TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Save a life pull over when the ambulance is trying to pass you

Ugh! People really need to be educated!
Q: What should I do when a fire truck or ambulance is approaching me from behind on an emergency run, with its red lights flashing and siren sounding?
A: You must yield the right-of-way to the emergency vehicle. Pull over to the right (all the way to the curb if practical) and stop parallel to the curb.

Video of ambulance trying to get through Philipsburg!

https://www.facebook.com/Ronchi.James/videos/10160283547315580/

I was a paramedic at St. Vincent's Hospital in downtown Manhattan (NYC) in the late 70's and I too was frustrated when trying to get to an emergency call HOWEVER when there is gridlock with too many cars and not enough asphalt then the motoring public has no place to move to yield R-O-W. I can tell you that in my paramedic days an emergency run of about a mile could literally take 10-15 minutes. That seems to be what I'm seeing in that video. The problem I have experienced in my 25 years of law enforcement between New Hampshire and Florida is when people see the emergency vehicle (fire truck, ambulance or police) coming up behind them, they wait until the last minute to pull over or worse yet just stop dead in the road. We are approaching at a speed greater than they are going and they don't or aren't able to judge the closing speeds which causes the emergency vehicle to be slowed or having to swerve. Please move as soon as you see the vehicle approaching not when that vehicle is on your rear.

Well said!