Not Stopping for Lights and Sirens

[emt_cookies]

In my area, private EMS companies can respond Code 3 (lights and sirens) to an emergency at a contracted nursing home or a 911 call if they are serving as a backup for them. In this case, the vehicles are required to pull over when a vehicle as both emergency lights and sirens whether it is a police car, ambulance, fire apparatus, private EMS, or a firefighter's personal vehicle (equipped with sirens and lights).

Well, unfortunately for us, we're contracted quite a distance away from one of our nursing homes. Several private EMS companies have the same issue where they are contracted 20-40 minutes away from one of their nursing homes/contracted locations. The other private I worked for had the same issue and so does this company. Usually we'll keep a unit up in the city to cover EMS runs up there. This isn't a debate about whether or not the nursing home should call 911 first or if they should call a private EMS company. There are pros and cons of each.

So yesterday morning, we ended up with an EMS run. We're a good 30 minutes away plus we have construction on the interstate. While driving up there, there are some people who will not pull over for lights and sirens. There was an idiot who refused to pull over to the left for us. He had out of state plates and I really wish that we had called 911 to report him. When we finally passed him on the right, we could tell that the idiots from down south where laughing at us.

Then we had the people who would pull in front of us. We're in the left lane! You are to pull over to the right.

Then when we were in the middle lane because we had less than 1 mile till the exit we needed, someone pulled into the middle lane right in front of us! If we're in the middle lane, don't switch from the left lane to the middle lane. There is usually a reason why we're not in the left lane. We weren't sure if we were going to make our exit because we had to go around these 2 people who went into the middle lane to give us the left lane along with the right lane having people continuing to drive in it.

Then the best are the people who stop right in the middle of the street. Okay, thanks?

So please, follow your local state laws in regards to emergency vehicles. It is frustrating when our state laws says you have to pull over for emergency vehicles and people do not do that. I know it can be hard to hear the sirens since 65 miles per hour gives you about 20 feet till the car in front of you may hear the siren.

Last time I drove lights and sirens, the street cleared properly for me but I was in the city. I also drove by 2 cops so that may have been an incentive for the people to pull over and we were right down the road from a Level 1 trauma center.

[Imprl59]

I don't know how people can be so stupid when it comes to emergency vehicles.

There is a fire station / ambulance station on my way out of my little bedroom community on the way to town. Each way is two narrow lanes with a median full of trees and bushes. People constantly stop so that they block both lanes with an emergency vehicle behind them. Where do they think it should go? It can't possibly "squeeze" by. I live in the land of blue hair and nuckles though.

[dragon_wings]

There's a fire station about 4 blocks up the main road from my house and when they leave everyone stops and/or gets outta the way, especially the buses. When they come back to the station they have to block traffic for a bit while the fire trucks back up. The street in this area in town are rather small. As in 4 lanes-2 going north, 2 south. But the outer lanes double as street parking.
Personally (when I drove) I always pulled outta the way ASAP. I hate the people that don't pull over. It's horribly disrespectful and dangerous to all involved (of course illegal).

[Sandman]

I've actually seen an accident with an ambulance vs. a car.

You would usually think it was the car's fault because the ambulance had it's lights on... this case it wasn't.. it was the ambulance's fault.

Reason why??? They had a red light and turned on the lights, and just went right on through the intersection without turning on their siren.

Did I also mention that this was winter time in New England, with snow banks that were tall?

Needless to say, I witnessed it and I told the officer in my opinion, it was the ambulance's fault as they had the red light, failed to turn on their sirens, failed to proceed through the intersection safely, and didn't pause at the intersection to see if everyone noticed them.

[Moogles]

I always pull over for ambulances. One time, at rush hour (all lanes blocked) an ambulance comes up with lights/siren on. I'm at the front of one lane, and notice no one moving. What do I do?

Pull into the middle of the intersection, flip my hazards on, and block traffic for the ENTIRE intersection except the lane the ambulance was in. The people behind me got the hint and moved out of the way. I then turned my hazards off and went through the intersection after the ambulance did. I was technically yielding, and no one else would've moved without incentive >_<

[greek_jester]

We have fun in our town when emergency services have to get past rush hour traffic.

There is quite literally no way to get into the town without going over water somewhere. As such, there are only 3 main roads running into the town.

One is a normal looking road - the river runs through a large pipe under the road. It's dual carriageway in both directions, so there's rarely any problems getting past.

One is a modern bridge that can lift to let ships past. It has only one lane running in each direction, but the lanes were built very wide, so it's easy for traffic to pull over to the side & let any emergency vehicle past.

The last is a very old hump-backed bridge that can also lift to let ships past. It has 2 lanes in each direction, but they are quite narrow; at one point on the road if a bus or lorry is travelling in one lane, traffic has to back off in the other lane or they'd collide.

Guess which bridge emergency services seem to cross 7 out of 10 shouts, in rush hour, when traffic is stationery due to traffic lights at each end of the bridge?

Generally people are really good at being willing to move over. On one shining occasion, a few kind pedestrians stopped traffic from coming onto the bridge so that those stuck on the bridge could move over into the oncoming lane to let a fire engine past.

[DeltaSierra]

Out here, we have to pull over for *any* vehicle with flashing lights - be it an ambulance, fire truck, or police. Also if you see police on the side of the road with lights flashing, you're required to slow down and if possible (roads with more than 1 lane in each direction) move to the opposite lane. It boggles the mind when I see people juts merrily go about their way when there is an ambulance/fire truck literally crawling up their tailpipe.

[Chromatix]

There's a famous video floating around called the "Liver Run" - following an epic journey through London, in a Rover 2000, with an organ for transplant in the passenger seat.

At one point, where most of the traffic is pulling to the left to clear the way, one car is seen to pull to the right... and it has German plates. Clearly the German driver forgot that the German law saying "pull over to the right when you hear sirens" didn't apply quite so literally in a left-hand driving country.

[greek_jester]

At one point, where most of the traffic is pulling to the left to clear the way, one car is seen to pull to the right... and it has German plates. Clearly the German driver forgot that the German law saying "pull over to the right when you hear sirens" didn't apply quite so literally in a left-hand driving country.

Well, at least he tried. That counts, doesn't it?