Bad drivers endanger emergency vehicles

By STUART DYE

Emergency services are being plagued by bad driving.

Ambulance, fire and police vehicles answering emergency calls are being hampered by ignorant, panic-stricken or "downright dangerous" driving.

Some people fail to pull over, others pull out in front, and some even chase emergency vehicles in a hazardous bid to escape traffic queues.

The situation was highlighted after an ambulance driver was injured in a crash when he swerved to avoid a car in Whangaparaoa.

The paramedic needed hospital treatment for back injuries and the ambulance sustained $10,000 worth of damage after it careered off the road while taking evasive action.

"Only the paramedic's expert, professional driving prevented the accident being a lot worse," said Patsy Carlysle, St John Ambulance acting watch manager for ambulance operations. Despite flashing lights and blaring sirens, many drivers did not pull over or slow down, she said.

Even more worrying was a small number of motorists who followed an ambulance to beat traffic jams.

"I think the worst examples I've seen recently involve boy racers following us while going 'priority one', even going through red lights as we go through them." It wasn't just boy racers though, she said; a variety of drivers pulled the same trick on congested motorways.

It was particularly dangerous with ambulances weighing in at 2.5 tonnes and being legally allowed to travel at speeds of 130km/h, she added.

Fire service and police vehicles are experiencing the same problem.

Drivers needed to realise they had to pull over, as part of the road code, when they saw an emergency vehicle, said Senior Sergeant Geoff Logan.

A Fire Brigade spokesman confirmed it was a problem but said it was not extreme because the size of fire engines meant motorists usually got out of the way.

Ms Carlysle said: "Every time we respond to an urgent call we take our lives into our own hands - and this is exacerbated by other motorists' driving that is bad or downright dangerous.

"It is a credit to the professionalism of St John and the responsible majority of driving public that ambulances travel around 12.5 million kilometres a year mostly without incident.

"But the minority are taking risks with their own lives, the lives of our drivers and the lives we are trying to save."

Road rules DO:

* Pull over as far left as possible

* Check your rear-vision mirror

* Be courteous DON'T:

* Chase emergency vehicles

* Pull on to the right side of the road

* Stop with an emergency vehicle behind you

* Overtake emergency vehicles

* Stay on the outside lane just because there is room to pass on the inside