for lifesaver ...drivers face f irst aid tests

LEARNER drivers will be made to undergo a four-hour first-aid course before they are allowed to take their test under plans being considered by MPs.

Campaigners welcomed the news, saying that thousands of lives could be saved if more Britons knew how to perform lifesaving skills.

In the past 12 months alone, 1,780 people have been killed on British roads and thousands more have been seriously injured.

A Ten Minute Rule Bill was tabled earlier this month by Conservative MP Will Quince. It is supported by St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross.

A St John Ambulance survey found that nearly 60 per cent of the public would not feel confident enough to try to save a life at the scene of an accident, and almost a quarter would do nothing until an ambulance or firstaider arrived.

St John Ambulance chief executive Sue Killen said: ‘Ensuring drivers have lifesaving skills is a nobrainer when so many people are injured on British roads.

‘This proposed measure could allow more people to step forward and be the difference between life and death in an emergency.’

If passed, the move would bring the UK in line with other European nations. In Switzerland, applicants must prove they have undertaken ten hours of first-aid instruction, and in Germany applicants must complete a seven-and-a-halfhour course.

Joe Mulligan, head of first-aid education at the British Red Cross, said: ‘It is vital that the first person on the scene of a road traffic accident – who will most likely be another driver – knows how to keep someone alive.’

The call for first-aid training comes as the closing date for the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes awards approaches.

In partnership with The Mail on Sunday and Laerdal Medical, the awards recognise inspirational individuals who have helped to save lives through first aid.

The closing date for nominations is March 24 (and April 18 for nominations for the top of the class award), and the winners will be announced at a starstudded ceremony in London on September 7, hosted by Myleene Klass.