day, officials of National road safety agencies are faced with the challenge of getting to the scene of an accident as quickly and as safely as possible. Precious time lost can mean the difference between life and death for someone waiting for help. However, by-standers with first-aid knowledge can make National road safety agencies job easier and help save lives by following simple first aid rules.

Q. What are the benefits to the government?

A. The project carries a huge potential to influence attitudes of road users on the government’s concern for the safety of its citizens. The project will produce savings that can be spent on other aspects of Healthcare, or invested to deliver better public services by the Government.

Q. What are the political benefits of the project?

A. The project given its broad spectrum is a solid measure to educate and change the mindset of the population at large about the dividends of democracy.
The scheme will not face any political opposition, because the cost of such a scheme is minimal, the cheapest in the world and of immense benefit to road users and at no direct or indirect cost to passengers who stand to benefit from the travel and medical indemnity scheme. Thus, implementation of it, will make Nigeria shift from being a mourning society to a society that repairs and care.

Q. Will the project attract any international benefit to the government?

A. YES. Endorsement of this project would globally project the African governments as championing a new approach and meeting the demands of the growing road safety crisis that is taking place outside of the industrialized world but widely acknowledged as the "great silent disaster" of our modern society. With such an effective national safety action plan being implemented by the Nigerian government, international development banks and bilateral aid agencies will become very supportive of the government’s efforts to improve the well-being of its citizens, and funds can regularly be obtained from such sources to initiate mass oriented activities and to develop and implement future National action plans in other sectors.

Q. Is the project sustainability guaranteed?

A. The answer is: yes. The country national road safety agency will remain after the NGO, Private sector and other international development and assistance programmes have finished providing resources to support local communities in permanent and far-reaching ways that would have reduced road ‘crashes’ in a proposed five-year accident reduction period. The exit of these partnering organisations has been structured to coincide with the expiration of the kits. This will afford the country national road safety agencies the opportunity to continue the programme with the existing structures and the inherited facilities of the project. The replacement of the kits by the country national road safety agencies will serve as a permanent source of revenue and guarantee for the project’s sustenance.

Q. Will the carrying of first aid kits in vehicles prevent accidents from occurring?

A NO, but “Undisputed findings [show] that pre-hospital deaths from injury are not inevitable and that at least some can be prevented by simple first aid measures."-British Medical Journal, 1994. The implication of this report is that First aid can prevent the vehicle driver and passengers from dying. Also, “Measures such as making sure that each vehicle carries a well-equipped and regularly updated first aid kit would go a long way to reduce the severity of accidents when it occurs”-Emmanuel Ijewere, President Nigerian Red Cross Societies

Q. Are there really laws, and in what legislative list, empowers the National road safety agencies to enforce the carrying of first Aid kits in vehicles?

A. On the continental level there is an endorsement by meeting of experts. On the national level, in Nigeria, for instance, the Federal Road safety Commission- FRSC Act, Cap 141, laws of federation of Nigeria 1990 and as amended vide Decree 35 of 1992; which defines the functions of FRSC as preventing or minimizing accidents on the highways, giving prompt attention and care to victims of accidents, conducting researches into the causes and methods of preventing them and putting into use the results of such researches. Also, empowers FRSC to co-operate with bodies, agencies or groups engaged in road safety activities or prevention of accidents and to make regulations in pursuance of any of the functions assigned to the corps by or under the Decree/Act. This implies that FRSC is authorized to implement the proposed project without further recourse to the National Assembly.