Pull over or smile for camera


Published on Monday, June 9, 2008 11:58 PM AKDT

During the last couple of years, a dear friend of my family has had to be transported to the hospital via ambulance several times. Two of these incidents were Code Red, emergency, life-threatening situations with sirens screaming and lights flashing. On one occasion, the ambulance was almost involved in a crash because a car refused to pull over to the side of the road, out of the path of the ambulance. On another occasion, the ambulance followed a car for a mile and a half before it could pass, and then not safely. Perhaps if it had been their mother, or their brother or their child in the ambulance, the drivers might have pulled over. I doubt it; some people are just like that.

A suggestion was made recently to a Borough assembly person to have cameras installed on the front of the ambulances, so citations can be issued after the fact to drivers that refuse to yield to emergency vehicles. The cost would be relatively small. If you support this idea, please write to your assembly person and/or the Borough manager and let them know. Why wait until it’s you or your loved one in the ambulance?

Rosemary Myrick

Wasilla

Comments

3 comment(s)

    William Huggins wrote on Jun 19, 2008 11:28 AM:

    " Rosemary, CMH and Verdie Bowen ALL have valid points. I honestly believe there's another problem to deal with that would fix the issue. Driver's Education. When I tested for my Alaska Driver's License, 17 of 25 questions concerned DUI. I don't believe 25 questions could possibly discover if I knew how to drive, but the test narrowed it down to 8 questions about my driving knowledge. Any knowledgeable driver can drive for 30 minutes and observe over 50 driving violations. If driver knowledge is the goal, driver education is the solution, and more strict enforcement couldn't hurt. "

    Verdie Bowen wrote on Jun 11, 2008 7:09 AM:

    " Resemary you have a point, but you don't understand the issue. Years ago I worked on an ambulance and you’re correct about people not pulling over. One thing you missed is people do very strange things when an ambulance comes up behind them. Not all, but most people panic. I have had them stomp on their breaks, hit the ditch, and stop and back up. Not sure what the answer is, but I do know that the one thing that has stayed the same through the years is people just panic and just flat out don't know what to do. "

    cmh wrote on Jun 10, 2008 5:07 PM:

    " The borough has no police powers. Unless the troopers witness the action (and a video doesn't count because they can't KNOW who was driving when the ambulance took the footage) and pull the vehicle over, they cannot file charges or citations.

    Support more troopers on the road. "

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