Overtake an ambulance and lose your driving licence

[Desmond]

A move in the right direction. I hope this picks up every where else too.

Bengaluru, Oct 8 (DHNS): Overtaking an ambulance, which has the right of way, may soon cost your driving licence as the State government has issued strict orders to the Road Transport Department as well as the police to cancel the driving licence of offenders.

Speaking at the launch of 150 additional 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulances at Vidhana Soudha here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “The heavy traffic on roads makes life difficult for ambulance drivers. Overtaking them adds to their woes. To prevent it, we are contemplating licence cancellation. The transport department and the police have been issued necessary directions,” said Siddaramaiah. He urged motorists to make way for ambulances transporting the sick, on grounds of humanity.

The chief minister said the road regulations mandate that every driver must give free passage to ambulances and fire tenders by drawing to the side of the road. However, people show scant regard to such regulations and violate it with impunity. With the growing numbers of vehicles in the State, it is a challenge for patients to get medical help in time.

‘Health for all’

Drawing a comparison with the previous government, he said his government’s priority was to ensure “Health for all”. He recalled that before the Congress government came to power in the State, there were just 517 ambulances. With the addition of 150ambulances today, their number has been augmented by 368 in all, he noted.

Minister for health and family welfare U T Khader said, “We will replace the ambulances that have covered more than 3 lakh kilometres with new ones in the near future.”

He also said that the State government would look into the demands put forth by 108 ambulance drivers association for hike in wages and regularisation of jobs. Khader said that the overdues of Accredited Social Health Activists would also be cleared soon.

“The honorarium paid to them would be deposited in their bank accounts directly,” he added.

Source: Overtake an ambulance and lose your driving licence

 

[lywyre]

What about those Ambulances that go at a breakneck speed of 38KMph on an empty stretch? Do we still have to follow it?

The issue is that there are a dearth of qualified Ambulance drivers. Their job is so very important, but still the drivers employed are very much novices and lack any kind of training. The only requirement seems to be a valid Driving Licence and some political support/ recommendation for the job. Also, I don't think the pay and perks to ambulance drivers is quantifiable enough for skilled people to apply for it.

I also believe it is time to have a dedicated lane for emergency (including Ambulance, Fire Service etc) on major road, at least in Metros.

 

[Vyom]

Good luck finding dedicated lanes for emergency services. Even the BRT corridor in South Delhi which was a dedicated lane for buses was scrapped due to space constraints etc. Hoards of money which was consumed to built the corridor is now being demolished by sending hoards of more money.
No planning at all.

 

[amjath]

OMG i did overtake an ambulance yesterday who was driving below 40. The driver was laughing by cracking jokes with co-driver + siren on

 

[Vyom]

Shouldn't they be given benefit of doubt? I mean, you wouldn't want anyone to overtake you if god forbid, you are in ambulance and in emergency?

 

[kkn13]

Good luck finding dedicated lanes for emergency services. Even the BRT corridor in South Delhi which was a dedicated lane for buses was scrapped due to space constraints etc. Hoards of money which was consumed to built the corridor is now being demolished by sending hoards of more money.
No planning at all.

theres something similar in parts of Pune too near my cousins house in Pimpari
there was a bus lane soo narrow and the main platform to get off was on the wrong side of the bus that the plan never took off
now only small cars and bikes sometimes take this lane
most of them are even barricaded/slightly barricaded(broken)
what a waste of infra and space
its simply a money making gimmick imho
just looking at the way it is built is enough to judge

- - - Updated - - -

Shouldn't they be given benefit of doubt? I mean, you wouldn't want anyone to overtake you if god forbid, you are in ambulance and in emergency?

sadly these days , Mumbai motorists have started giving ambulances space to go ahead etc but the ambulance drivers themselves sometimes arent well trained
some of them are very very deserving and applaudable though
Ive seen some of them cut across in minute amounts of space in just about no time without even a scrape in a vehicle that size where even I would be scared to do the same

 

[true_lies]

what if the said ambulance is being used for some other purpose than ferrying patients to hospitals.
like a few days back when i gave way to an ambulance(from a reputed hospital here) coming from behind only to realize later it was ferrying school children

 

[Vyom]

Wth... ^^
Nevertheless, I could never take a chance to take the blame for someone's life.

 

[kkn13]

Yeah cant live with that on my conscience

 

[Flash]

what if the said ambulance is being used for some other purpose than ferrying patients to hospitals.
like a few days back when i gave way to an ambulance(from a reputed hospital here) coming from behind only to realize later it was ferrying school children

With the Siren "ON"?

 

[true_lies]

^No...he didn't

 

[Saahib]

Crap..

These rules are like political promises, they promise a lot but never execute. There are already many such laws, but almost none is imposed properly.. (apart of few exception).

 

[Flash]

Crap..

These rules are like political promises, they promise a lot but never execute. There are already many such laws, but almost none is imposed properly.. (apart of few exception).

Wearing helmets is an old rule, right since Motor Vehicle Act 1998. But in tamilnadu, it made strict and mandatory only by 2-3 months back.

 

[Saahib]

Wearing helmets is an old rule, right since Motor Vehicle Act 1998. But in tamilnadu, it made strict and mandatory only by 2-3 months back.

Well, you mean now its strictly implemented.. hence now followed by all equally.

My views is that its more about morals.. here people feel cool by breaking rules, and the one who follows is stupid. I am part of a RE riding group and our first need is that you follow rules , be it with group or riding alone.

So.. its more about personal morals than enforcement..

 

[vidhubhushan]

With the Siren "ON"?

i have seen empty ones returning back without any emergency with their siren on. the driver stops and starts chatting with other drivers - seen many times at different places.

- - - Updated - - -

what about the VVIP people for who even ambulances are stopped? i still remember the ignoring / deaf look one VVIP gave when some women went to him and asked him to order / instruct police to clear the way for an ambulance stopped for their procession.