Every driver should have first aid knowledge – GPF

With the increasing number of accidents that occur around Guyana, traffic officer attached to the Diamond Police Station on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), Inspector Maniram Jaganandan said every driver should make it mandatory to have some knowledge of first aid.

He said this should be the first thought when purchasing a vehicle or even applying for a driver’s licence.
“When you go to purchase your driver’s licences package, the first aid book is there, the alcohol book is there, the highway code is there and the defensive driving book is there. It is very important because a simple first aid method in minor injuries can assist a person by stopping the bleeding,” he said.
Jaganandan further underscored that there are instances where drivers or public-spirited citizens have no knowledge of first aid and would try to assist accident victims, but cause them even more bodily harm.
He said this can occur if the victims are held wrong, or touched in places that would cause extensive damage to their bodies. The traffic officer added that if drivers take the time to study the first aid book when applying for their licences, they would know this.
Jaganandan suggested that if a driver does not study the first aid book that is provided by the Police Force, he or she should try to get first aid lessons.
“There is the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, there are places you can go to learn first aid lessons… so you can [have] basic knowledge on what to do,” he advised.
In addition, he alluded to the fact that while there are persons who are always willing to help at accident scenes, there are some who only use the opportunity to publicise it on social media, instead of lending a helping hand.
“You would see videos from time to time of accident scenes, and you would hear a person shouting for help, and all you would see is persons over them with their cell phones videoing them. They do this instead of assisting those persons…”, he said.
He said he also believes that there might be persons who have first aid knowledge at some accident scenes but refuse to render assistance.
“It is so sad to say but that is the reality.”
As it relates to the traffic congestion on the East Bank corridor, the traffic officer said that can cost the life of someone who needs immediate medical attention. He said the closest medical facility on the East Bank is the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, and there is usually traffic to get there.
“From the Diamond junction, going back south on the Soesdyke junction its one lane north, and one lane south… it is a challenging situation because if an accident occurs early in the day, and the traffic is busy there, we have to try our best to get there.”
“Time is very essential because the fastest you get the person from the accident scene to get medical attention, it’s better for the person because you can minimise a lot of things,” he explained.
Only a few months ago, the Guyana Police Force, on an episode of Police and You, pointed out that whenever there is a vehicular accident, instead of people helping the victims, they would steal from them.
According to Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Stan Gouveia, people usually pretend to be helping the victims, when in fact they are trying to gain access to their valuables.
Items such as cell phones, wallets, jewellery, and other valuables are taken from the victims under the pretext of assisting them. Vehicles involved in accidents are also looted before help is sought. (G9)