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Why Ireland Should Copy Germany’s First-Aid Training Requirement for Learner Drivers

I rarely compare Ireland to Germany, but given the heartbreaking number of road accidents we see every year, there’s one German rule we should copy without hesitation: compulsory first-aid training for all learner drivers.

Road-safety banner with a hazard warning sign, emergency scene, and CPR demonstration, promoting first-aid training for learner drivers.
First Aid Training should be mandatory in Ireland

Every year in Ireland, road accidents end lives, devastate families, and leave communities grieving. Almost every week, we read yet another tragic headline — another young life cut short, another unthinkable loss. While we work to improve road safety, one simple measure could immediately increase survival and preparedness: teaching first aid before someone ever gets a driving licence. First Aid Training should be mandatory.


In Germany, this is standard. No first aid training = no licence. And it’s time Ireland asked why we are not doing the same.


🇮🇪 Irish Road Safety: The Reality for Young Drivers

Young Irish drivers remain one of the highest-risk groups on our roads — and the numbers are sobering:

  • 1 in 3 people killed or seriously injured in Ireland so far in 2025 were under 30 [1].

  • Irish drivers aged 18–24 account for around 17% of road fatalities, far higher than the European average [2].

  • Young drivers in Ireland are 85% more likely to be involved in a road accident than older drivers [3].

  • Between 2019–2023, Ireland recorded 324 driver deaths and 2,353 serious injuries, with over half of all driver fatalities among people aged 16–45 [4].

These numbers are not abstract. They represent sons, daughters, classmates, colleagues, neighbours. They represent the last text message someone sent, the last time they walked through their front door, the last time a parent heard them laugh.


Why a Mandatory First-Aid Course Matters

Germany’s rule isn’t about ticking a box — it’s about preparing people for the reality of driving.


1. The first person on scene is usually another driver

Paramedics take time to arrive. In many Irish rural areas, that time is longer.A trained driver can:

  • recognise an unresponsive casualty

  • open an airway

  • perform CPR

  • control life-threatening bleeding

  • keep someone alive until help arrives

Those first minutes determine survival. A single trained person can double or triple someone’s chances.


2. It changes how young people think about driving

Teaching first aid before someone gets their licence makes them see driving differently.It shifts mindset from:

“Driving is a freedom”to“Driving is a responsibility — and if I come across a crash, I might be the only one who can help.”

Young drivers already face higher risks. Giving them lifesaving skills also gives them awareness.


3. It strengthens community resilience

If every new Irish driver completed first-aid training, we would instantly create:

  • thousands more CPR-trained adults

  • more people who can recognise stroke, shock, unconsciousness

  • faster responses across rural Ireland

  • a culture where helping is normal, not optional

Road safety isn’t just about speed limits and penalties. It’s about people being prepared.


A Practical, Achievable Solution for Ireland

Germany’s model is simple:

  • A short, accredited first-aid course

  • Mandatory before receiving a driving licence

  • Affordable and widely available

  • Valid long-term, with

    refreshers

Ireland could easily adopt this. The infrastructure already exists — qualified trainers, accredited courses, and every reason in the world to make this a national standard.

Imagine this becoming reality:

  • Every learner driver knows CPR

  • Every 18-year-old understands what happens in a real crash

  • Every rural road has more people capable of helping

  • Every tragedy has a better chance of survival

Sometimes the simplest changes save the most lives.


Final Thoughts

We cannot prevent every collision. But we can decide how prepared we want our society to be when tragedy happens.


Germany has shown the value of mandatory first-aid training for new drivers.Ireland has the opportunity to follow — and to save lives in the process.


When every second counts, knowledge matters. And giving every young driver the skills to help could be one of the most powerful road-safety decisions we ever make.


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References

  1. Road Safety Authority (RSA Ireland). 1 in 3 of those killed or seriously injured so far in 2025 were under 30.https://www.rsa.ie/news-events/news/details/2025/04/17/1-in-3-of-those-killed-or-seriously-injured-on-irish-roads-so-far-this-year-were-under-30

  2. European Commission. Road Safety Country Overview — Ireland (2023).https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/89574edc-1247-415e-8654-11f7c9224577_en

  3. Cork Independent. Young drivers 85% more likely to be in road accidents.https://www.corkindependent.com/2025/03/26/young-drivers-85-more-likely-to-be-in-road-accidents/

  4. Road Safety Authority (RSA). Driver Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries 2019–2023.https://www.rsa.ie/docs/default-source/road-safety/r2---statistics/analysis-of-road-users/driver-spotlight-report-fatalities-and-serious-injuries-2019-2023.pdf

 
 
 

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