More than 15,000 drivers across Australia – including over 2,315 truckies and 12,758 learner drivers – have completed St John’s targeted Driver First Aid courses, building life-saving knowledge and readiness to help.
Designed to make Australian roads safer, these free and accessible online courses foster a safety-net of community-based first responders. They work on the premise that anyone can save a life or make a difference through basic first aid interventions in the critical minutes after a vehicle crash or roadside emergency.
St John Ambulance Australia CEO, Brendan Maher acknowledges the importance of these innovative programs in Australia’s unique road safety landscape.
“Our roads span vast distances from cities to regional and remote locations, and we want to ensure that first aid is in arm’s reach of everyone. Actions as simple as ensuring the scene is safe, keeping an airway open by lifting the chin, or applying pressure to a bleed, can make all the difference whilst waiting for emergency services.”
“We are really pleased with the uptake of driver first aid, and these latest milestones mean first aid is becoming more mobilised on Australian roads,” said Mr Maher.
What is Driver First Aid?
St John has introduced these programs in response to the high prevalence of road injuries and deaths in Australia. The e-learning courses don’t intend to act as a substitute for accredted first aid training, instead aiming to equip road users who may otherwise have limited first aid knowledge, with accessible, practical skills at no cost.
The suite of Driver First Aid programs includes:
- Learner Driver First Aid (LDFA) – an innovative and multi-award-winning free e-learning course. It aims to equip a new generation of drivers with accessible and practical first aid skills. This course has not only been promoted and incentivised by some State/Territory governments (SA and ACT), but it has also garnered positive engagement with driving instructors, educators, parents and community.
- Truckie First Aid – a tailored and free e-learning course developed with NATROAD, one of St John’s national transport partners, to meet the specific needs of truck drivers and road transport workers. Truckies are often first on scene in the event of a collision or roadside incident. This program empowers them to respond.
What do paramedics and parents think?
ACT based paramedic and St John volunteer, Mark Molloy frequently sees the other side of road injuries, and has supported the program since inception.
“Some first aid is better than no first aid when it comes to early intervention. Road users can play a critical role in the minutes after a crash, while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.”
Mr Molloy’s teenage daughters are now both on their L plates, and have participated in the online course. “It’s a quick and easy way to get young people engaged. My girls participated in the St John LDFA in the classroom, so it’s great to see teachers and young people embracing it,” he said.
A survey by St John Ambulance Australia found that nearly four in five adult Australians (78%) think young people who are getting their learner driver permit should be equipped with training in basic first aid skills. This is a model that is the norm in 19 other countries – particularly successful across Europe.
What impact does this training have on young drivers?
Launched in November 2022, St John first piloted the program and participated in an independent evaluation with over 100 young participants through an academic controlled trial run by Queensland University of Technology. The research found that young people had a significant (+27) change in pre and post course first aid efficacy scores. Furthermore, 97% of participants found the content relevant to them as an audience, and 92% found the course both accessible and useful.
Feedback from young participants was then used to determine what content they wanted to ‘see more of’ and this was introduced as enhancements in 2024. After this time, uptake has been steady, however the course requires further funding support to extend awareness.
What about Truckies and other road users?
Driver First Aid skills are applicable to anyone, and you don’t have to be a new road user to do the course. St John has recently received funding from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to support two spin-off initiatives with the road transport industry. Working with partners NatRoad and Ron Finemore on two separate but complementary projects, St John is making Truckie First Aid training more culturally and linguistically inclusive, and also equipping more trucks with life saving Automated External Defibrillators.
“We continue to call on governments, communities and industries to get behind the mobilisation of first aid skills on Australian roads through driver first aid. It’s a road safety topic that touches on all communities and many sectors,” said Brendan Maher.
Working with NatRoad has also enabled St John to hear feedback from Truckie First Aid participants who have found the course useful to their work. Recently the following testimonial was received:
“… I’m a truck driver and my workplace sent a link out to your course which I completed straight away… after completing the course I had an accident where another vehicle ran into the back of my B Double. At high speed. I was on a freeway, and no other vehicles stopped. Although it was heart stopping wondering what I was about to see when I ran back…the scenario I was confronted with was exactly like in your training clips. Driver slumped forward with chin on his chest.
I just sat him back in his seat with the objective of opening his airways and he sprung back to life. Job done, apart from comforting him whilst waiting for the ambulance I did nothing more, but I just think it was amazing that only 4 weeks later I remembered and used what was in your free course [sic].”
With momentum building, St John is seeking ways to extend Driver First Aid training to more road user groups – strengthening Australia’s capacity to be first aid ready on our roads.
“We will keep aiming to get these skills into the hands of more road users. We want to make sure that whether you’re a truckie driving down a remote stretch of highway, a young person hopping behind the wheel for the first time, a driver or passenger in a car, bike or other type of vehicle, you’re ready and equipped to help in a first aid emergency,” said Mr Maher.
For more information about St John’s Driver First Aid programs head to driverfirstaid.org.au
For Truckie First Aid head to truckiefirstaid.org.au
*Note: In Western Australia, St John WA offers a comparative program called First Aid for New Drivers (formerly Click to Save).
For more information contact:
M: Mliette Ornelas on 0450 555 971
