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Almost a third of road users fail to notice approach of emergency ambulances
May 13, 2003Almost a third of road users fail to notice the approach of emergency ambulances, despite sirens and flashing lights, reveals a survey in Emergency Medicine Journal. But among those who do, the encounter is often stressful, and in a significant minority of cases, potentially hazardous.
The findings are based on a survey of 200 road users aged between 21 and 65, in north Staffordshire, northern England. Two thirds responded to a detailed questionnaire.
Three quarters of the encounters were with car drivers, four out of 10 of whom were in a line of traffic. But over half of all the encounters occurred with road users not in the flow of traffic.
In almost two thirds of cases, the encounter necessitated making way for the ambulance. In one in five instances, avoidance manoeuvres necessitated reversing; in a third of cases another driver/pedestrian was involved, and in around one in four cases, an obstacle had to be negotiated to facilitate passage of the ambulance.
In almost a third of the interactions, the respondents said they had not noticed the vehicle warning lights, while one in four said they heard neither the sirens or noticed the warning lights.
A third of those surveyed found the encounter difficult and stressful and felt that it could have been avoided altogether. The authors suggest that the strobe effect of the warning lights and the noise of the siren can be distressing and intimidating. It is well known that some road users panic the moment they become aware of the approach of an emergency vehicle, they add.
The authors point out that previous research from the London Ambulance Service indicates that only just over half (57%) of calls justified an emergency ambulance, so that some of the inconvenience and road hazards presented by these vehicles may not be necessary. But they suggest at the very least that the appropriateness and effectiveness of ambulance identification and warning devices should be reviewed.
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
In almost two thirds of cases, the encounter necessitated making way for the ambulance. In one in five instances, avoidance manoeuvres necessitated reversing; in a third of cases another driver/pedestrian was involved, and in around one in four cases, an obstacle had to be negotiated to facilitate passage of the ambulance.
In almost a third of the interactions, the respondents said they had not noticed the vehicle warning lights, while one in four said they heard neither the sirens or noticed the warning lights.
A third of those surveyed found the encounter difficult and stressful and felt that it could have been avoided altogether. The authors suggest that the strobe effect of the warning lights and the noise of the siren can be distressing and intimidating. It is well known that some road users panic the moment they become aware of the approach of an emergency vehicle, they add.
The authors point out that previous research from the London Ambulance Service indicates that only just over half (57%) of calls justified an emergency ambulance, so that some of the inconvenience and road hazards presented by these vehicles may not be necessary. But they suggest at the very least that the appropriateness and effectiveness of ambulance identification and warning devices should be reviewed.
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
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Alarmed by a substantial oversight in the global climate talks leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month, more than 60 of the world's most prominent agricultural scientists and leaders underscored how the almost total absence of agriculture in the agreement could lead to widespread famine and food shortages in the years ahead.
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