Experiences on the Roads of India

 The highlight of the recent Member’s meeting was a talk given by Committee member Andrew Burnett about his experiences on the roads of India. The overall impression was that all rules are open to interpretation, or simply ignored most of the time. The picture which sticks in my mind is that of a family of five - Mum, Dad, 2 kids and presumably Grandma - riding a relatively small motorbike without a single helmet between them!

 

Not quite five but you get the picture

Rural Road Safety Report & Code

 NFU Mutual  have recently produced a code for driving on rural roads. The Code follows a survey that they carried out a year or so ago. 

According to NFU Mutual, collisions on rural roads are around four times more likely to result in deaths than collisions on urban roads. In 2023 the 969 rural deaths corresponded to “an average of one in every 32 collisions” being fatal — versus one in every 122 on urban roads. This prompted NFU Mutual to publish a guidance code — the Code for Countryside Roads — targeting drivers, cyclists, horse-riders, walkers and other countryside road users. 

Graphics courtesy of NFU Mutual

The Code was developed in consultation with multiple partner organisations (farming unions, safety charities and user-groups, although I don’t know whether IAM RoadSmart were involved) and with feedback from 700+ members of the public. The guidance covers safe practices tailored to rural conditions — for drivers of cars, agricultural vehicles, cyclists, horse-riders, pedestrians/runners. 

Key recommendations are: plan your journey carefully, adapt to road and weather conditions (e.g. visibility, brakes, tyres), expect narrow/winding roads, respect slower traffic (e.g. tractors), watch out for vulnerable users, and avoid distractions (like adjusting sat-nav while driving). 

You can see the Code here: Code for Countryside Roads | NFU Mutual

First on the Scene - a Presentation by Peter Jones

This meeting was held in early February following several days of torrential rain and I really thought that we might struggle for attendees, however I am delighted to say that for our speaker’s talk we had a ‘full house’.

A number of Associates had joined IAM RoadSmart since our last meeting and those present were given a copy of their certificate and a group pen. 

Through a WGAM initiative, Paul Hatcher of Evesham First Responders was sponsored and duly gained a F1RST.

One of our group members, Peter Jones was the evening’s speaker and his subject was, “First on Scene”.  

Peter is and Advanced Clinical Practitioner and carries with him a substantial number of first aid items should they be required when he is out and about.  He is qualified and capable of using all the items in his kit therefore always stops at incidents to assist should he be required.  Peter stressed that a simple ‘First Aid’ kit is sufficient for most people and many cars are now supplied with one from new.

  

This is a key message that Peter was keen to introduce to us.  Are there enough people on the scene and are they coping with the emergency?   In which case it is best to continue on your journey.  The questions to ask yourself, if you believe otherwise are, is there someone taking charge, is the scene being kept safe and have the appropriate emergency services been called or if I stop am I going to take charge, assist in any way or just be a nuisance.

Peter described to us a simple method of removing a blocked airway, which I had never heard of and he also went through

DR ABC (D).

DR - Danger - Response.   A for airway.  B for breathing. C for Circulation. D for Disability.  He also explained that it is very helpful to be able to advise the emergency services what action you have taken.  SBAR - Situation - Background - Assessment - Recommendation.  (You may consider that your ability and knowledge may not be sufficient to provide any recommendations.)

One question asked of Peter was in the event you come across an incident in your vehicle where and how should you park?  Tess Cooper was able to answer that as an ex police officer and advised unlike the fire service, who tend to park beyond the scene, park your vehicle behind it at a facing outward angle with your headlights on, four way emergency indicators on and don’t forget to lock your vehicle.

Finally, Peter showed us an illustration of what he calls a Hospital Transfer Form which could be filled in should the patient be stabilised and there is a delay prior to the emergency services arriving on scene.

Peter McCree