Vocational School of Justice
9 potentially life-saving tips in traffic
As millions are getting ready to hit the roads due to Feast of Sacrifice holiday to see their loved ones and for a holiday retreat, Lecturer Melahat Kızıl, Paramedic Program, Vocational School of Health Services, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), warned drivers about driving safely and gave some life-saving tips. Kızıl reported that based on the data by Turkish Statistics Institute, 6 thousand 675 people lost their lives as 307 thousand 71 people were injured in traffic accidents last year. Kızıl provided valuable information regarding first aid for possible road accidents. Kızıl, who told drivers what they should do to avoid a possible accident, said, “Make sure your car is road trip ready before you hit the road. Check your oil level fluids, air pressure, tires, air filter, battery, etc. Do not ever drive sleep-deprived. Make sure all passengers are wearing a seat belt. You should not talk on your cell phone while driving. If you are going to use a phone, pull off to the side. Do not ignore the speeding rules. According to the data by World Health Organization, at least 30% of traffic accidents and deaths are caused by speed driving. Drinking and driving is a big no no. Remember that a single glass of alcohol doubles the accident probability. Aggressive drivers should be ignored, and racing with other drivers while driving should be avoided. It is better to think of all drivers as inexperienced, bad drivers, and they might make mistakes any given moment. Also, it is very important to drive slowly in bad weather and road conditions.”
“The first 5 minutes are very critical”
Melahat Kızıl reminded that performing first aid appropriately in traffic accidents increased the chance of survival of the injured people, and she said, “According to World Health Organization’s data, survival probability of a fatal person taken to the hospital within 5 minutes is 70%. This rate reaches almost zero within an hour. However, inappropriate first aid results in death or injury. Before performing first aid, check if the injured people are breathing or bleeding in their head, neck, arms and legs. Ask if they are okay. If they are able to answer, their breathing problem would not be such a concern. If they are conscious, they might be scared and cry out for help. Make sure to calm them down. Ask their name. If they cannot answer, they might be suffering a head trauma. Check if they are breathing and call the emergency services immediately (112).”