Taxi Driver Online

Excuse my usual cynicism on this, but I wonder how useful all this is? And I don't get the EV point - if anything it's about new drivers rather than EVs per se. Unless, of course, the expectation is that EVs should come equipped with emergency bandages for some reason

Or maybe that drivers changing to a new cab have dumped them along with all the other clutter that builds up in your car over the years

There are 10 photos available on the website, but there' a certain element of repetition about it all


Emergency bandages not in new Oxford electric taxis

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24281 ... ric-taxis/

Knife campaigners are calling for all Oxford taxis to stock "life-saving" bandages as it is revealed the new fleet of electric vehicles does not have them.


Image: Oxford Mail

Knife campaigners are calling for all Oxford taxis to stock "life-saving" bandages as it is revealed the new fleet of electric vehicles does not have them.

Black cabs in Oxford received military-grade emergency bandages that can help prevent someone from bleeding to death in a mass handout in 2021.

However, the secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association Sajad Shan said a “significant number” of cab drivers in new electric vehicles are now without the bandages.

The Oxford Mail met with Uffington-based charity Rapaid Emergency Bandages to hand out the first packs to the new electric fleet of taxis.

Rapaid displays were put in the window of taxis to show the public or emergency services they could flag them down and utilise the kit in the event of a trauma or major incident including knife crime.

The bandages are the same as what founder Alex Chivers, a former Wiltshire Police firearms officer and veteran, used to carry around in the army while in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said: “Knife crime is becoming more prevalent, it is going through the ceiling.

“It seems to be everywhere. As a charity, we donate the kits for free. If they use the kit and give it they contact us and we know when they are used.”

Taxis are used as they know the area and hotspots and are on the road all day and night, he continued.
Mr Chivers added taxi drivers have “seen it all and know how quickly something can go horribly wrong”.

He said: “Taxis are in and out of our communities day and night. They know all the hotspots, the high street. They are everywhere.

“The grime fact is that you can bleed to death in under five minutes so the sooner direct pressure is applied and treatment begins, the better your chances of survival.”

They are designed to be “quick and simple” to be used in the “first five golden minutes when you can bleed to death”.

Now we are calling for a mass operation to ensure all taxis in Oxford carry one of these crucial packs.

It comes after a sequence of knife crime incidents in the city including the death of Tobias Burce saw this paper launch its anti-knife campaign.

The head of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association Sajad Shan said the availability of these bandages is more important now due to the “sad reality of the increase of knife crime”.

He added the bandages could be “decisive in the matter of life and death”.

Mr Khan said: “Our cabs are on the road 24/7. In the unfortunate event of a serious medical emergency, the Cab can be flagged by any member of the public to provide the bandages before the emergency services arrive.

“Cab drivers are very proud to be supporting this initiative. Our cabs are in and out of key locations across Oxford both day and night.

“We can be found outside bars and clubs where very often serious accidents can occur.

“We will be carrying these bandages for the public and supporting Rapaid to help bolster and support community safety.

“We’re waiting on Rapaid to provide all of our fleet with these bandages. A significant number of our drivers have changed their cabs to electric and would require these bandages as soon as possible.”

The Oxford Mail approached Oxford City Council on the Rapaid Emergency Bandages and its use in taxis in the city.

The city council responded by saying if Rapaid is looking to roll out the emergency bandages they would "welcome" them to contact the taxi licensing department.


Image: Oxford Mail

"OMG, someone's just been stabbed - let's look for a passing HC to flag down, ensuring in the pitch black that it has the Rapaid sticker in the window while if flies past at 30mph."

And I wonder how effective all this has been, and what the uptake has been in terms of driver numbers? Would be different if *all* drivers had the bandages, and a high proportion of the public knew that the cabs had the bandages on board, but chances of that happening...

Personally, it's a bit like the fire extinguisher and naloxone thing...maybe better not to get involved. Not sure how all this would work unless the drivers receive some sort of training in applying bandages at professional level, but not sure how even the likes of police officers would approach this kind of thing.

And, as I said in the past, if police don't carry such bandages already, then maybe better for them to carry them rather than chancing that passing taxi drivers will have them?

And, of course, there's the bigger picture of light-touch/absent policing. Maybe better to address that rather than using the sticking plaster of a bandage (see what I did there? ).

Someone in the comments making the point that the bandages issued in 2021 will have an expiry date. Which may be a factor, but I doubt it is, or it would be mentioned in the article rather than going round the houses with the EV stuff...

And I somehow doubt a bandage a year out of date would be such an issue if someone is bleeding out outside a nightclub at 4am

We see these kinds of things all the time, and once the novelty of 'we are all great and doing such a brilliant thing' soon wears off.

Do all the council vans have these kits? Do buses have these kits? Does the milkman have these kits? Of course not, so please leave us alone to do our job, which isn't dealing with the aftermath of knife crime.

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IDFIMH

I can't help thinking about the Perry Buoy thing. Was it Glasgow?

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Found it.

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/178 ... nitiative/

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related