[Mortis]

I always try my best to create space or move out of an Ambulance's path. But, inevitably in Mumbai that space is immediately occupied by an autorickshaw or 3 bikers without helmets and mirrors folded up for 'ishtyle'.
I however continue to try my best to create space for the ambulance

[dcs]

I wonder what goes on an Ambulance Driver!

He probably has a dying person in his car and the man in front of his car is busy chit chatting on mobile with his Girl Friend! Can understand the plight of the driver, there isnt much he can do, for he is driving an Ambulance, which most of the times is an unSafe Vehicle itself, looking at the likes of Maruti Omni, Eeco.

Further, we would very promptly and effectively give way to a LAL BATTI wali Gaadi for we know there is someone Powerful sitting behind those Tinted Glasses, in Ambulance on the other hand, has a man who perhaps is too weak/ fragile/unwell to walk on his own.

I believe with the kind of heartless and inconsiderate humans we are ( I am refereing to All of Us, Me included) the hospitals should ask The Indian Military to give their Tanks and Caterpillers and JCBs to the Hospitals to be used as Ambulance.

I am thoroughly ashamed to see this video.

The Change begins with ME and hence, I would say- I will always & I always, give way to the Emergency Vehicles.

dcs

[amit_shimla]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[blueinkbottle]

Let me quote a personal experience here...

It was in February 2013 and I was working at Chennai and staying at Virugumbakkam, near Vembuliamman temple. One morning, my wife who was 5 months pregnant with our second child fell down and started hemorrhaging. In spite of turning on my car headlamps, with hazards on and continusously blaring my horn to indicate an emergency, hardly anyone on the road made way and it took me 20 minutes to take her by car to Vijaya hospital, which was three km away.

It was purely by God's grace that both mother and child survived that incident after spending a few days in maternity critical care.

To this day, I remember my feeling of absolute helplessness and rage as no one made way on the road...

Having spent close to a decade in Chennai, I too have noticed scant regard to rushing ambulances and also the mad rush to utilise the road that opens up behind a speeding ambulance.

Hope we, as a country mature to a level of having dedicated ambulance lanes in busy streets.

[docmech]

I am an orthopaedic surgeon, having worked in India & UK these are my observations:
- definitely in Hyderabad the attitude of the general public is changing, they are making way for the ambulance.
- 108 gets a lot of respect.

However,

- most of the diagnostic centres and hospitals misuse the ambulance siren
- most often then not they are dealing with non-emergency conditions
- worse they use the siren to impress upon the occupants to show something is being done!
- I have heard a story about cash being transferred across sites in ambulances with fake patients!!

In the west a doctor has to certify that a particular patient needs to be transported in a blue signal siren ambulance ie. it has to be a life or limb threatening condition.

In India every ambulance drivers feel that blue lights and blaring sirens are their birth right????

Worst are the ambulances from the diagnostic centres who are transporting patients for the fear of loosing business and make a mockery of other people on the roads. Even the doctors want these patients to go in ambulance for the fear of loosing their kickback!

We ourselves are responsible for this mess when we are the victims, even a small cut becomes an emergency!

There need to be strict rules regarding use of blue light siren ambulance and all their journeys need to be recorded by the police,

.............. alas how can we trust the police who get their jobs by bribing and slog all their lives to earn even more money in any whichever way they can.

[mksureshhere]

I saw another video from Varun Pruthi. Posting it for the folks here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTiKGkKmaDQ

[JoseVijay]

I sincerely hope the below news becomes a reality soon.

Source link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/45786795.cms

NEW DELHI: Obstructing the path of an ambulance on the city roads will now attract legal action and a fine of Rs 2,000 no less.

"All a hospital has to do is report to us the vehicle number, date and time of violation and proof, if any," special commissioner of police (traffic) Muktesh Chander said, after the department issued a circular on Tuesday. "We will verify the facts and issue legal notice if the charges are proved. Defaulters will have to pay a fine of Rs 2,000." Chander said he would write to all hospitals and request them to share information about errant drivers.

Emergency vehicles — ambulances, fire engines and police patrol vehicles — have the overriding right of way over all motorized traffic on the extreme right lane of all major roads. Most ambulance drivers agree that the rule is rarely followed which leads to loss of precious time in transporting critically ill patients to hospital. Several die on the way after being held up in traffic.

Chander said the department had written to the state health department and the Union health ministry to sensitize ambulance drivers on the legal provisions. "The letter was sent on September 8 last year, but we did not get any feedback. So now we have decided to contact all hospitals directly," he said.

Exactly how bad the situation is was revealed by a nugget in the data collated by the Centralised Accidents and Trauma Services (CATS) in Delhi: between May and December last year, at least 26 women had to deliver their babies in the ambulance because they could not reach hospital in time. While most deliveries went off smoothly, thanks to the paramedical staff on board, TOI came across at least one case where the child died later due to complications during birth.

"It happened on August 22. My wife was in the seventh month of her pregnancy when she complained about labour pain. We called for an ambulance around 5am to rush her to Safdarjung Hospital. But she had to delivery midway," said Ritesh Kumar, a resident of Lal Kuan near Okhla. He said the child died later at the hospital due to complications. Kumar, a tailor, said the ambulance did not have adequate equipment, including ventilator support.

[Ajitsingh208]

There might be times when we see an empty ambulance with sirens blaring moving on the road. One may think that the driver is misusing the ambulance since there's no one in it. But what if it has to reach somewhere to pick a critical patient.
I believe its better to give way to 100 ambulances who are misusing the siren rather than stop the od one that's actually going to make a difference between life & death for a person.

[Kn1ght1941]

Not giving way to an ambulance is an offense here in Dubai, and there is a fine. At the same time, things are not that easy in India.

Most of the people genuinely want to move aside, but lack of space deters them.

Regarding morons who don't move aside, we have them everywhere.

Recently read in ToI that an ambulance was given a clear passage from Gurgaon to Escorts hospital in Delhi, for an urgent heart implant.

I would like to offer my congratulations to the police authorities as well as the public who co operated with the cops during this emergency.

Incidents like this go a long way to show that we Indians have a big heart, and we can hold our heads high with pride over here.

Way to go guys

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by docmech

- most of the diagnostic centres and hospitals misuse the ambulance siren
- most often then not they are dealing with non-emergency conditions
- worse they use the siren to impress upon the occupants to show something is being done!
- I have heard a story about cash being transferred across sites in ambulances with fake patients!!

In the west a doctor has to certify that a particular patient needs to be transported in a blue signal siren ambulance ie. it has to be a life or limb threatening condition.

In India every ambulance drivers feel that blue lights and blaring sirens are their birth right????

Worst are the ambulances from the diagnostic centres who are transporting patients for the fear of loosing business and make a mockery of other people on the roads. Even the doctors want these patients to go in ambulance for the fear of loosing their kickback!

I think all this can and should wait. One step at a time, we are still dealing with the basics, that is, how to make people respect ambulances and give them way and we haven't been successful at that and yet you are ranting about how Ambulances they misuse the privilege!
I am not doing much as a driver when I give way to an ambulance so it is worth it whether or not the ambulance is a 'genuine case' , so to speak. When you speak with skepticism as above, you give ammunition to the drivers who do not give way when they see an Ambulance. Skepticism can wait, let us make it work first.
I agree with the sentiment expressed above "It is better to give way to 100 ambulances who are misusing the siren rather than stop the one that's actually going to make a difference between life & death for a person."

[ghodlur]

Just today morning saw the disrespect shown toward the Ambulance which was trying to make road on the Easter Express highway just before the Mulund toll. The Ambulance had the siren and the beacons on but still had to wait in queue at the toll since the interstate bus in front didn't feel the need to give way to the Ambulance. I could see the bus was pulled by the cops to a side and sincerely hoped it was for this reason and fined accordingly.

But the debatable question is does the Ambulance still get all the rights even if the siren or beacons are not operating assumably either its not on any medical emergency or for any other reasons. I have seen many a such ambulance on the Eastern Express highway occupying the right most fast lane but still going at 40ish speeds holding up traffic behind.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by JoseVijay

I sincerely hope the below news becomes a reality soon.

Your wish has been granted

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/m...om=home-cities

[JoseVijay]

And here is the first offence from the Capital to be fined

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/45895865.cms

NEW DELHI: The owner of a white Mercedes car bearing a VIP registration number will be the first person to be fined Rs 2000 under new rules for obstructing an ambulance here and caught on video by Delhi Traffic Police.

Delhi Police had recently issued a circular that motorists obstructing the way of emergency response vehicles like ambulances, PCR vans and fire tenders in the city will be slapped with a fine of Rs 2000 apart from facing legal action.

The errant car had not given way to the ambulance which was carrying a heart from FMRI, Gurgaon to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Delhi for which an uninterrupted passage — a Green Corridor — was created to cover the 32km stretch between the two hospitals by Gurgaon and Delhi Police.

"Our pilot vehicle was leading the way for the ambulance and we had fitted it with a rear camera which videographed the journey. A white Mercedes car has been caught on video not giving the ambulance right of way. We have traced its owner through its registration number and an officer will be sent to his residence with a challan of Rs 2000," said Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander.

Police is still in the process of scrutinizing the whole video and four-five more vehicles may be prosecuted for the same offence, he said.

The extreme right lane on roads, with three or more lanes, will have to be freed for passage of emergency response vehicles if sirens are sounded by them.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Traffic Police to ensure that emergency services are not affected due to traffic snarls, Chander said, adding a notification to enforce the punitive action has already been issued to prosecute the violators.

Chander has recommended that all the emergency vehicles should be fitted with a dashboard camera the video of which can be used as evidence to prosecute offenders.

"These cameras cost from Rs 5000 to Rs 20,000. The 20,000 one comes with a GPS which would also reveal the place of occurrence," he said.

"We are now going write to all the hospitals about the decision and that the video footages can be sent to us everyday in the evening. In case of an ambulance, the complaint has to be made by its driver and endorsed by the doctor to substantiate that it was on an emergency call when its right of way was obstructed," he added.

According to the circular, the emergency vehicles when using the extreme right hand lane in emergency situation, indicated by a siren and flashing of lights will have the overriding right of way over all motorised traffic.

All other categories of vehicles shall vacate the extreme right lane by moving to the left of the road/street, the notification said.

[Grand Drive]

Vehicles especially the two wheelers driving behind the ambulance are very common in peek hour traffic.They assume that the ambulance is fast and given way easily and by following it, they too can reach their destinations very quickly . They never realise the seriousness and pose a bigger threat to themselves and to others. These people must be fined as well.

[joybhowmik]

It's well known to us, how when we see an Ambulance or a Fire Engine, most drivers in India won't budge. They probably only budge when they see a police vehicle on their tail - because the police have power.
And yet every minute counts , when it comes to saving someone's life or rescuing someone trapped.
See how, the realization of a simple fact "life is precious" drives markedly different behaviours in same or similar traffic conditions, in India vs Foreign countries.

Video

Amazing isn't it?


And yet, they say cops will send legal notice to offenders in New Delhi.

But will that be enough to prevent incidents such as this - (Source: TOI)

NEW DELHI: A car rammed an ambulance transporting a heart patient to hospital at the Ferozeshah Road-Kasturba Gandhi Marg crossing on Monday morning. The ambulance turned turtle and its windshield shattered....

the motorist who has claimed it was not his fault as it was impossible for him to avoid the ambulance that had jumped the red light and was at high speed.

or this - (Source: Jagran)

Moga (Punjab): Two persons, including a woman who was being taken to a hospital for treatment, were killed and six injured when their ambulance overturned on Moga-Ludhiana road here this afternoon.

The ambulance overturned when another vehicle hit it while overtaking, police said adding the accident happened between Jagraon and Mullandpur, some 40-km from here.

The woman, who was being rushed to a hospital in Ludhiana, was accompanied by her husband, son and others who were injured.