How stupid was this driver trying to show off?

[alloyd68]

There's a place and time when an emergency vehicle should just be able to ram people.
This is a perfect example of when that place and time is.
Clueless or just a plain asshole?

[Nkc]

Come on, give the guy/girl a break. He/she (most likely a she) was probably texting something really important.

But seriously, if the driver was a girl, would you still call her an asshole? What would you call her?

[infamousdiz]

Originally Posted by alloyd68

There's a place and time when an emergency vehicle should just be able to ram people.
This is a perfect example of when that place and time is.
Clueless or just a plain asshole?

happens daily, possibly every call. I expect it

[grimlock]

I have a hard time believing this is real.. how could anyone be that deaf, clueless, selfish or self important? (opps did i just describe myself?)

[zx10guy]

Believe it. You all should do a ride along with your local Fire/EMS. Then you'll see that idiocy has no bounds. I drove the BLS unit for my Rescue Squad for almost 2 years before having to quit due to lack of time to volunteer.

I wasn't driving on one call I was on. Some ahole thought he was more important than us responding with lights and sirens. He tried to pass us on the right at an intersection when we had to make a right turn. He ended up ramming us and took our unit out of service. This self absorbed jerk's actions took out a BLS unit from service. Caused our Rescue Squad to respond. Tied up a police car. And more importantly, caused an ALS unit from my station to respond to the call we were on. So not only did he cause 3 Fire/EMS/Police units to be tied up with his actions, he took out a paramedic resource to respond to a simple medical call. My squad has the paramedic staff to respond to most of the advanced/critical medical calls in our first due area. We also routinely assist other stations in our second due response area due to lack of paramedic staffing. So because our ALS unit was taking over our call, the next paramedic to respond in our area would be from the second due coverage and would have had to take an extra 10 minutes to get anywhere. Those 10 minutes could literally be life or death for that patient.

The a$$ ended up getting cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle by the police officer on scene. While the cop was explaining why this jerk was getting cited, he was arguing that he didn't see why he was getting a ticket. I wanted to punch the living crap out of him.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Nkc

Come on, give the guy/girl a break. He/she (most likely a she) was probably texting something really important.

But seriously, if the driver was a girl, would you still call her an asshole? What would you call her?

Yes, I would still call her an ahole and probably more worse things. Guy/girl, doesn't matter.

[M_Six]

Saw a guy in NYC a few weeks ago slowly strolling diagonally across a street while an EMS vehicle waited for him to clear. Lights, siren, the whole bit. The guy had noise cancelling headphones on and was texting. Not sure if he ever saw the EMS vehicle. I guess if the music in his ears was loud enough, he might not have heard that deafening siren wailing.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by infamousdiz

happens daily, possibly every call. I expect it

That is really sad but I have to also say that emergency vehicles here in the USA follow no logic. You guys take the on coming lanes, and you guys move slow. In my country (Finland) we are taught a strict etiquette on where to move and how to let you pass. You guys with your moves make it here impossible to predict where is the optimal position to not to get in the way.


In my country everybody moves their arses and it is you who take the wrong lane, if you must, the guys with lights have the strict priority.

My solution is drivers education, USA should have that.

[Whostheboss]

lol

[CANGRKE70]

Originally Posted by Lups

My solution is drivers education, USA should have that.

Sad part is there is...most drivers become idiots afterwords and forget any drivers education they had.

I like to think that in Toronto we're pretty good about moving out of the way for emergency vehicles. We get the occasional follower that uses the emergency vehicle as a minesweeper, but that's the extent of the douchebaggary. Pet peeve of mine!

[Lups]

Originally Posted by CANGRKE70

Sad part is there is...most drivers become idiots afterwords and forget any drivers education they had.

I like to think that in Toronto we're pretty good about moving out of the way for emergency vehicles. We get the occasional follower that uses the emergency vehicle as a minesweeper, but that's the extent of the douchebaggary. Pet peeve of mine!

Mine too. I can not believe the nerve of some of the folks.

When I was a kiddo, there was an accident in our city's independence day celebration. I still remember how mad I was to the driver (1) who followed the emergency vehicle and cut everybody else.

It's only been 28 years. I'm trying to get over it.

Btw, Canada is a whole other world when it comes to driving. I have no doubt people there respect emergency vehicles too more.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Lups

That is really sad but I have to also say that emergency vehicles here in the USA follow no logic. You guys take the on coming lanes, and you guys move slow. In my country (Finland) we are taught a strict etiquette on where to move and how to let you pass. You guys with your moves make it here impossible to predict where is the optimal position to not to get in the way.


In my country everybody moves their arses and it is you who take the wrong lane, if you must, the guys with lights have the strict priority.

My solution is drivers education, USA should have that.

There is no logic to worry about. Just clear out of the way. If you're on a multi lane road, just move either to the right or left and clear a path in the middle. When I'm responding on a call, I drive right down the middle. And something that was taught to me which for whatever reason works, I straddle two lanes. If you're not on a multi lane road, just move to the side closest to you that is safe and stop. Very simple.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

There is no logic to worry about. Just clear out of the way. If you're on a multi lane road, just move either to the right or left and clear a path in the middle. When I'm responding on a call, I drive right down the middle. And something that was taught to me which for whatever reason works, I straddle two lanes. If you're not on a multi lane road, just move to the side closest to you that is safe and stop. Very simple.

Yet nobody here does that. What you described is what I was taught to do.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Saw a guy in NYC a few weeks ago slowly strolling diagonally across a street while an EMS vehicle waited for him to clear. Lights, siren, the whole bit. The guy had noise cancelling headphones on and was texting. Not sure if he ever saw the EMS vehicle. I guess if the music in his ears was loud enough, he might not have heard that deafening siren wailing.

Doubt it. The guy was just another self absorbed ahole. If you've stood in front of a grill mounted siren blaring, you would know that anyone not heeding this siren is being a major douche bag. It seems NYC uses Horton Type 1 vehicles. In my area, we use Freightliners. The grill mounted sirens on those EMS units are very similar to the ones on engines and rescue squads. You not only hear it but you feel it.

[Fundguy1]

That's why they put big push bumpers on those things.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

That's why they put big push bumpers on those things.

I know this is probably said in jest. But no...It's a quick avenue for having the station or yourself being sued. My station had a lawyer on retainer due to the liability aspects of just being in the medical/public service sector and people looking to make a fast buck along with scum bag ambulance chasers.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Lups

Yet nobody here does that. What you described is what I was taught to do.

Because as has been stated numerous times and you're also aware of this, driver education and the whole licensing system in the US is a joke.

[dsad1]

The red car on the left drove off at some point so that the fire truck can change lanes. How did the driver of the green car not notice that?

[Jashley73]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I know this is probably said in jest. But no...It's a quick avenue for having the station or yourself being sued. My station had a lawyer on retainer due to the liability aspects of just being in the medical/public service sector and people looking to make a fast buck along with scum bag ambulance chasers.

I wouldn't put it past some of our emergency responders, especially the fire departments. And no, I wouldn't feel sorry one bit for someone getting rammed by an emergency vehicle responding to a call either. But then again, *most* people around here get out of their way too.

[ethanjoon]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Saw a guy in NYC a few weeks ago slowly strolling diagonally across a street while an EMS vehicle waited for him to clear. Lights, siren, the whole bit. The guy had noise cancelling headphones on and was texting. Not sure if he ever saw the EMS vehicle. I guess if the music in his ears was loud enough, he might not have heard that deafening siren wailing.

Most people deny it, but hearing is definitely a crucial sense in any motoring situations. Kids these days don't seem to understand this as they blast their music.

[alloyd68]

This is one of few reasons why firetrucks should have a hose in the front.

[grimlock]

I think the only logical explanation is the guy is deaf.

You just CAN'T be that douchey.. but I've had this weirdo where I live cut in front of my car twice by going over the line, apparently to try to get me to stop because when I looked in his eyes he had this sadistic or defiant look..