I get choked up seeing cars move for an ambulance, anybody else?!

[Sprinklesandsprinkles]

Every time this happens to me I wonder if I am the only one!

Basically as the title says, when an ambulance is moving through traffic with their blue lights and I see people pulling to the side for them, I feel a big wave of emotion. For a few seconds I feel choked up like I'm about to burst into tears!

I very rarely cry and don't have anxiety so it's nothing like that. My only guess is that I feel emotional that the drivers are all pulling together to help the person who's in need of the ambulance.

I'd love to hear whether or not I'm alone! I'd feel stupid asking people in real life.

So true. I always call for a bit of 'karma' that the next person who needs the ambulance is the idiot in (usually German) car following so closely behind ambulance. So wrong in so many ways.

Yes!

If you've ever watched a marathon, and got a bit emotional about strangers clapping and cheering other complete strangers - and the exceptional Herculean efforts involved, I see you. V

Some of these are outing but hey ho

I remember my third home birth, all was going well until the relief midwife turned up. She was very young and wearing a delicate suit dress, she looked like a guest at an upmarket wedding. I thought she’s never going to deliver this baby. Suddenly everything went wrong, the baby was struggling with serious decelerations and within minutes we were in the back of an ambulance with sirens to the nearest hospital. This slip of a girl sat on the floor of that ambulance holding the Doppler to my bump and trying to catch a heartbeat for the whole journey. All I could think of was her dress yet all she was focused on was getting us there in one piece. Whenever I see an ambulance I bless them and try not to imagine what could be going on in the back.

Growing up, we lived on a major arterial road in London. Our section is a notorious bottleneck and back in the 90s we only had single glazing so our living room was at the back of the house. My mum would often send us out because she’d notice the traffic dim (we never did, we were so tuned out) sure enough they would have closed the road for an accident. From a young age my mum would despatch us to take ‘tea orders’ but sometimes we would wake up to 9 or 10 mugs on the front wall, we would have slept through the blue lights! Most personnel would say no thanks to begin with but once they knew it would be a long night, hot drinks were accepted. My mum always said that’s someone’s child which I could never compute looking up at a burly police officer or paramedic.

My final contribution is what also sets me off, compilations of sportsmanly conduct. Often opposing teammates calling for medical help or trying themselves.

I hear you Op.

I was once IN an ambulance with my 1 year old who had stopped breathing, we were blue lighted through traffic to stoke mandeville.

I’ll never forget seeing a sea of traffic move out of the way for us, it was the best of humanity. And actually, cars generally move out of the way pretty well, it was a 40 minute journey and we didn’t get held up once.

Old people eating an ice cream cone gets me . No idea why .

I didn't until last year when my son was in an ambulance and they were rushing him to hospital. They outright told me that they didn't think he would make it to the hospital (he did thankfully) and it was an incredibly scary ride.

Seeing an ambulance now I can just about contain my emotions but just after it had happened, I would choke up just at the sight of one and sirens would always make me jump because I'd be right back in the ambulance with my son.

Thank goodness I’ve stumbled upon this thread. I totally do this and never dreamed there would be others. How nice to know I’m not alone in responding in a way I don’t understand.

Hopefully we will feel better Next time it happens knowing we're not the only one!

Your mum sounds amazing 🥰

For me I used to work for the ambulance dispatcher service and know that every second that the ambulance is delayed could be the difference between life and death literally, it’s a very big deal to get out the way immediately.

It’s especially great because in many countries they don’t move for ambulances.

Me too! Thought I was the only one. My husband then trained as an paramedic and how to drive on blue lights and told me what goes on in the cab and how I can make sure I feel like I'm not holding them up or getting in their way. That has helped so that I now know I've done my best so they can get to where they need to be.

I start crying

Yes! I thought it was just me

It's actually an offence to delay a blue lighted vehicle

Yeah any collective spirit like this gets me, I also start muttering “come on everyone, let’s all join together in this”. It got to me so much that I’ve trained myself to always think it’s a woman in labour. I don’t even consider it’s someone seriously unwell. I’ve said it so much out loud my 4 year old now also says there must be a lady having a baby in there.

I live 5 minutes away from a major trauma centre. What gets me is the air ambulance flying so low over my home. Everytime I hear it I wish them all the best. Sometimes I see the paediatrics intensive care ambulance. Breaks my heart every time. I blow a kiss everytime and say good luck little fighter. Our emergency services are amazing xxxx

Yes @Sprinklesandsprinkles I get choked up too, it’s the pulling together & doing the ‘right’ thing. If I ever see an ‘unusual’ funeral cortège I’m an absolute mess, e.g. farmers in their tractors, or a mass of bikers (like for Dave Myers), and I once saw a line of skip lorrys trailing black ribbons. Thankfully my DP is the same!

Yes! Never thought others did...but seems lots do..I think its like during covid when people supported others etc

I don't cry tears out of my eyes but I'm moved and they aren't far away. Haven't read all the thread but I agree with anyone who has said that there's something nice about the way everyone gets out of the way. Two of my loved people have been blue-lighted.

Yes I also tend to well up at small acts of kindness. I think we’re just over-sensitive souls!

As a parent who has been blue lighted in an ambulance with my baby 12 times since September, I completely understand, it makes me emotional too xx

You should have seen what I saw the other day. I was in a queue of traffic, two lanes, waiting at the lights and an ambulance appeared behind. Not only did everyone move, but all the cars on the left moved left, and all the cars on the right moved right, in a sort of synchronisation, like a zip opening. It was a thing of absolute beauty.

I should probably get out more.

Im the same! 31 and still get incredibly embarrassed at crying when others cry