Importance Of First Aid

First aid is an assistance given to a person suffering a sudden injury or illness, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, and reducing severity of injuries. The application of first aid involves in a wide range of health emergency conditions from life threatening emergency condition like air way blockage and severe bleeding to simple minor injuries which do not need hospitalization (1). First aid is a vital initial step for providing effective and swift action that helps to reduce serious injuries and improve the chance of survival (2). Taking immediate action and applying the appropriate first aid techniques makes a difference for saving lives (2).

Today's world is increasingly exposed to injuries which

Most of these causalities were pedestrians and passengers both combined accounted for 95 percent of the fatalities. More than 60 percent of these fatalities occurred in its capital city, Addis Ababa (6). Majority of these accidents occurred by mini bus Taxi (12 to 14 persons capacity) 19 risks per 100 vehicles. Most of them died or transferred to the health facilities without getting any first aid care. This reflecting lack of basic first aid skills among citizens (7). Thus, the magnitude and complexity of RTA shows obviously that there is a necessity to capacitate citizens’ ability to provide first aid which is particularly essential in the case of drivers, which could make a major contribution to the reduction in road fatalities and severe injuries

Since its establishment in July 1935, ERCS has trained more than 250,000 First aiders, however, only less than half of them are still active and on duty (12). Most recently, the Ethiopian government issued two proclamations, which deals with first aid training for drivers and road traffic safety (13, 14). Following the proclamation, the transport authority prepares the necessary curriculum arrangements for training of the institution that provide driving qualification trainings for drivers. Under the new rules of the regulations, failure to carry a first aid kit in any vehicle is becoming one of the offenses. In any car accident in which the causalities are involved passengers and pedestrians, providing basic primary first aid and transporting the causalities to the health facilities are the crucial measures that are expected from all drivers