The 2013
Commercial Vehicle Show got off to a flying start today with thousands of visitors flocking to Birmingham’s NEC. Crowds gathered to see world and UK premières of a host of new vans, trucks, technologies and associated products.
Here are some images of
Driver First Assist's important demonstration of how their new programme will be saving lives!
DFA is a new initiative intended to train truck drivers in how to deal with any road traffic accidents that they may come across. It’s the brainchild of industry stalwart David Higginbottom, with the support of leading organisations representing the emergency services and road transport.
The scheme stems from the chilling statistic that 46% of UK road fatalities could be avoided if appropriate first aid was administered before the arrival of the emergency services. Other secondary objectives include hastening the post-accident re-opening of roads, a government priority under the CLEAR project, and improving the public image of road transport as a whole. It works by volunteers undertaking training, designed to be accepted as a Driver CPC module, which extends beyond Workplace First Aid with the inclusion of basic accident scene management procedures. This includes providing full and accurate reporting of the situation to all suitable resources to be dispatched. A smartphone app, provided by BT and Google, will shortly be available to assist in this.
Following successful completion of the training, drivers can then apply for membership of
DFA. The sanctioning of the scheme by the emergency services means that when they arrive on scene, they will be expecting to find a
DFA member to act as first point of contact, and provide an accurate briefing. More information will be available from the
scheme’s website, which was launched on the same day 9th April.
As Europe's largest commercial vehicle show of the year, the significance of the
CV Show is huge for our industry. This high-profile status was reinforced as they hosted a visit by the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin. He met a diverse range of industry stakeholders on his visit, discussing key issues and recognising the major investments industry has made - particularly in Euro 6 engines and fuel efficiency.
