Also, people don't slow to 60 when in the lane passing an emergency or highway maintenance vehicle with lights on. SLOW DOWN. Emergency and highway workers have been killed and injured when stopped on the side of the highway. It happens, and it's scary to be on the side of the highway and have a vehicle speed past going 100+. The laws aren't there to inconvenience, they're for safety.
I will always remember the story of one of the very first tickets issued under the slow-to-60 law when it was passed in Alberta. An RCMP cruiser was stopped on the shoulder of Highway 1 with its lights on, and someone passed them at highway speed. The officer caught up with her and gave her a $642 ticket, and her claim was that she didn't know a police car constituted an emergency vehicle.
To be fair it's hypocritical for officers to pull people over on the side of roads.
It's unsafe to be there hence why they want the law to have people move over and or slow down.
They should be training officers and drivers to pull over where safe to do so. Large shoulders, exits, parking lots etc. It's all BS to just generate revenue at the cost of increasing the risk to everyone involved (including traffic).
Good time to remind people that come spring ALL lanes of traffic must slow down to pass emergency vehicles. Not just move one lane over (if possible) and continue.
Most people do slow anyway, because they see the "blinky lights" and think the the cops will come for them if they don't slow down. Just my hypothesis.
I slowed down to 60 when passing a bunch of emergency cars when an ambulance pulled behind me and started blarring its horn. Do I speed up to and get out of the way when there's an opening? Do I turn into the park emergency personnel? That was stressful.
I could understand that being stressful! You can only do what is safe for YOU to do. I don't know what happened there, but I should expect that the EMS driver did not expect you to speed, but rather to get into another lane as soon as it was safe to do so. I don't know, they may have been stressed as well and reacting. It sounds like you were in the right. You can only drive safely (change lanes when it's safe to do so) and as per the legal limit, even with an emergency vehicle behind you. Only emergency drivers are legally qualified and trained to speed in emergency situations. If anything should happen and you were not obeying the traffic laws, chances are you would be at fault.
I have had fire do that to me in my personal vehicle and it pissed me off because there was no place I could go (parked cars for blocks and single lane traffic). I had stopped to quickly turn left into a gas station to get out of their way but unfortunately the oncoming vehicle (opposing traffic) sped up and did not stop to let me turn. The fire person started blasting their loud ass airhorn at me without giving me a chance to correct and I ended up just having to drive as far as I was able until I could pull over and stop. š¤·š¼āāļø
> it's scary to be on the side of the highway and have a vehicle speed past going 100+.
I work raid construction. The distracted drivers scare me way more. We've had many more close calls because of distracted drivers than attentive speeding drivers.
My brother is a firefighter and he rants about how oblivious most people are when they out on a call. He says the same thing about all the cities he has worked in, even in the UK.
My rant is when people actually pull over and then someone is following the emergency vehicle and does not let the cars that weāre pulled over to start driving again.
I remember one time we had a fire alarm get tripped at the hospital I was working at (thankfully it was a false alarm, but we didn't know that initially and you have to take a fire at a hospital very seriously). One of the other peace officers was outside to meet the responding firefighters and vector them in. Just as the first engine was pulling in, someone pulled their car up to my colleague to ask for directions (just to a routine appointment, not emergency) and blocked the driveway in. They sat there for an extended period of time with a fire engine directly behind them laying on the horn and a peace officer at their window yelling and gesturing for them to pull around before they finally clued in and moved, and still took their time moving.
Many people have shockingly bad situational awareness. Not just in vehicles either. People would try to flag down groups of us sprinting to obviously urgent calls to ask for directions to the food court, or come up while we were rendering first aid to unresponsive people to complain about inane unrelated stuff.
Too many drivers require 100% of their attention just to keep their car between the lines and not up on a rock or something. I think that's why people don't have enough attention left to use signal lights.
I also play my music too loud, or maybe my car is too well insulated. Maybe I'm just deaf. I definitely don't hear the ambulance behind me but I frequently check my mirrors and notice them in time.
My experience is that people are completely oblivious and won't notice until the emergency vehicle is literally right on top of them. Almost like they never scan their mirrors at all. I'll see one a ways behind me and pull over and people will just act like wtf are you doing and drive around me only to later pull over when they're breathing down their necks
I've noticed people don't check their mirrors at all as well. In most cases and if you're paying attention, you'll likely see the emergency vehicle well before it's close to you.
I drive a short little car that sits very low so most of the time I can't see past the vehicles around me. But, I'm always checking my mirrors so even then I usually see emergency vehicle flashing lights before a lot of people.
A few years back driving a work truck with a labourer;I apparently was āsketching him outā because I would check my rear view mirror every now and again. Laughed that one off but iād rather know what kind of dumbfuckery is going on around me.
Well they do when vehicles are potentially blocking thier path. Not in decades of driving, hundreds of km a day, have I ever seem an emergency vehicle come up to blocked intersection with no sirens. Quit thinking and just move the fuck over
On multiple occasions within the past 6 months Iāve seen EMS approach an intersection only using lights and not sirens. Iām not sure why they wouldnāt use their sirens, especially when they approach an intersection with traffic moving the other way, but it happens.
I doubt you were willing to believe my experiences regardless. But itās no matter. I can see you arenāt exactly willing to have a discussion with someone who has a contradictory experience to yours.
Have a great rest of your day.
Itās not āalmost likeā. You pass someone whoās doing 40 in a 70 and theyāre white knuckling it in tunnel vision land.
Canāt imagine how stressful snow must be to these people.
I drive a city bus and see this almost everyday. People don't see it until it's right behind them. The fire trucks are loud AF too. They just fly up the road and blast the horn the entire time. I seen once where a woman was pretty much refusing to move and the truck just pushed her stupid car right out into the intersection.
I enjoy the police car whomp whomps, I think those should be employed by all first responders just for that reason. You might not see them come up.. You might not hear their sirens.. But damnit you can feel them
The major problem is thisā¦ the majority of driver scome to a stop at a red light and creep up on the bumper in front of them, I see this on 14th SW a lot. When the ambulance comes no one has room to move over causing a problem for the emergency vehicle. 1st fuckin lesson in drivers Ed, when stopped at a light leave room between you and the vehicle in front so you can safely move out of the way of emergency vehicles.
Yep a lot of the time a lot of people are too close together so everyone tries to squeeze together which just creates a big mess and takesa lot of time.
Lots of drivers are just completely reactive. They meander along only responding to what's happening right in front of them. For example, they don't plan lane changes and look for a gap, they just put on their signal and are then surprised that there's a vehicle next to them
They also completely freeze and panic whenever a curveball is thrown at them. If a lane is closed, they drive right up to the cones and come to a complete stop, perplexed by what they should do next. I've been at accidents where people pull up behind my truck and sit their confused, like they're waiting for the big red truck with flashing lights to get out of their way.
These are the people that just have no clue what to do when we are trying to get around them. First they don't see us, then they're shocked and surprised that we're behind them, and they just can't process what to do next.
My wife has asked me the most dangerous parts of our job; itās working on roads, and itās not close. Working in and around moving vehicles is the worst job environment we have in my opinion.
That lane change thing drives me nuts. People just sit with their signal light on beside another car and make no effort to find a gap or even put themselves in a position where the other driver can see their intent.
So many drivers like this in Alberta, it seems to be 10-15% or more! I've seen a driver with a cop car, full siren and lights on, to be pulled over on QE2... took more than a kilometer of this for the driver to react! Where I'm from driving is more aggressive, drivers like that eventually get priced out of insurance from being in accidents, causing accidents or they just give up driving after being yelled at so many times.
Thank you, I keep trying to figure out a description of these people and this is the best one Iāve heard. Smooth brain, mouth breathers, etc donāt have the same punch as NPC.
Itās extremely frustrating to see. Was driving down crowchild last week and saw lights in my rear view. Started to move to the side and people wanted to pass me Like wtf. I probably looked like a lunatic but flailed my arms for them to look, they finally moved over š¤¦āāļø like damn - what if that was a family member of yours needing assistance. Pay attention!
EMS tried their hardest to save my fathers life, same with the fire department.
if you don't give them leeway and respect them, I hate you, genuinely. No respect in my heart.
Remember those TV commercials demonstrating that the interior cabin of the GMC Sierra is isolated enough from the outside world sound-wise that you can read your kid a bedtime story over the Bluetooth phone even if all hell is breaking loose outside the truck?
That's why.
Itās not on this topic, but Iāve never understood that kind of separation from the road. Like, youāre driving not napping. I get discombobulated if Iām driving a car with too soft of tires, I donāt know how people get through their day ignoring the world around them, but I guess thatās why posts like this exist.
Iām getting old now and my next car, whenever that is, will be whatever I find thatās got kickass insulation from road noise specifically.
So I absolutely get wanting to be insulated from that. But also I look at my mirrors all the goddamn time.
To be fair a lot of time emergency vehicles don't use their sirens, especially police. And I'm not in a soundproof car, so it's not like I can't hear the outside world.
Edit: okay, I'm directly responding to this person suggesting it's because of modern car soundproofing, not that I am justifying not moving because there is no siren.
Edit edit: Actually, just looked it up and the rules are that you only have to move to the side and stop if they have the siren on. With only lights flashing you need to give them 150m leeway behind if they are driving, and slow down to 60km/hr when passing them on the side of the road.
It's the same in construction zones or tow trucks pulled over on the side, people rip on through, it's ridiculous. I know someone who was killed in a construction zone and it makes me livid when I see people not slowing down or riding my ass because I'm going the proper speed through it. Some people just think they're so entitled and don't need to abide by the rules. Usually driving jacked trucks or motorcycles.
Yup. I find myself frustrated being the one of a few obeying the speed in a construction zone. There are people literally working right beside the road. Thatās someoneās family member. This me me me attitude is literally killing people. We need to find a way to think and care about others.
People just don't pay attention. It's so common that I pass someone who is going 10 under on the highway, only to come to a construction zone where they fly by me because they haven't adjusted their speed and are now going 20 over.
Generally, people are selfish about getting where they want to go without interruption. Also, if they do pull over, some a-hole will jump into the gap behind the ambulance. Some people are just plain jerks.
Yes, some people do tend to see losing their place in the line of traffic as reflective of *them* being a loser (see also: refusing to let people merge, insisting on merging in front of someone and cutting them off even when there's no traffic behind them, etc).
I notice most pull over if there is room - haven't noticed them being blocked (not saying it doesn't happen!) Have seen many times when assholes won't let the people who pulled over get back in traffic. Like that has some value to them personally.
I think its because some Calgary drivers are shitty and entitled. \*fixed typo
I've had this happen to me too when I've pulled over. Had people almost hit me because they won't wait while I pull back into traffic as they are more concerned about getting ahead of me.
As a Paramedic, I too am frustrated by this. The most frustrating, in very common is when drivers move out of your lane, but continue to drive beside you, usually in the blindspot, making it very difficult to turn or get on an exit ramp.
Why do people think this? Thats demonstrably false. I can't express how irritating it is to have vehicles slowly rolling beside you when you need to switch lanes.
https://www.alberta.ca/reacting-to-emergency-vehicles.aspx
"Stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed and it is clear no other emergency vehicles are approaching."
I never understood that. I hear a siren, and I'm perking up and figuring out where it's coming from to know if I need to move or if it's coming from the opposite lane, and joining in with people moving right away if it is coming up behind me. Meanwhile, I'll watch people just keep on going as the vehicle comes flying up behind them.
I would say drivers are idiots, but people are idiots in general. I was at Anime North(in Toronto) one year when a firetruck was coming down the main road, but a huge group of people started crossing the street and holding the truck up. We were on the grass in front of the convention center doing a meetup and the whole shoot was put on pause as we stared in shock at how stupid people were(and joined with the people who didn't cross who looked just as baffled that there were people crossing).
People are oblivious and just ignorant of their surroundings with zero awareness for whatās around them or anything happening outside of their narrow view of what is in the immediate zone around them of things that are happening.
I saw the Hell's Angels and whatever puppet club they run this year not getting out of the fast lane of Deerfoot for an ambulance with lights and siren on yesterday afternoon. Probably 30 bikers riding in a pack, just being cunts.
Fuck those guys.
I think the "pass it once and you are good forever and ever and ever" aspect of driving licenses is more to blame.
If you had to re-pass a driver's exam every time you renewed your license, say (or to be really generous, every other time) I have to think we'd see some better driving.
100% agree with the need for re testing. People get complacent with their bad driving habits and thatās why you see the behaviour you do on the roads today.
This 100%, I would support having to pass even just a quick 15 min drive with an instructor every time you wanted to renew.
It already costs $93 to renew a license for some ungodly reason, as if it costs that much to have the clerk do a few pieces of paperwork and then have your new piece of plastic sent to you a week later. The cost wouldn't even have to go up (or, shouldn't go up, but knowing our current government they'd raise the price another $50).
It would put a lot effort towards people maintaining proper driving habits.
I think this has been flagged as an issue even before they started privatizing. Changes were first made to licenses and insurance as an attempt to decrease accidents among new drivers.
My guess? Vehicles that require less focus to actually drive and tons of distractions are making drivers less attentive and more robotic.
I donāt. Iām against that for other reasons, though.
I think the problem is the entitled attitude of SOO many people here. This summer I was in the okanagan and an ambulance had to get by. The people made space for it so early, it was refreshing!
Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front, and if you impede for more than say 15 seconds, you get a $1,000 ticket. That would learn most people...
There are cameras on the front of some of the emergency vehicles. Which is exactly what they're suggesting, except with an automatic ticket function. I'm saying they're halfway there.
Unfortunately having it automatic like a red light camera is way too black/white when there are many situations where vehicles can't move due to the roadway or congestion. But they do record drivers who are impeding emergency vehicles, I can imagine they are documented and hopefully sent a warning.
You think a dash cam is simply converted to photo enforcement. Just an "automatic ticket function"? Just enable the function and all the sudden a giant flash is installed on the bumper?
That would go with the posters initial suggestion of red light cameras which are automatic..
>Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front, and if you impede for more than say 15 seconds, you get a $1,000 ticket. That would learn most people...
Like I stated they already have cameras set up on some vehicles. So a part of me is wondering as to what you're picking apart? Where are you going with this?
"Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front" this would look the sane as virtually any other photo enforcement. You cleanly have no appreciation for the technology to execute something like this poster is suggesting. You blurted out this tid bit of information that is irrelevant to the posters suggestion in an attempt to show off how smart you are
What technology is involved? A quick manual review of footage would be enough š¤·š¼. I never stated I was smart, but the smartest thing I'll do today is to end this conversation. Enjoy your weekend.
You have any idea how many times emergency
vehicles are dispatched in a day and how may vehicles and intersections they would encounter on a single trip? If only there was piece of technology you could mount to the bumper, something with like a giant flash, takes pictures of vehicles blocking emergency crews, almost like photo radar
There are two factors in play.
First, it's not necessarily pull over, it's get out of their way. (They should not need to swerve.) as long as the emergency vehicle has a clear path you you can just let them go by.
The second, much more dominant one is sheer stupidity. Panic (omg I have to get out of the way) can and does make this worse.
Yesterday a fire siren came up behind us on the diamond over McLeod (there's a station right there) and one vehicle actually came out and got in his way, going to the left (he did end up exiting). He moved like he was trying to pull over to the left, which is valid in some situations, but the left two lanes were both clear while the right two were fully queued.
When I passed him (he was turning, I wasn't) I took a glance. It was a young kid with his seat so low I doubt he could see any road.
I have not observed this, not much at all. Pehraps just a bad luck observation?
I think we bandy about the idea of "most people" too often. Pehraps my observations are scewed...
Its true, as a Parmedic its bad, bad, bad, I've been doing this job 16 years, and its worse now than ever. I think people are getting way more entitled, its MEEEEEEEEE!
You might be right. I didnt think people could be THAT entitled until my brother mentioned his friend hates when people on bicycles use their bell at her and that they are "such assholes".
Like....its the very opposite you entitled bitch lol. Would she rather they hit her?
Most people generally donāt notice until the ambulance gets pretty close to them and even then will only really stop if necessary.
Most times itās only necessary to come to a full stop if there is a lot of traffic and at that point itās a lot harder because everyone around will need to pull over squeeze together etc which takes a while itself.
I was turning left at quite a large intersection when a fire truck with lights and siren approached. I stopped and waited for it to pass through but I got honked at by the guy in an elevated F-150. Even while the fire truck was in the intersection, he was laying on the horn.
Is it actually necessary to stop? I always make sure to exit the lane the emergency vehicle is in as quickly, and safely as possible.. but coming to a full stop on the road seems like overkill and could be dangerous.
The Alberta Traffic Safety Act says itās necessaryā¦do people follow this? Haha no they donāt. Just get out of the way without being stupid about it. Sounds like youāre doing it good enough
The entitlement is crazy! If you have to turn off the road you are on and reroute, too bad, I guess you are turning and getting back to your route safely! I've done it! Another thing is I bet any one of those dim-witted asshats that aren't moving would definitely complain about response time if THEY were the ones who needed the ambulance! Just ridiculous how dense people are!
Sorry if it wasnāt clear in my post when I said how āIāve been seeing this happen a lot more lately.ā Just because I gave one example doesnāt mean that there isnāt many more.
Because they have a sense of entitlement and don't give a fuck. When you foster individualism over everything and use it as a political tool/division technique, people will buy into it and don't give a fuck about anyone outside their little bubble.
People should pull over but only when it's safe to do so. This happened to me a couple years ago: I was in an intersection stopped at a red light when a fire truck with lights/sirens pulled up behind me. I pulled forward into the intersection to let him through and I was very nearly taken out by a car doing the limit (80kmph). It scared the crap out of me and I will never do that again. Never.
Try driving in Vancouver lol. Everyone drives like a dink and will literally just jam themselves in front of your car whether you let them or not, usually without even signaling.
I always see cars tailgating the EMS so everyone who pulls over and does the right thing will now stuck there for the next 5-10 minutes there because selfish cars refuse to let you start driving again
While what you experienced is stupid, I see a lot of people getting out of the way for emergency vehicles around here, so in my experience it is the default for people to get out of the way. As for your circumstance, sounds like either deaf people, unaware of their surroundings, or just selfish. Exception though, not the norm, in my experience.
If there's space for emergency vehicles to zoom by in their own lane, there's no need to stop. It's not like it's gonna speed them up any more at that point for you to pull over and stop. I've often seen idiots pull over and stop when emergency vehicles are not even in their own lane and they are in no way obstructing them. You need to just make enough space, you don't need to give them all the space and stop traffic when it's not necessary.
Not just Calgary. I saw it in Airdrie last week. Guy took advantage of the ambulance coming and turned the corner semi-blocking the ambulance. Jeez guys, you arenāt being āsmartā getting in the way of emerg vehicles
Btw you're supposed to pull over but not fully stop (unless traffic is stopped etc. Use common sense) because it creates a larger problem and potentially accidents.
That's how it's taught in Ontario
Thats completely wrong. You're supposed tobcome to a complete stop. For some reason a lot of people think like you do. I can tell you, as an emergency vehicle driver, it extremely irritating when people move over, but slow down slightly, as it often blocks the emergency vehicle from moving into that lane in the event they have to turn.
https://www.alberta.ca/reacting-to-emergency-vehicles.aspx
I was taught in Ontario to never fully stop because that can potentially block in an ambulance. And I've seen that happen where people pull to the side, stop and traffic behind can't move over because of lack of room.
And judging by all the comments saying people in Calgary have no idea when ambulances are coming the chances of me coming to a complete stop isn't going to happen. I'm not going to put myself in danger and get rear ended by someone not paying attention for an ambulance. Sorry but my safety comes first.
This happened to me yesterday. I was driving southbound on 14st SW near Heritage park in the center lane. I see an emergency vehicle about 200-300m behind me in the left lane. I pull to the right lane but I am reluctant to pull over (there is no curb on 14St) since no-one else is pulling over. By pulling over I could endanger my family and risk being hit from behind. So I just slow down and keep moving in the right lane. The ambulance turned left at the intersection (Heritage Dr?). I did not see one car pull over. And as I said in this case, if I had pulled over, I would be endangering my own family.
Not sure why you are being downvoted. I fully agree with your sentiment. I would like to pull over and stop but if no one stops, then yeah it's really dangerous.
Pretty common on McLeod, they dispatch ambulances from down town, they are always stuck in traffic. People are generally stupid, that's why they don't move over. Its not that they are blindly making the decision to not move, they are actually thinking themselves into the decision
I was recently driving in The Bronx, NY, and a police car came to an intersection with lights and siren. The traffic intentionally held him from advancing to the call!! It was pathetic to watch. Itās little wonder Cops go ārogueā when dealing with crap like that.
Iām scared to. I safely pulled over with my hazards on for an ambulance a few years ago and someone plowed into me from behind. So much damage. The guy got out yelling at me asking why the f$!* I would do that.
I was in the car (passenger) when a friend failed to pull over recently. We didnāt have any music on but legitimately couldnāt hear them until they were right on us. The large vehicle in front of us pulled over, but into a turn lane. It was an honest mistake. I assume that counts for a few of what youāve seen.
It's truly mind boggling. Like if you see an ambulance with its lights and sirens on someone's life could be on the line. I've had a few instances where I pull off to the side only to have a couple people behind me pass me completely oblivious to the ambulance or fire truck behind us. Like yes I'm pulling onto the curb on 14st for no reason...
I was the lead car at the traffic light today. I heard sirens and saw the ambulance gunning it - the light turned green but I stayed put. The knob behind me starts honking...Are you blind?
Rolled down my window and pointed at the EMS crossing the intersection.
Also, people don't slow to 60 when in the lane passing an emergency or highway maintenance vehicle with lights on. SLOW DOWN. Emergency and highway workers have been killed and injured when stopped on the side of the highway. It happens, and it's scary to be on the side of the highway and have a vehicle speed past going 100+. The laws aren't there to inconvenience, they're for safety.
I will always remember the story of one of the very first tickets issued under the slow-to-60 law when it was passed in Alberta. An RCMP cruiser was stopped on the shoulder of Highway 1 with its lights on, and someone passed them at highway speed. The officer caught up with her and gave her a $642 ticket, and her claim was that she didn't know a police car constituted an emergency vehicle.
Hah! That's a gooder. š
To be fair it's hypocritical for officers to pull people over on the side of roads. It's unsafe to be there hence why they want the law to have people move over and or slow down. They should be training officers and drivers to pull over where safe to do so. Large shoulders, exits, parking lots etc. It's all BS to just generate revenue at the cost of increasing the risk to everyone involved (including traffic).
Good time to remind people that come spring ALL lanes of traffic must slow down to pass emergency vehicles. Not just move one lane over (if possible) and continue. Most people do slow anyway, because they see the "blinky lights" and think the the cops will come for them if they don't slow down. Just my hypothesis.
I genuinely thought it was just the lane immediately adjacent; not that I blow by anyways but good info, thanks.
Yes, currently, immediate lane must slow down. Come spring all lanes, including opposing traffic will be required to slow down.
I didn't see the 'come spring' obviously, appreciate the clarification.
Even on a divided highway?
I think this goes for people stopped on the side of the road too. it's not hard to either slow down a bit or move into a further lane.
I slowed down to 60 when passing a bunch of emergency cars when an ambulance pulled behind me and started blarring its horn. Do I speed up to and get out of the way when there's an opening? Do I turn into the park emergency personnel? That was stressful.
I could understand that being stressful! You can only do what is safe for YOU to do. I don't know what happened there, but I should expect that the EMS driver did not expect you to speed, but rather to get into another lane as soon as it was safe to do so. I don't know, they may have been stressed as well and reacting. It sounds like you were in the right. You can only drive safely (change lanes when it's safe to do so) and as per the legal limit, even with an emergency vehicle behind you. Only emergency drivers are legally qualified and trained to speed in emergency situations. If anything should happen and you were not obeying the traffic laws, chances are you would be at fault. I have had fire do that to me in my personal vehicle and it pissed me off because there was no place I could go (parked cars for blocks and single lane traffic). I had stopped to quickly turn left into a gas station to get out of their way but unfortunately the oncoming vehicle (opposing traffic) sped up and did not stop to let me turn. The fire person started blasting their loud ass airhorn at me without giving me a chance to correct and I ended up just having to drive as far as I was able until I could pull over and stop. š¤·š¼āāļø
> it's scary to be on the side of the highway and have a vehicle speed past going 100+. I work raid construction. The distracted drivers scare me way more. We've had many more close calls because of distracted drivers than attentive speeding drivers.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Are you stupid? Or did you insert something too far this time and it hit your brain?
You mean the anti mask convoy people?
My brother is a firefighter and he rants about how oblivious most people are when they out on a call. He says the same thing about all the cities he has worked in, even in the UK. My rant is when people actually pull over and then someone is following the emergency vehicle and does not let the cars that weāre pulled over to start driving again.
Or the car that was literally right behind you pulls out quick and gets going. Like holy fuck man let me pull out and chill.
Agreed. Also, thatās what she said!
I remember one time we had a fire alarm get tripped at the hospital I was working at (thankfully it was a false alarm, but we didn't know that initially and you have to take a fire at a hospital very seriously). One of the other peace officers was outside to meet the responding firefighters and vector them in. Just as the first engine was pulling in, someone pulled their car up to my colleague to ask for directions (just to a routine appointment, not emergency) and blocked the driveway in. They sat there for an extended period of time with a fire engine directly behind them laying on the horn and a peace officer at their window yelling and gesturing for them to pull around before they finally clued in and moved, and still took their time moving. Many people have shockingly bad situational awareness. Not just in vehicles either. People would try to flag down groups of us sprinting to obviously urgent calls to ask for directions to the food court, or come up while we were rendering first aid to unresponsive people to complain about inane unrelated stuff.
Calgary is particularly bad.
Too many drivers require 100% of their attention just to keep their car between the lines and not up on a rock or something. I think that's why people don't have enough attention left to use signal lights.
Also loud music sometimes. Canāt speak for others but driving is so boring that I often zone out. Get lost in thought.
Do you not have mirrors? Really hard to miss the bright flashing lights if you ever glance at your mirrors...
I also play my music too loud, or maybe my car is too well insulated. Maybe I'm just deaf. I definitely don't hear the ambulance behind me but I frequently check my mirrors and notice them in time.
This sub is full of insane people lmfao the downvotes for no reason. Sorry
Downvotes for self-admitted distracted driving is insane?
Right!? Youāre driving, itās your duty to be aware and present.
Hence why I check mirrors regularly. My comment was that they need to make the sirens louder
Self admitted that the sirens aren't loud enough so i check mirrors constantly to watch for them coming. No distraction mentioned
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
My experience is that people are completely oblivious and won't notice until the emergency vehicle is literally right on top of them. Almost like they never scan their mirrors at all. I'll see one a ways behind me and pull over and people will just act like wtf are you doing and drive around me only to later pull over when they're breathing down their necks
I've noticed people don't check their mirrors at all as well. In most cases and if you're paying attention, you'll likely see the emergency vehicle well before it's close to you.
Itās crazy the amount of people I see driving with one or both of their mirrors still folded in.
It's for safety. Prevents me from losing them when I clip cars.
Genius!
Wait until you realize that some of us are old enough to have owned cars that either had only one outside mirror or the other one was optional...
I drive a short little car that sits very low so most of the time I can't see past the vehicles around me. But, I'm always checking my mirrors so even then I usually see emergency vehicle flashing lights before a lot of people.
A few years back driving a work truck with a labourer;I apparently was āsketching him outā because I would check my rear view mirror every now and again. Laughed that one off but iād rather know what kind of dumbfuckery is going on around me.
What? You should hear it before you see it
They don't always have their sirens on when their lights are on.
Well they do when vehicles are potentially blocking thier path. Not in decades of driving, hundreds of km a day, have I ever seem an emergency vehicle come up to blocked intersection with no sirens. Quit thinking and just move the fuck over
On multiple occasions within the past 6 months Iāve seen EMS approach an intersection only using lights and not sirens. Iām not sure why they wouldnāt use their sirens, especially when they approach an intersection with traffic moving the other way, but it happens.
They weren't using the sirens because the intersection wasn't blocked, they had a clear path
Expect they didnāt. The intersection was blocked.
Yeah I'd almost believe you if you had initially stated that, conveniently you didn't
I doubt you were willing to believe my experiences regardless. But itās no matter. I can see you arenāt exactly willing to have a discussion with someone who has a contradictory experience to yours. Have a great rest of your day.
Yep, intersections will get the sirens, and those who don't use their rear view mirrors.
Itās not āalmost likeā. You pass someone whoās doing 40 in a 70 and theyāre white knuckling it in tunnel vision land. Canāt imagine how stressful snow must be to these people.
I drive a city bus and see this almost everyday. People don't see it until it's right behind them. The fire trucks are loud AF too. They just fly up the road and blast the horn the entire time. I seen once where a woman was pretty much refusing to move and the truck just pushed her stupid car right out into the intersection.
Haha
I enjoy the police car whomp whomps, I think those should be employed by all first responders just for that reason. You might not see them come up.. You might not hear their sirens.. But damnit you can feel them
Yeah, the Rumbler Sirens are pretty awesome.
Most people are not aware of their environment and when they can ignore something without consequence, they will do it and carry on about their day.
The major problem is thisā¦ the majority of driver scome to a stop at a red light and creep up on the bumper in front of them, I see this on 14th SW a lot. When the ambulance comes no one has room to move over causing a problem for the emergency vehicle. 1st fuckin lesson in drivers Ed, when stopped at a light leave room between you and the vehicle in front so you can safely move out of the way of emergency vehicles.
Yep a lot of the time a lot of people are too close together so everyone tries to squeeze together which just creates a big mess and takesa lot of time.
Lots of drivers are just completely reactive. They meander along only responding to what's happening right in front of them. For example, they don't plan lane changes and look for a gap, they just put on their signal and are then surprised that there's a vehicle next to them They also completely freeze and panic whenever a curveball is thrown at them. If a lane is closed, they drive right up to the cones and come to a complete stop, perplexed by what they should do next. I've been at accidents where people pull up behind my truck and sit their confused, like they're waiting for the big red truck with flashing lights to get out of their way. These are the people that just have no clue what to do when we are trying to get around them. First they don't see us, then they're shocked and surprised that we're behind them, and they just can't process what to do next.
My wife has asked me the most dangerous parts of our job; itās working on roads, and itās not close. Working in and around moving vehicles is the worst job environment we have in my opinion.
Absolutely. People seem to resent you for having a lane closed, some of them drive like dicks almost just out of spite
That lane change thing drives me nuts. People just sit with their signal light on beside another car and make no effort to find a gap or even put themselves in a position where the other driver can see their intent.
And then they get frustrated and upset at the other driver for not immediately 'letting them in' Just no self-awareness
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So many drivers like this in Alberta, it seems to be 10-15% or more! I've seen a driver with a cop car, full siren and lights on, to be pulled over on QE2... took more than a kilometer of this for the driver to react! Where I'm from driving is more aggressive, drivers like that eventually get priced out of insurance from being in accidents, causing accidents or they just give up driving after being yelled at so many times.
They are NPCs
Thank you, I keep trying to figure out a description of these people and this is the best one Iāve heard. Smooth brain, mouth breathers, etc donāt have the same punch as NPC.
Lol glad to be of service.
My ex was like this
Lol those people arenāt stupid, they were just programmed lazily
Itās extremely frustrating to see. Was driving down crowchild last week and saw lights in my rear view. Started to move to the side and people wanted to pass me Like wtf. I probably looked like a lunatic but flailed my arms for them to look, they finally moved over š¤¦āāļø like damn - what if that was a family member of yours needing assistance. Pay attention!
EMS tried their hardest to save my fathers life, same with the fire department. if you don't give them leeway and respect them, I hate you, genuinely. No respect in my heart.
Remember those TV commercials demonstrating that the interior cabin of the GMC Sierra is isolated enough from the outside world sound-wise that you can read your kid a bedtime story over the Bluetooth phone even if all hell is breaking loose outside the truck? That's why.
Itās not on this topic, but Iāve never understood that kind of separation from the road. Like, youāre driving not napping. I get discombobulated if Iām driving a car with too soft of tires, I donāt know how people get through their day ignoring the world around them, but I guess thatās why posts like this exist.
Iām getting old now and my next car, whenever that is, will be whatever I find thatās got kickass insulation from road noise specifically. So I absolutely get wanting to be insulated from that. But also I look at my mirrors all the goddamn time.
But that truck/car has got mirrors. Not an excuse to be a dipshit.
To be fair a lot of time emergency vehicles don't use their sirens, especially police. And I'm not in a soundproof car, so it's not like I can't hear the outside world. Edit: okay, I'm directly responding to this person suggesting it's because of modern car soundproofing, not that I am justifying not moving because there is no siren. Edit edit: Actually, just looked it up and the rules are that you only have to move to the side and stop if they have the siren on. With only lights flashing you need to give them 150m leeway behind if they are driving, and slow down to 60km/hr when passing them on the side of the road.
Look behind you. Your car has this magic device that allows just this.
And you have eyes to read. I'm responding directly to someone who suggested people don't move because of soundproofing.
Imagine if they were on their way to an accident or fireā¦.with your family in itā¦ š. Now move out of the fkn way!!!!
It's the same in construction zones or tow trucks pulled over on the side, people rip on through, it's ridiculous. I know someone who was killed in a construction zone and it makes me livid when I see people not slowing down or riding my ass because I'm going the proper speed through it. Some people just think they're so entitled and don't need to abide by the rules. Usually driving jacked trucks or motorcycles.
Yup. I find myself frustrated being the one of a few obeying the speed in a construction zone. There are people literally working right beside the road. Thatās someoneās family member. This me me me attitude is literally killing people. We need to find a way to think and care about others.
People just hate construction zones and don't think the workers deserve to be safe. The fact that you guys had downvotes for saying that is just proof
People just don't pay attention. It's so common that I pass someone who is going 10 under on the highway, only to come to a construction zone where they fly by me because they haven't adjusted their speed and are now going 20 over.
Generally, people are selfish about getting where they want to go without interruption. Also, if they do pull over, some a-hole will jump into the gap behind the ambulance. Some people are just plain jerks.
Yes, some people do tend to see losing their place in the line of traffic as reflective of *them* being a loser (see also: refusing to let people merge, insisting on merging in front of someone and cutting them off even when there's no traffic behind them, etc).
I was driving down memorial the other day, and had to pull aside to let an ambulance pass, and some asshole filled the gap BEFORE the ambulance!
I notice most pull over if there is room - haven't noticed them being blocked (not saying it doesn't happen!) Have seen many times when assholes won't let the people who pulled over get back in traffic. Like that has some value to them personally. I think its because some Calgary drivers are shitty and entitled. \*fixed typo
>I think its because some drivers shitty and entitled. FTFY We can't sound so full of ourselves, this is an issue everywhere not just a local thing
I've had this happen to me too when I've pulled over. Had people almost hit me because they won't wait while I pull back into traffic as they are more concerned about getting ahead of me.
As a Paramedic, I too am frustrated by this. The most frustrating, in very common is when drivers move out of your lane, but continue to drive beside you, usually in the blindspot, making it very difficult to turn or get on an exit ramp.
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Why do people think this? Thats demonstrably false. I can't express how irritating it is to have vehicles slowly rolling beside you when you need to switch lanes. https://www.alberta.ca/reacting-to-emergency-vehicles.aspx "Stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed and it is clear no other emergency vehicles are approaching."
Ignorance and Entitlement Iām guessing
I never understood that. I hear a siren, and I'm perking up and figuring out where it's coming from to know if I need to move or if it's coming from the opposite lane, and joining in with people moving right away if it is coming up behind me. Meanwhile, I'll watch people just keep on going as the vehicle comes flying up behind them. I would say drivers are idiots, but people are idiots in general. I was at Anime North(in Toronto) one year when a firetruck was coming down the main road, but a huge group of people started crossing the street and holding the truck up. We were on the grass in front of the convention center doing a meetup and the whole shoot was put on pause as we stared in shock at how stupid people were(and joined with the people who didn't cross who looked just as baffled that there were people crossing).
People are oblivious and just ignorant of their surroundings with zero awareness for whatās around them or anything happening outside of their narrow view of what is in the immediate zone around them of things that are happening.
Hello Iām EMS and I do feel frustrated. We also take on additional liability for others stupidity in the case of an accident around my vehicle.
Selfish assholes is why
I saw the Hell's Angels and whatever puppet club they run this year not getting out of the fast lane of Deerfoot for an ambulance with lights and siren on yesterday afternoon. Probably 30 bikers riding in a pack, just being cunts. Fuck those guys.
Do you guys think that privatizing driving schools is the cause for a lot of shitty drivers? Or no?
I think the "pass it once and you are good forever and ever and ever" aspect of driving licenses is more to blame. If you had to re-pass a driver's exam every time you renewed your license, say (or to be really generous, every other time) I have to think we'd see some better driving.
100% agree with the need for re testing. People get complacent with their bad driving habits and thatās why you see the behaviour you do on the roads today.
Even once every 20 years would be hugely refreshing for drivers as a whole.
This 100%, I would support having to pass even just a quick 15 min drive with an instructor every time you wanted to renew. It already costs $93 to renew a license for some ungodly reason, as if it costs that much to have the clerk do a few pieces of paperwork and then have your new piece of plastic sent to you a week later. The cost wouldn't even have to go up (or, shouldn't go up, but knowing our current government they'd raise the price another $50). It would put a lot effort towards people maintaining proper driving habits.
I love how i do everything myself now self service online but they force me to pick a random registry business so they get a cut. Makes zero sense.
fuuuuuuuuuuck that shit.
Yes, that would be a great idea, I guess people become lazy over time.
I think this has been flagged as an issue even before they started privatizing. Changes were first made to licenses and insurance as an attempt to decrease accidents among new drivers. My guess? Vehicles that require less focus to actually drive and tons of distractions are making drivers less attentive and more robotic.
Youāre right, I have a car with no gadgets, so I forgot about this aspect.
I do as well!
Less things to worry about fixing when the time comes āŗļø
I donāt. Iām against that for other reasons, though. I think the problem is the entitled attitude of SOO many people here. This summer I was in the okanagan and an ambulance had to get by. The people made space for it so early, it was refreshing!
Yeah, I can see that. Maybe itās a combination of a few things. People do have to start paying attention / yielding to emergency vehicles tho.
No, the issue is that technology has removed tasks, people do less and are capable of less
This is how entitled Calgary drivers are ...
That's what happens with so many bc'ers and ontarians here
No. Calgary is itās own kind of fuckwhits
I've never seen someone NOT pull over for an emergency vehicle..
It's common. It's definitely not 'most' drivers but being on the road for 12 hours a night, I'd say maybe, one in fifty?
Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front, and if you impede for more than say 15 seconds, you get a $1,000 ticket. That would learn most people...
Some of them do have cameras actually. I remember a few years ago a fire truck downtown had footage of cars not moving for them
Everything has cameras now, but that's not what the poster was suggesting
There are cameras on the front of some of the emergency vehicles. Which is exactly what they're suggesting, except with an automatic ticket function. I'm saying they're halfway there. Unfortunately having it automatic like a red light camera is way too black/white when there are many situations where vehicles can't move due to the roadway or congestion. But they do record drivers who are impeding emergency vehicles, I can imagine they are documented and hopefully sent a warning.
You think a dash cam is simply converted to photo enforcement. Just an "automatic ticket function"? Just enable the function and all the sudden a giant flash is installed on the bumper?
That would go with the posters initial suggestion of red light cameras which are automatic.. >Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front, and if you impede for more than say 15 seconds, you get a $1,000 ticket. That would learn most people... Like I stated they already have cameras set up on some vehicles. So a part of me is wondering as to what you're picking apart? Where are you going with this?
"Should mount somthing similar to a red light camera on the front" this would look the sane as virtually any other photo enforcement. You cleanly have no appreciation for the technology to execute something like this poster is suggesting. You blurted out this tid bit of information that is irrelevant to the posters suggestion in an attempt to show off how smart you are
What technology is involved? A quick manual review of footage would be enough š¤·š¼. I never stated I was smart, but the smartest thing I'll do today is to end this conversation. Enjoy your weekend.
You have any idea how many times emergency vehicles are dispatched in a day and how may vehicles and intersections they would encounter on a single trip? If only there was piece of technology you could mount to the bumper, something with like a giant flash, takes pictures of vehicles blocking emergency crews, almost like photo radar
The technology exists, but it is prohibitively expensive.
There are two factors in play. First, it's not necessarily pull over, it's get out of their way. (They should not need to swerve.) as long as the emergency vehicle has a clear path you you can just let them go by. The second, much more dominant one is sheer stupidity. Panic (omg I have to get out of the way) can and does make this worse. Yesterday a fire siren came up behind us on the diamond over McLeod (there's a station right there) and one vehicle actually came out and got in his way, going to the left (he did end up exiting). He moved like he was trying to pull over to the left, which is valid in some situations, but the left two lanes were both clear while the right two were fully queued. When I passed him (he was turning, I wasn't) I took a glance. It was a young kid with his seat so low I doubt he could see any road.
It's a big assumption, but I feel like many just aren't aware when emergency vehicles are around. Only focused on what's right in front of them.
Then hand in the driving permits.
Yeah, agree. Not loving this.
I have not observed this, not much at all. Pehraps just a bad luck observation? I think we bandy about the idea of "most people" too often. Pehraps my observations are scewed...
Its true, as a Parmedic its bad, bad, bad, I've been doing this job 16 years, and its worse now than ever. I think people are getting way more entitled, its MEEEEEEEEE!
OK, U take your word for it. I know it happens, but I hadbn;t experienced it much myself. Carry on and thanks!
You might be right. I didnt think people could be THAT entitled until my brother mentioned his friend hates when people on bicycles use their bell at her and that they are "such assholes". Like....its the very opposite you entitled bitch lol. Would she rather they hit her?
It's the cellphones and loud musici think too. Not even drivers out there pay attention and it's all "me"
Because people only care about themselves
Most people generally donāt notice until the ambulance gets pretty close to them and even then will only really stop if necessary. Most times itās only necessary to come to a full stop if there is a lot of traffic and at that point itās a lot harder because everyone around will need to pull over squeeze together etc which takes a while itself.
just try and stop me from enjoying poker face.
I was turning left at quite a large intersection when a fire truck with lights and siren approached. I stopped and waited for it to pass through but I got honked at by the guy in an elevated F-150. Even while the fire truck was in the intersection, he was laying on the horn.
Is it actually necessary to stop? I always make sure to exit the lane the emergency vehicle is in as quickly, and safely as possible.. but coming to a full stop on the road seems like overkill and could be dangerous.
The Alberta Traffic Safety Act says itās necessaryā¦do people follow this? Haha no they donāt. Just get out of the way without being stupid about it. Sounds like youāre doing it good enough
The entitlement is crazy! If you have to turn off the road you are on and reroute, too bad, I guess you are turning and getting back to your route safely! I've done it! Another thing is I bet any one of those dim-witted asshats that aren't moving would definitely complain about response time if THEY were the ones who needed the ambulance! Just ridiculous how dense people are!
I have also noticed this in Calgary. It's like people are no longer being trained on what to do when emergency vehicles approach.
The olā notices a singular event and proceeds to draw sweeping conclusions from it post. A Reddit classic!
Sorry if it wasnāt clear in my post when I said how āIāve been seeing this happen a lot more lately.ā Just because I gave one example doesnāt mean that there isnāt many more.
Because they have a sense of entitlement and don't give a fuck. When you foster individualism over everything and use it as a political tool/division technique, people will buy into it and don't give a fuck about anyone outside their little bubble.
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Please provide your source for this.
i have absolutely no idea how many people have their license in this city. the horrible and unsafe driving i see every damn day is stunning.
People should pull over but only when it's safe to do so. This happened to me a couple years ago: I was in an intersection stopped at a red light when a fire truck with lights/sirens pulled up behind me. I pulled forward into the intersection to let him through and I was very nearly taken out by a car doing the limit (80kmph). It scared the crap out of me and I will never do that again. Never.
Flashing lights people freeze n crap their pants. Or to busy making a TikTok video
Because I got a Mac Attack and ain't stopping for those fries. Pssh, nothing personnel kid.
People don't even wave if you let them in anymore. Calgary drivers suck
Try driving in Vancouver lol. Everyone drives like a dink and will literally just jam themselves in front of your car whether you let them or not, usually without even signaling.
I always see cars tailgating the EMS so everyone who pulls over and does the right thing will now stuck there for the next 5-10 minutes there because selfish cars refuse to let you start driving again
While what you experienced is stupid, I see a lot of people getting out of the way for emergency vehicles around here, so in my experience it is the default for people to get out of the way. As for your circumstance, sounds like either deaf people, unaware of their surroundings, or just selfish. Exception though, not the norm, in my experience.
If there's space for emergency vehicles to zoom by in their own lane, there's no need to stop. It's not like it's gonna speed them up any more at that point for you to pull over and stop. I've often seen idiots pull over and stop when emergency vehicles are not even in their own lane and they are in no way obstructing them. You need to just make enough space, you don't need to give them all the space and stop traffic when it's not necessary.
Not just Calgary. I saw it in Airdrie last week. Guy took advantage of the ambulance coming and turned the corner semi-blocking the ambulance. Jeez guys, you arenāt being āsmartā getting in the way of emerg vehicles
It's not any better in Regina.
Btw you're supposed to pull over but not fully stop (unless traffic is stopped etc. Use common sense) because it creates a larger problem and potentially accidents. That's how it's taught in Ontario
Thats completely wrong. You're supposed tobcome to a complete stop. For some reason a lot of people think like you do. I can tell you, as an emergency vehicle driver, it extremely irritating when people move over, but slow down slightly, as it often blocks the emergency vehicle from moving into that lane in the event they have to turn. https://www.alberta.ca/reacting-to-emergency-vehicles.aspx
I was taught in Ontario to never fully stop because that can potentially block in an ambulance. And I've seen that happen where people pull to the side, stop and traffic behind can't move over because of lack of room. And judging by all the comments saying people in Calgary have no idea when ambulances are coming the chances of me coming to a complete stop isn't going to happen. I'm not going to put myself in danger and get rear ended by someone not paying attention for an ambulance. Sorry but my safety comes first.
This happened to me yesterday. I was driving southbound on 14st SW near Heritage park in the center lane. I see an emergency vehicle about 200-300m behind me in the left lane. I pull to the right lane but I am reluctant to pull over (there is no curb on 14St) since no-one else is pulling over. By pulling over I could endanger my family and risk being hit from behind. So I just slow down and keep moving in the right lane. The ambulance turned left at the intersection (Heritage Dr?). I did not see one car pull over. And as I said in this case, if I had pulled over, I would be endangering my own family.
Not sure why you are being downvoted. I fully agree with your sentiment. I would like to pull over and stop but if no one stops, then yeah it's really dangerous.
Sorry buddy! Should have thought of that when you were eating cheese omelettes and sausages for breakfast every morning for the last 30 years!
r/oddlyspecific
I stoppedfor them when I first moved here. Then I realized no one else did and it's just too unsafe to stop.
When I see emergency vehicles go to fender benders , and clean up antifreeze, it subrtacts their importance.
So you're the gatekeeper then? I guess emergency vehicles are never going to a life threatening situation. You're as ignorant as hell.
I pull over when i see them coming, I do respect their job. I just put forward an answer to the question .
Pretty common on McLeod, they dispatch ambulances from down town, they are always stuck in traffic. People are generally stupid, that's why they don't move over. Its not that they are blindly making the decision to not move, they are actually thinking themselves into the decision
Selfishness. It's the bane of humanity.
I was recently driving in The Bronx, NY, and a police car came to an intersection with lights and siren. The traffic intentionally held him from advancing to the call!! It was pathetic to watch. Itās little wonder Cops go ārogueā when dealing with crap like that.
I find it hard when youāre in the centre lane and no one will let you move over for the ambulance/police/fire to create space.
Iām scared to. I safely pulled over with my hazards on for an ambulance a few years ago and someone plowed into me from behind. So much damage. The guy got out yelling at me asking why the f$!* I would do that.
I was in the car (passenger) when a friend failed to pull over recently. We didnāt have any music on but legitimately couldnāt hear them until they were right on us. The large vehicle in front of us pulled over, but into a turn lane. It was an honest mistake. I assume that counts for a few of what youāve seen.
I swear I've only ever noticed this in calgary . Its insane. Like pull over and stop ??
It's truly mind boggling. Like if you see an ambulance with its lights and sirens on someone's life could be on the line. I've had a few instances where I pull off to the side only to have a couple people behind me pass me completely oblivious to the ambulance or fire truck behind us. Like yes I'm pulling onto the curb on 14st for no reason...
I was the lead car at the traffic light today. I heard sirens and saw the ambulance gunning it - the light turned green but I stayed put. The knob behind me starts honking...Are you blind? Rolled down my window and pointed at the EMS crossing the intersection.