Why won't people move for an ambulance !!!!!!!!!

[bajanswife]

Not defending the idiots but think about a few things.
1. Our EMS sirens are not near as loud as the firetrucks and they don't have that extra-loud airhorn (or whatever it is) that the firetrucks have.
2. Some old people are hard of hearing and don't monitor their mirrors. Personally I think elderly people should have to take driving tests and should fail for not using their mirrors.
3. Stereo systems in cars now days can be soooooooooo loud. Some are old people who crank it up because they can't hear well and others are younger people with "boomin" systems.
4. Sometimes the surprise factor comes into it. Recently on a highway that has a curve in it I looked up in my mirror to see a county officer on my tail that was not there before the curve.....I understood after he passed me because he had to be going at least 80.

We actually had an elderly lady come into our office last fall and apologize because she never heard the siren. When she noticed the EMS in her mirror she pulled over. She then told us she drove straight to CVS to buy batteries for her hearing aide that she left at home because the batteries were dead. Just remember that because you see and hear the EMS someone else may not know it's anywhere near or know what to do at redlights and such.

I definitely agree with these. I always stop for emergency vehicles - when I see/hear them! That's the key - ofen I don't realize there's an e.v coming until it's right there. Blame that on my windows being up b/c of my a/c being on, and my music playing (not loudly - just loud enough to drown out some sounds). Add to that the fact that ambulance sirens really aren't that loud (and this is a real trade off - you want the sirens to be heard, but you don't want to deafen all pedestrians and people in houses right along the side of the road who may be trying to sleep etc. ) and you have a real problem. Then when at the last minute I realize that I need to stop for an e.v., I need to also make sure I stop safely, not suddenly, in order to prevent an accident.

True story: I actually got hauled into court once to answer charges of not coming to a complete and final stop on hearing an e.v. siren. It was a police car that was chasing someone else (probably for a traffic offense), and I didn't see him until he came up over the crest of the hill right behind me (I heard a distant siren, but not loudly enough to be able to judge whether it was even on my road or not - there were several roads it could have been on). I was accelerating on a wide 2 lane highway, having just pulled out of a junction, and was in no way speeding, but it just wasn't safe to even attempt to come to a complete stop before he reached me - I would have had to stomp on the brake as hard as i could, and it would have been ridiculously unsafe! So, I quickly checked oncoming traffic and saw none, and decided that he could easily and safely overtake me. I did slow down and pull partially onto the shoulder to give him more space, and he whizzed past me. Then he pulled me over further down the road and wrote me up I explained the situation to the magistrate and she understood. She had no choice but to find me guilty, since that's how I pleaded (I did technically break the law) - but she discharged me without a fine. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing to have been charged in the first place - glad she concurred.

I know that is not the same as ignoring the e.v. - I just thought it was interesting!

I so agree that there are people who COULD move out of the way and DON'T - that is outrageous!!!

 

[JimB.]

OMG, I feel your pain!!!

I have been in brutally dangerous fires, but the closest I have ever come to getting hurt on the job is responding to calls when I am on a Rescue Unit.

I have been cut off, pulled in front of, flipped off, you name it.

Sometimes I wish I had a log for a front bumper just to take care of the *^@$@$$#&$ people on the road.

Not ALL of them, but enough to make the driving the most stressful part of the job.

Too many examples to list, but the (IMHO) biggest single culprit seems to be "Cell phoneitis". It's an increasingly common medical condition caused by the implantation of an electronic listening device to one's head. It can cause hearing loss, tunnel vision & general non-responsiveness to the outside world.

If someone is unaware of the presence of lights, sirens & air horns, then they need to either: a.) pay more attention or b.) let someone else drive.

OK,OK just one example: I was heading down a 4 lane highway in St Augustine (US 1 - big road) going to a possible cardiac arrest. I saw an old lady pull up to the road from a cross street and stop. (so far so good) But I just "had a feeling", so I lifted my foot from the gas pedal and put it near the brake, & sure enough, this lady pulled Right Out In Front Of Me! I pretty much pushed the brake THROUGH the floor, verifying that yes, Freightliner Anti-Lock brakes DO in fact work as advertised.

I missed hitting (& most assuredly killing) this lady by no more than 6 feet. That was the distance she passed in front of us while driving stupidly across traffic.

Happens a lot. No fun. That's why I won't drive a truck without a working air horn.

If I'm not blocking the path of the emergency vehicle, and my car was stopped to begin with, isn't it safer for me to just remain where I am?

That's Ok with me. Once a car is stopped (as long as it is not directly in front of me), I want them to STAY PUT. If you are not moving, I can get around. It's those that stop, then START to move when I get closer that drive me nuts.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

I always pull over, but one thing that is very annoying (and I think makes some people not pull over) is when you have a line of cars pull over to let an ambulance pass, then the jerks in the back of the line pull out right behind the ambulance and start passing the pulled over cards. The people in the front of the line are now stuck on the shoulder and have to wait to pull out back into traffic until everyone passes them.

 

[Margie J]

Too many examples to list, but the (IMHO) biggest single culprit seems to be "Cell phoneitis". It's an increasingly common medical condition caused by the implantation of an electronic listening device to one's head. It can cause hearing loss, tunnel vision & general non-responsiveness to the outside world.

There's a lot of that around here too. I think that causes much of this. Whether these people are driving or walking they seem to ignore the surrounding world.

 

[NYMEDIC]

I work and volunteer for several different agencies.

1: Most people move out of the way of the fire truck because it is larger than their vehicle.

2: I was working in downtown Manhattan and an individual would not get out of the way. We finally got around them and proceeded to the call. Wouldn't you know 10 minutes later, who pulls up, but the same individual who wouldn't get out of our way. Apparently the sick individual was his mother. So the moral of the story is when you see an emergency vehicle get out of the way they may be going to your house.

 

[golfgal]

Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong. If I'm not blocking the path of the emergency vehicle, and my car was stopped to begin with, isn't it safer for me to just remain where I am? .

If I am in this situation I stay put AND keep my foot on the brakes so the emergency veichle can see that I am not planning on going anywhere. It my example earlier, I was on an exit ramp and no way to go around us.