Ambulance Drivers Scam In Hyderabad – Flouting Traffic Rules By Pulling Wool Over Police’s Eyes
By definition a SCAM is a deceptive scheme or trick used to cheat someone out of something, especially money. If money is ignored in this particular scenario, still its a scam because, scams, scamming, scammed are transitive verb.
If someone scams a person or organization, they deceive them in order to get something valuable from them.
Everyday after my work in city, I drive back to home to a long distance towards PeddaAmberpet. And on the way, I observe lot of things.
From few days I have observed increase in ambulances with their sirens on, speeding away as if there is an emergency only to find that there is not.
For ex: Again yesterday, while driving back, I noticed an ambulance with siren on, speeding through traffic apparently with a patient. I decided to record to the point to find, which hospital it would halt.
As guessed, as soon the Emergency Vehicle passed Hayathnagar, it slowed down, turned their siren off and halted, just next to Sampoorna Hotel, probably to grab a cup of tea or coffee.
Isn’t it not absolutely a mockery of Traffic Rules laid down by the Officials?
It’s an aggressive and emotional technique to force other drivers to yield out of the traffic without no reason leading others to panic and sometimes crash causing road rage.
In November 2020, A Hyderabad traffic cop was rewarded for going beyond the call of duty to assist in clearing a path for an ambulance.
The video, which was widely shared on social media, traffic cop G Babji can be seen running for almost two km, beyond his jurisdiction, and asking people to make way for the ambulance through the crowded road.
HTP officer Babji of Abids Traffic PS clearing the way for ambulance..Well done..HTP in the service of citizens..👍👍@HYDTP pic.twitter.com/vFynLl7VVK
— Addl CP Traffic (@AddlCPTrHyd) November 4, 2020
We have such an emotional connection and understanding of a life which is so precious, to save it, the cop has ran out of energy, still he did it.
What if the driver is just scamming us? as nobody thinks it ethical to stop the vehicle and check for its authenticity. Nobody can experiment during emergency.
Learning this loophole, few ambulance drivers are misusing their job roles and Flouting The Rules and pulling the wool over eyes of Police and Public. Such violators should be dealt with iron hand and criminal cases should be booked against such drivers
Emergency vehicles such as Ambulance too need to follow the same road rules with a few exemptions.
Some laws prevent ambulance drivers from forcing other drivers into making illegal movement. Ambulance driving rules are designed to ensure the safety of all vehicles on the road during an emergency.
By definition, an emergency vehicle is any vehicle that is authorized by the state government to respond to an emergency and includes police cars, ambulances, and fire engines.
These vehicles have a siren and flashing lights that can either be red or blue, depending on the state. Drivers of other vehicles are taught to give way to these emergency vehicles by taking suitable action to pass. However, even emergency vehicles have rules.
Watch how this ambulance pull wool over our eyes.
Road Rules for Emergency Drivers
First of all we need to understand that there is One law for all emergency drivers, which they need to follow and is never to force other motorists to maneuver dangerously or illegally.
An example of this is that Ambulance should turn their siren off at intersections, where the traffic light is red. This action prevents other drivers from running a red light, which is illegal no matter the emergency.
An ambulance or an emergency vehicle can only “Break” Traffic Laws When Responding To An Emergency Call Or Engage In Rescue Operations.
It is illegal for ambulance drivers or drivers of any emergency vehicle to speed or pass a red light for no reason.
All emergency vehicles have guidelines regarding what constitutes an emergency and when they can turn on their siren.
There are also laws that all emergency driver’s need to follow even in an emergency; these include:
- Follow “no entry” signs
- Drive the right direction in a one-way street
- Properly follow “give way” signs
- Observe flashing signs
- Adhere to crosswalk speed limits
Although emergency drivers have lights and audible signs, this does not automatically grant way.
The purpose of these warning devices is to make other drivers aware of their presence to yield. Emergency drivers should never assume that another vehicle will yield, and it is their responsibility to operate in a manner that allows others to yield.
In most countries, it is also against the law for ambulance drivers to employ aggressive techniques to force other drivers to yield out of the way.
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Laws Emergency Vehicles Can Ignore
In an emergency, drivers of emergency vehicles, including ambulance drivers, are granted some exemptions, these include:
Exceed speed limits
Ambulance vehicles are allowed to exceed speed limits as long as they do not endanger life or property. Since there are no fixed rules as to how fast an ambulance driver is allowed to drive, it all depends on the driver’s discretion.
The driver or emergency vehicle / ambulance should consider weather conditions, traffic, vehicle abilities, and road conditions when deciding speed.
Park or stand anywhere
An ambulance driver is allowed to park or stand anywhere, irrespective of any signs or laws against it. However, the driver of the vehicle also needs to consider the safety of other motorists.
Ambulance drivers can, therefore, stop in the middle of the road if necessary.
Pass red lights
Traffic signals, including red/green lights and slowing down signs, can be ignored by ambulances in an emergency.
However, as mentioned, ambulance drivers need to turn their sirens off at red lights, so other vehicles are not forced to take any illegal actions.
The bottom line: Emergency drivers, including ambulance drivers, are permitted to break laws regarding speed, parking, and traffic lights when there is an emergency.
However, they should not drive aggressively and force other drivers to yield or make dangerous decisions. They should consider the safety of other vehicles when driving through traffic.
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