Introduction The study was conducted to determine the effect of first aid education on the capacity of commercial drivers in Ibadan, Nigeria to provide first aid for accident victims.

Methods A before-and-after study was conducted among 128 drivers- 62 intervention and 66 controls selected by multi-stage sampling. The drivers' first aid knowledge and skills were assessed at baseline, immediately and 3 months post- intervention. The intervention consisted of a 2-day training on first aid while controls were given health education on HIV/AIDS. First aid knowledge scores were generated giving a maximum aggregate score of 24 for each respondent while minimum and maximum obtainable scores for first aid skills were 0 and 25 respectively.

Results Mean first aid knowledge scores for intervention drivers were 11.8 (±2.9), 13.9 (±2.7) and 14.4 (±2.2) at baseline, immediate and 3-month post intervention. Corresponding scores for the control group were 11.6 (±3.1), 9.4 (±3.7) and 11.2 (±3.7). Mean first aid skill scores for intervention drivers were 4.4 (±0.9), 20.2 (±2.1) and 18.1 (±4.2). Scores for control drivers were 4.1 (±1.1), 4.1 (±1.2) and 5.1 (±2.3) respectively. Repeated measure analysis of variance showed significant differences in first aid knowledge and skills within the intervention group over the three phases of the study (p<0.001). Scores for controls remained about the same.

Conclusion The first aid education led to significant improvement in first aid knowledge and skills of intervention drivers confirming that drivers can be trained as lay first responders in settings were formal emergency medical services for crash victims are poorly developed.