Ambulance in your Mirror? What do you Do?

07Lapierre

1. Don't Brake! (if your moving, your not blocking the ambulance)
2. Think! ( If you stop suddenly, the car behind you also has to stop, which could block the ambulance)
3. If your stopped in Traffic, Don't Move, let the Ambulance pass, then move.
4. if you hear an siren, keep moving until you can see the Ambulance, then think!
5. Applying the brake and stopping should be a last resort.

Why do most drivers simply brake and stop when they hear an ambulance approaching from behind? really bugs me.

Rant over!

miller50841

Speed up if you have to on a narrow road and when there is a safe place to pull out of the way do so.

One thing also that is annoying and dangerous is the car that thens takes off after the ambulance so they get past most of the traffic.

sebastianlieken

miller50841 wrote: »

Speed up if you have to on a narrow road and when there is a safe place to pull out of the way do so.

Although I get what you're suggesting, I wouldn't agree with this statement on such a broad basis. Don't drive above the speed limit and certainly don't drive around narrow roads at speeds outside of your comfort zone. The last thing that ambulance needs is for you to go and have a crash aswell.

bladespin

Get out of the way, this is one of the worst piece of driving/not driving I've seen

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79609457

God help whoever was in the back.

wmpdd3

I always seem to encounter ambulances in town as I work on the road leading from the hospital.

I usually indicate and pull in beside the footpath so the ambulance can pass.

I could meet 3 on the same journey.

Fire brigades are a different story, they are too big to fit past cars, usually have to turn left at the next junction to let them past.

djimi

Simply put you do whatever it takes to allow them the best opportunity to get past you in the shortest time.

I dont necessarily agree with not stopping; if for example the ambulance can safely pass you now but cannot 50m down the road then the best course of action is to stop and let them past. Stopping should not be the default action though.

Bottom line is you assess the situation and the surroundings and you figure out the best course of action based on that.

Kenny Logins

bladespin wrote: »

Get out of the way, this is one of the worst piece of driving/not driving I've seen

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79609457

God help whoever was in the back.

Jesus.

tossy

Here is one to play devils advocate.

Ambulance is coming behind you,traffic is slow or nearly at a stand still,the only way you can possibly get out of the way is by mounting a kerb that will mean certain cosmetic damage and possible subframe/wheel damage,what do you do?

Ken.

tossy wrote: »

Here is one to play devils advocate.

Ambulance is coming behind you,traffic is slow or nearly at a stand still,the only way you can possibly get out of the way is by mounting a kerb that will mean certain cosmetic damage and possible subframe/wheel damage,what do you do?

You do damage to the car. It can be repaired.

tossy

ken wrote: »

You do damage to the car. It can be repaired.

At your cost,and what fi the ambulance is carrying a guy who broke his leg playing football or fell on his face scuttered drunk as opposed to the old lady who was attacked by the bad man or the heart attack victim etc.

Not coming down on either side just asking is all....

07Lapierre

U do what it takes to keep the ambulance moving....stopping is (in most cases) the WRONG course of action. If your moving, so is the ambulance.( assuming the ambulance is behind you).

07Lapierre

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Jesus.

Ok in this case stopping is wrong, the cars should have made room for the ambulance...common sense really

langdang

I'd hate to be an emergency services driver. Some people have zero common sense at all, it's a wonder they get out their front door, nevermind operate a vehicle. Have seen some bizarre judgement calls - ambulance coming, sirens + lights. Perfectly free bus lane, but there's always one ape will "pull in" to let the ambulance past, thereby blocking both lanes.

Or the "2+1" roads with a wire divider - some people treat these as if they are some kind of roadworks or something at the best of times, throw in some sirens and lights and the same gimp will slow from his usual 70kph to 30kph on the single lane sections where it's impossible to pass.

Emergency services vehicles should be able to launch some sort of magnetic tag so bad drivers can be tracked down later for a talking to!

Always be careful when pulling out onto the road again after letting the ambulance past, there could be another right behind it.

And for the ambulance drivers, keep the sirens on. That's what it is there for. If you don't like it, don't become an ambulance driver.
Nothing worse than hearing a siren somewhere, then it switches off again.
Glance at your mirror and there it is behind you.

January

You wait until the ambulance is in view and then act.
I know a friend who pulled over because he could hear a siren and failed his test because the ambulance wasn't in view.

Mycroft H

salonfire wrote: »

And for the ambulance drivers, keep the sirens on. That's what it is there for. If you don't like it, don't become an ambulance driver.
Nothing worse than hearing a siren somewhere, then it switches off again.
Glance at your mirror and there it is behind you.

I've done a fair number of transfers at this stage. One we don't always use the sirens all the time, more often then not it can make an already nerve wrecked patient in the back more nervous. Which is not good. Generally used in high risk situations (junctions, roundabouts etc)

Secondly we're not ambulance drivers. Implies that we pick someone up and run to the nearest A&E. As professions, we're Emergency Medical Techs, Paramedics and Advanced Paramedics. We're highly skilled in life saving interventions and we're more then just drivers.

Lastly, if you used your mirrors more often, the Ambulance wouldn't be "there it is behind you"


Couple of things:

Use your mirrors. We're big vans with strobing blue lights and wig-wag headlights. We're hard to miss. Yet plenty of people don't notice them.

If you can't pull out of the roadway then don't slow down. We don't mind that you cannot slow down but don't stop on a corner. That's just silly.

Don't try "slipstream" us. Silly dangerous practice. People don't expect other vehicles to be following an ambulance.

If we're overtaking you, don't try speed up. We're a van at the end of the day, not a bloody flying machine.

miller50841

sebastianlieken wrote: »

Although I get what you're suggesting, I wouldn't agree with this statement on such a broad basis. Don't drive above the speed limit and certainly don't drive around narrow roads at speeds outside of your comfort zone. The last thing that ambulance needs is for you to go and have a crash aswell.

I ment if nowhere safe to pull in and didnt say break the law but can tell you no judge will do you for making room for an emergency vehicle.

MadsL

langdang wrote: »

Emergency services vehicles should be able to launch some sort of magnetic tag so bad drivers can be tracked down later for a talking to!

Yeah if only there we some way of identifying cars and drivers, like a serial number or something clearly visible. Can't think of anything, best order these new-fangled magnetic tag yokes so...

langdang

MadsL wrote: »

langdang wrote: »

Emergency services vehicles should be able to launch some sort of magnetic tag so bad drivers can be tracked down later for a talking to!

Yeah if only there we some way of identifying cars and drivers, like a serial number or something clearly visible. Can't think of anything, best order these new-fangled magnetic tag yokes so...

Haha well to be honest I was imagined some kinda paintbomb in a distinctive colour or a flashing "im a sh1t driver" sign or something for the sake of public humiliation and forewarning of other drivers but public humiliation of asshats is not all that politically correct :-(

Popoutman

I was told previously to make sure to make it obvious to the ambulance driver in plenty of time what you are going to do. Indicate, make the "getting past you" routine as easy and as smooth as possible. Make sure that that the driver knows that you are aware of the ambulance without being stupid and unpredictable.