20% of emergency patients die in traffic

[Nereus]

20% of emergency patients die in traffic

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1181160

About 20% of emergency patients die on the way to hospitals because the ambulances taking them are stuck in traffic or some vehicles ignore to give way to them, National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) secretary-general Anucha Sethasathian said.

Dr Anucha revealed the institute's statistics on Monday after a video clip -- which showed a pick-up truck refusing to give way to an ambulance which was rushing patients to a hospital in Chiang Mai -- went viral in social media.

He said the statistics indicated traffic problems caused about 20% of the deaths of emergency patients while on the way to hospitals.

They also showed some people did not understand that they should give the right of way to an ambulance rushing to a hospital.

Everyone should be aware that every second counts for patients in need of medical care, Dr Anucha said.

He said motorists should not raise any doubts on seeing an ambulance whether it is really taking a patient to a hospital.  Instead, they should raise their own awareness and learn to give way to an ambulance without being required to do so by a law.

Dr Anucha said most of the patients in ambulances had a heart disease, high-blood pressure and critical diabetic symptoms, or sustained injuries from violent accidents.

Ambulance purposely blocked by pickup

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1181224

CHIANG MAI -- A one-minute video showing an ambulance carrying a patient trying to enter a hospital and being deliberately blocked by a pickup truck overtaken earlier has gone viral on social media.

The video was posted on Facebook by Chomrom Khon Kuphai Jangwad Chiang Mai club (club of rescuers in Chiang Mai province). The poster said the incident happened on Sunday evening.

A black Toyota pickup had intentionally blocked the way as an ambulance was manoeuvring to get to a hospital. The pickup driver also lowered his window to scold the ambulance driver.

The clip shows the ambulance travelling along a small road near the hospital, with its siren turned on. The ambulance overtakes the pickup, but later stops and reverses into a side street to make a u-turn and take another way to the hospital.

The overtaken truck catches up with the ambulance as it is turning and stops directly in front of it, blocking the way.
The ambulance driver tells the pickup driver that paramedics are resuscitating a seriously injured person in the ambulance and that he should make way.

The rescue club concluded its message with the advice that motorists should give way to ambulances.

[oakdale160]

' some people did not understand that they should give way to an ambulance' i am tempted to say unbelievable but sadly very believable. You are Thai, brain is not switched on.

[Big Boy]

I was at the football yesterday, and saw the ambulance arrive and depart 2 time each way. One of times was with a young patient on board. Everytime the ambulance moved, the emergency lights went on. Maybe a case of crying wolf too many times.

I always pull over if there are blue and red lights approaching from behind. How many times have I pulled over for a moped at night? There is no wonder people ignore them. These lights are easily available to anybody.

Does anybody know if it's an offence to pimp your ride with emergency service lights?

[Dieter78]

I was at the football yesterday, and saw the ambulance arrive and depart 2 time each way. One of times was with a young patient on board. Everytime the ambulance moved, the emergency lights went on. Maybe a case of crying wolf too many times.

I always pull over if there are blue and red lights approaching from behind. How many times have I pulled over for a moped at night? There is no wonder people ignore them. These lights are easily available to anybody.

Does anybody know if it's an offence to pimp your ride with emergency service lights?

Agreed.

I pulled to the side a few weeks ago for a van with flashing lights only to see tourist shuttle written on the side as it passed me.

[oakdale160]

I do not want to trivialise this problem, but in order to assess the 20% we need to know what is the figure in civilised countries.

[HHTel]

Section 13 (500B)
[Cars and motorcycles cannot use flash-light, siren signal, whistle signal, faltering sound, etc, except emergency vehicles, military and police vehicles)

Flashing lights pretty much covers the distinction between emergency vehicles and regular traffic.

I have read somewhere that the colours of lights front, back and indicators are the same as the UK. It's stated in the ministerial regulations for registering a vehicle but I can't find a translation.

[Big Boy]

Thank you - as I suspected. However, who is going to police it? Certainly not the police

[Pleng]

It totally disgusts me that I've seen police officers changing the lights from their signal boxes when a convoy of "VIP" tourist busses is coming through (the ones with police escorts), but will happily allow an Ambulance with it's sirens wailing to sit in traffic and wait it's turn.

[HHTel]

But the ambulance shouldn't need a green light. As in other countries, it should go through with caution and other vehicles should give way. Oh, I forgot I was in Thailand for a second!

One of the main reasons that emergency vehicles can't get through traffic is down to the Thai mentality. If there is congestion then the hard shoulder becomes another lane. Many times on trips to BKK, the traffic has come to a halt (maybe because there is an accident ahead) and another two lanes are created by drivers. When will they get another brain cell to rub with the one they have and understand that the main reason for the hard shoulder is to allow access for emergency vehicles. But of course it's "Me first" and to hell with the consequences.
They should dispatch officers when there is heavy congestion and fine the pants off the dozens of vehicles using the hard shoulder.

[aragon]

Unfortunately that mentality, or perhaps lack of it, is not the sole preserve of Thais, it is also alive and well here in the Middle East. As to the hard shoulder becoming another lane during times of congestion, yup that one also thrives here and I've seen people using it right in front of the police with impunity.

I'm sorry to say that, after having spent a large part of my working life living and just about surviving the seriously atrocious driving in various countries in the Middle East, nothing that happens in Thighland is particularly shocking anymore

[Big Boy]

As to the hard shoulder becoming another lane during times of congestion, yup that one also thrives here and I've seen people using it right in front of the police with impunity.

This was written in to the UK's highway code many years ago, although there are overhead signals stating when the hard shoulder can be used.

[RCer]

Only way to make room for emergency vehicles here is to create a lane with a physical wall along it blocking all access for others.

Problem would be gaining entry and exit for the energency vehicles.

[Pleng]

But the ambulance shouldn't need a green light. As in other countries, it should go through with caution and other vehicles should give way. Oh, I forgot I was in Thailand for a second!

When all the lanes are clogged up with cars and the ambulance is stuck behind 10 or so vehicles there's chance in hell it's going to be able to make it's way through.

[aragon]

This was written in to the UK's highway code many years ago, although there are overhead signals stating when the hard shoulder can be used.

Understood, but these jokers use it as and when they feel like and it very often becomes an over/undertaking lane, as the mood takes them

Edit:

[Bluesky]

In some areas of Australia now they have now Introduced 'Emergency Vehicle Priority Systems' (EVP)
For the system to work efficiently it does require some compliance by motorists of the relevant Traffic Legislation. (That could be an issue in Thailand) The majority of Emergency Service Vehicles fitted with EVP are Ambulances. Where the system has been in operation for some time Emergency Vehicle travel time has been reduced by around 26%.

For the drivers of vehicles that 'Fail to Yield' to an Emergency Service Vehicle with lights and sirens activated it is a very costly experience in Oz.

Last updated
17 November 2016
Emergency Vehicle Priority (EVP) is a technology that enables emergency vehicles to automatically trigger traffic light sequences to change along the most direct route when responding to an emergency call.

This means a green traffic light signal is given to emergency vehicles, when safe to do so, in the direction of that emergency response call. By clearing the path ahead emergency vehicles can respond quicker to emergencies.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Road-s ... ority.aspx


http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/St ... -toowoomba