Forum: Speeding up transit time of emergency vehicles
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An ambulance on the road near Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
PHOTO: ST FILE
For a person in need of trauma care, the time it takes for a victim to arrive at a trauma centre can mean the difference between life and death.
In every country that I have seen an emergency vehicle using its lights and siren, two actions are undertaken:
1. Drivers proactively move out of the way to make a clear path for the emergency vehicle to pass.
2. The emergency vehicle proceeds carefully through traffic, including red lights if they are able to.
In Singapore, drivers do not seem to be as proactive about clearing the way for an emergency vehicle with its lights and siren in use.
Moreover, if there is a red light, the driver of an emergency vehicle frequently turns off the siren and waits for the next green light before proceeding.
I believe that not enough drivers make room for emergency vehicles.
This could be addressed through improved teaching and the issuance of fines to errant drivers.
The issue of emergency vehicles waiting at red lights is confusing to me since it is standard practice in other countries to proceed with caution. Why is it different in Singapore?
Even if emergency vehicle transit times here are already competitive, wouldn't the public be served better if emergency vehicles need not wait for green lights?
Jim Simon
