to think that if half the time emergency services, just drove at normal speed, they would get to their destination quicker?

[carriedababi]

please note the half the time part.

today, in town an ambulance had the blue lights nd sirens on

it was busy and congested and took a while for the ambulance to get past, i'm sure that half the time they would get to the destination quicker if they just drove normally

i was not in a rush just been out in town for lunch with friends, and even if i was in a rush i wouldn't be bothered but it took ages to get through/by all the traffic and would have been alot quicker to to go through normally.

what do you think?

No, I think they would get there faster if people moved their cars out of the way. They drive at speed because they are going to an emergency, would you rather they walked??

How would driving normally, by which I assume you mean sitting in the traffic with everyone else, get them there more quickly?

If you dial 999 you expect the emergency services to reach you....your post doesn't really make sense.

I think your brain doesn't work very well, OP.

This doesn't make any sense at all.

An emergency vehicle will use it's siren whislt approaching traffic to warn them to start thinking about getting out of the way.

And the blue lights are a silent warning that you really need to move over & let them through because they are either on their way to an emergency or the crew mate is in the back of the vehicle doing nelly the elephant & time isn't on their side.

(still scratching head at this thread)

YABU, was this a liquid lunch??

I really can't understand the OP, sorry.

I have seen people panic at the sound/sight of/be oblivious of/ignore emergency vehicles trying to get past and such behaviours really slow them down imo.

the traffic was moving.
it would have been quicker to drive through at normal speed.
if i need 999 i expect them to reach me as soon as possible, however that be, even if it ment to was quicker driving normally.
what ever way gets them through quicker.
my point was that some times its quicker to drive through normally

lol at liquid lunch.

well i had one or two

Would you perhaps like to have an accident op and then ask the ambulence to drive at noraml speed along with the traffic and see if it makes any difference

Then come back and let us know your findings and feeling.

Of course if tiem was of the essence you make not make it at all and threfore we would have to have the first ever MN's séance

Surely if the traffic is driving at say 30mph in a built up area it would be significantly quicker for the ambulance to be able to overtake/jump the lights etc. I still don't understand your point. How on earth can it be quicker to drive "normally" and stop at all the lights etc?

Wot?

Although I do think they'd do better if they got their satnav's sorted. I was sitting waiting for an ambulance (pg, haemorrhage) and we heard them go down the main road and then stop. And then they got going again. Once we'd got me in and got going, dh asked them - yes, they'd driven down the side road that the satnav always tells us to go down, but we don't cos we know there is a traffic barrier and you can't get through!

Another time I went in an ambulance (emergency, blue lights), and dh waited at home till the emergency babysitter arrived and then drove to the hospital. He got there first!

Carrie dear, city traffic can only go at 30 miles per hour, an ambulance can go alot faster. Lets say a patient has cut their femoral artery after slipping on glass, they have 3 minutes until they pass out and die. If an ambulance is going at 30 miles an hour it's going to take more then 3 minutes to get there, this is why they drive quickly. It's the responsibility of every car driver to move out the way, after all, they could be going to their wife/husband/parent/child (god forbid). I would want them to break all the speed limits going and then some.

Also can I just add that I am sure that if it was indeed quicker then someone in charge of these things would have worked it out by now?! Perhaps at least one or two paramedics would have mentioned it? They don't drive fast for the fun of it afaik. In fact sometimes it is very stressful and dangerous, particular when some drivers refuse to pull over or try and speed over the lights with them etc etc.

Jasper Carrot circa 1989 did a sketch about someone speeding past his car and his mother helpfully pointing out that "they won't get there any quicker you know".

The laws of physics are against you carrie.

Have you ever tried to progress through traffic, moving or otherwise OP, in an effort to get there quickly? (and safely).

Emergency service drivers make the judgement as to what will assist their passage through.

Daft comments.

Nuttier than squirrel shit.

thats my point though!!! they weren't getting through quickly!

lol at nuttier than squirrel shit

Compared to what, o shaver of palms?

Hmmmm.

#Thinks#

Then if the ambulance never even leaves the ambulance house, they will get to the accident instantly!

I think I kind of get what OP is saying. If all the cars are going at 30mph then the ambulance if it stays in the traffic will travel at 30mph.

Sometimes in busy but flowing traffic if an ambulance comes along with siren going everyone else panics and brakes and then trys to pull into side of road. Depending on the road they can't pull off it very well, there isn't much room and ambulance goes at 20mph as it weaves in and out of cars and waits for cars to get out of way.

Is that it?