SHOULD IT BE LAW TO CARRY A FIRST AID KIT IN YOUR CAR AT ALL TIMES.
Deffo, always have and always will.
Rich
Then you are into the legality of what first aid you can administer to the patient.
NO, because first time you forget it the state police will jump on you and you become a criminal...
Too many rules here already!!
Nahh it will increase the weight on my car....
Only if competent to use it.
A first aid kit is only any use if you know what to do with it so unless First Aid training becomes compulsary, then dont see why it should be a legal requirement. More harm than good can be done by people who think they know more than they actually do.
My job is "medical" but I have voted NO. What should be compulsory is first aid training in schools - basic in primary and more detailed in secondary.
absolutely not. if you know what to do with it, it probably makes sense to carry one but if you don't understand what you're doing, you
could well do more harm than good.
i wouldn't want anyone without any training administering first aid to me just because they have a kit sat in their car.
why would anyone possibly want to make it a legal requirement? what does it gain? a fire extinguisher, i could understand
tom
Absolutely yes, And a defib on a crash trolley
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
NO, because first time you forget it the state police will jump on you and you become a criminal...
Too many rules here already!!
quote:
Originally posted by smart51
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
NO, because first time you forget it the state police will jump on you and you become a criminal...
Too many rules here already!!
Agreed
always a good idea but not as a legal requirement, but more so a fire extinguisher, if you have ever seen a accident with some one stuck in a car concentrates the mind a bit, carrying it not always the need to use it but might also be of someone else more competent to use
well lets hope all you guys who say no never need one.
Realistically though what are you gonna carry in the first aid kit?
The only possible thing of any use for Joe Public would be a bandage to help stem bleeding but this can be done in other ways anyway. Sticking
plasters ain't gonna bob a leg back on after a serious motorcycle crash are they!
An airway tube could be included but who is really going to know the correct way of inserting it? Basic first aid knowledge however, given in schools
as suggested is a good idea, good first aid doesn't really need any tools from a first aid box.
Steve
We could end up like France - if you have a fire extinguisher, or a first aid kit, but don't use it at an accident then you get taken to
court.
There are arguments for and against that approach - but, as said above, we have enough regulations, thank you very much.
Fire extinguisher - absolutely - having lived in germany (where it is law to carry one & a first aid kit) I totally agree, are you likely to save
someone's life with a first aid kit? - my guess is no, are you likely to save somebody's life with a fire extinguisher, well in the event of
a blaze yes.
Being a legal requirement would save lives and should be part of the MOT (and check it's in date), yes some people would find a way around it,
but more fool them and it would ensure there are more extinguishers on the roads....and I have seen this in action on an autobahn blaze - flames
suppressed until fire service arrived.. Just my thoughts
There are too many laws.
People with common sense will use it, those without won't.
So leave it to peoples common sense.
If everyone is trained to use them, then fine, but I have seen people cause more problems than they fix.... If everyone had training, then 100% yes. I always carry one, and I have had plenty of cause to use it too....
Don't know about the rest of the country but taxi's in Cambridge have to carry a first aid kit but if they needed it for a passenger the drivers would take you straight to A&E rather than be sued.
No -- but yes I carry one under the passenger seat.
I should add that, despite what I said earlier, I do carry a small first aid kit in my car, and I have been trained as a first-aider in the past. I
don't think that I do much more than stop bleeding with the kit, but the other training would probably be valuable - to keep someone alive until
the paramedics arrived.
I also still have reflective vests in my car, even though it's a year since I went to France. I've been doing a fair bit of driving on
motorways and major dual carriageways in the past 12 months, and I think that they would be useful if anything happened to my car.
well i have first aid kit and fire extinguisher in the van, but mainly for work.
I once had a car on fire and just stood there staring at it because i had nothing liquid with me - felt a bit useless!
Joe bloggs with a first aid kit isnt going to be any use, except maybe a tourniquet (sp).
I think it should be compulsory in a seven and it should includ only the following, plasters bandage and burns cream for that time when skin meets exhaust oh and when sun burns face
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
Joe bloggs with a first aid kit isnt going to be any use, except maybe a tourniquet (sp).
A grubby hand, a bobble hat or your T shirt is 99% as good as a sterile dressing for stopping bleeding. Combined with a basic knowledge of CPR and you can save lives. Most first aid kits I have seen contain various bandages, antiseptic and a sling. Complete waste of time in any serious emergency.
A good idea? Definitely. But by law? Definitely not! We have enough dafter ones already. That, plus it would just turn into another govt.
expense-collection tool... [/cynicism]
I have a big first aid kit in the main car (Range Rover) but it's mainly for my own familys use. I would attend to someone else if need be but
that's not why I carry a kit. Part of my First Aid training included what to use instead of first aid kit, to help in an emergency. I'm
confident I could help to save someones life (I've done it in the past) but I'd be wary of some other random punter trying to shove a Bic
biro through my wind pipe because I looked a little pale after a crash!
And as for fire extinguishers....I deployed my Powder extinguisher under the bonnet of a burning Jag. It put the fire out and the bloke was very
grateful. But not grateful enough to offer to replace £65 worth of fire extinguisher! Next time I'll be there to save lives. The cars can look
after themselves!
[Edited on 10/6/09 by owelly]
[Edited on 10/6/09 by owelly]
I carry quite a large kit in my car complete with sergical knifes and other interesting things...
However!...
If you administer first aid to try and save a life and the person dies..... You may be tried for man slaughter if there is any possibility that the
person might have lived without your intervention...
Yes, stem the bleeding/open up airways... but I would do little else until you have dialed 999 and asked for assisance!
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I carry quite a large kit in my car complete with sergical knifes and other interesting things...
However!...
If you administer first aid to try and save a life and the person dies..... You may be tried for man slaughter if there is any possibility that the person might have lived without your intervention...
Yes, stem the bleeding/open up airways... but I would do little else until you have dialed 999 and asked for assisance!
IMHO the most useful first aid item to carry in a car is a mobile phone.
About twenty years ago I came upon a car nose dived into a ditch.
Driver and passenger slumped over the dash, no seat belts, blood everywhere, late at night.
The nearest house was a mile away but the local police station (yes, we had one then)
was two miles away so I went there, woke him up.
What could have been vital minutes were lost. All turned out OK in the end.
Cheers
Paul G
Yes. But with proper training. I would make yearly refresher exams compulsory for everyone who drives a car or bike. If they don't pass, they
can't drive.
It doesn't have to be extremely difficult mind, but what you do need to know is how you can make matters worse and what you actually can do to
save a life...
Not by law. And has been stated on numerous occasion should not be used by anyone who is not competent.
I am a qualified first aider at work and I carry one in every car I drive and audit it every couple of months to make sure the stuff is still in date.
That said an out of date sterile dressing is better than a greasy Tshirt but a greasy Tshirt is better than nothing.
We had an acronym for remembering the sequence of actions for a first aider and getting a first aid kit isnt actuall in it.
It goes AMEGR pronounced to rhyme with amoeba. Asses, Make Safe Emergency Aid (first aid without a first aid kit), Get help, Report.
A lot of what we were taught on the course was Emergency aid so that if you didnt have access to one you can still help.
I have been in a situation where a guy was knocked off his push bike. I didnt even think I just reacted and went to help and the first aid kit never
came out the boot. I knew help was on the way and my biggest concern was keeping him still and calm as he had been hit at a fair clip according to
witnesses ( he was hit by a car that didnt stop at a red light as he was crossing) and i was concerned about possible skull and neck injuries. After
the initial assesment there appeared to be no obvious external life threatening injuries and I cant do a lot about internal ones just stayed with him
talked to him and refused to let him move or take his helmet off.
The emergency services turn up after about 3 minutes but its the first time Id been in a situation like that and after the initial adreneline rush
they felt like the longest 3 mins of my life.
Sorry for the long post but i hope it shows the strength of my feelings. First aid kits are useless or worse without some sort of training so you
know what to do with it.
[Edited on 11/6/09 by Vindi_andy]
quote:
Originally posted by Vindi_andy
It goes AMEGR pronounced to rhyme with amoeba. Asses, Make Safe Emergency Aid (first aid without a first aid kit), Get help, Report.
Yes I meant assess
Finger troubl;e today
If you give first aid, and get it wrong, you could be liable for adding to their injuries and end up getting sued.
Sad state of affairs but true.
The First Aid training changes so often, you need to be continually updated with new courses to be, and remain competent.
Using a first aid kit on yourself is OK. However on strangers, you could be getting into a liability issue.
As said by others, a Mobile Phone is best, then you can summon professional help, and remain free of the liability issue.
You can also be liable by doing NOTHING, so make sure you do something, and phoning 999 etc is the best you can do.
Its a SAD world we are making for oursleves and our children.
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Don't know about the rest of the country but taxi's in Cambridge have to carry a first aid kit but if they needed it for a passenger the drivers would take you straight to A&E rather than be sued.