Aside from hypothermia, harsh weather conditions which are very common during winter in Canada can also cause other events which can take the lives of those who are unprepared. These events include car collisions which happen to be very fatal and common during the winter season. This is why it is important to take emergency first aid courses which can teach you how to administer immediate care to accident victims. Here are some of the more specific reasons why knowing how to administer first aid care to car collision victims is very important.
You’ll never know when a bad pileup is going to happen
On March 2013, no one was able to predict that the worst case pileup in Canada’s history was about to happen since the weather did not seem harsher than the usual. According to Alberta Health Services, the number of people who got injured because of the huge pileup that happened on Highway 2 between Calgary and Edmonton rose to 100. However, no deaths were reported. This just goes to show that the weather does not have to be exceptionally bad in order to hurt an exceptionally large number of people.
Fatalities due to car collisions are still high
According to the numbers that were released by Transport Canada in coordination Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, more than 2, 000 people died due to car collisions in 2011. Even though this number is a lot lower than the death rate of car collisions in previous years, this is still a large number for a developed country whose residents should be well aware of the perils of driving during the winter time. Another thing worth noting about these fatalities is that 315 of these people were actually pedestrians.
Injuries caused by car collisions are even higher
In the same statistical study, it was revealed that more than 120, 000 people suffered from personal injuries due to car collisions for the same year. These injuries are defined as injuries that did not cause death to afflicted individuals. Even though these injuries are non-fatal in nature, they can still cause death if they are left untreated for a long time.
Considering that car accidents during the winter season can happen at any moment and that it can harm even pedestrians, taking emergency first aid courses ahead of time greatly pays off. Through these classes, you can help lessen the death toll and give temporary aid to those who are suffering from injuries due to car collisions.