The majority of these injured are taken to a hospital by ambulance. Some road trauma patients can be discharged from hospital hours after initial treatment, but many will require further care such as surgery or admission to an intensive care unit. Treatment and rehabilitation of severe injuries may even take months or years.

The word ‘trauma’ is especially appropriate to describe the injuries inflicted by road crashes. The medical profession uses it for any bodily injury or wound, but it really means ‘a powerful shock that may have long-lasting effects’. An apt description for the sudden violence a car crash can deliver.

In comparison with ambulance services in our major metropolitan cities, accidents in rural areas can at times seem to place the injured at a greater disadvantage.

This may be because higher speeds on country roads mean injuries can be quite severe. The time taken for emergency services to attend the scene will be longer, and some country ambulances might well be less well equipped to deal with road trauma than suburban ambulances.