Ambulance trapped again! When are the government, police, courts - someone - going to do something!

[snoop1130]

Ambulance trapped again! When are the government, police, courts - someone - going to do something!

 

 

Frustrated posters on Facebook are fed up with reading stories about selfish drivers refusing to pull over for ambulances.

 

So much so that the Thai public is questioning why someone doesn't do something decisive.

 

They are asking: Why don't the police, the government, the courts act to end this state of affairs?

 

With almost half a dozen cases in the news in recent weeks - including when patients in the ambulances died - the Thai public have had enough of the selfishness. 

 

In the latest case an old man was being taken to Ratchathewi hospital in Bangkok for an operation.

 

A Honda was filmed almost playing cat and mouse with the driver of the ambulance.

 

The poster asked him sarcastically if he thought it was some kind of race that he wanted to win by pretending to pull over and brake.

 

Some posters questioned why the siren was not on.

 

The driver said that they did not always put the siren on - that would be unnecessarily disturbing for the public and residents.

 

He also countered claims that he should undertake on the left - he said that doing this puts the patient and equipment like drips and vital signs' monitoring devices at unnecessary risk of problems and damage.

 

He just implored drivers to show some politeness - and get out of the way of emergency vehicles. 

 

But it was the frustrations of posters on Facebook that came through most. 

 

They are as fed up with the do-nothing authorities as much as the irresponsible drivers hindering the ambulances.

 

 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/McVespaGreeniiz/posts/1672199209482471

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-5-17

[poanoi]

public circumcision without sedation,

and in case the suspect is already circumcised, -castration !

[Artisi]

 Bull sh1t, there was plenty of room and it appears not too much traffic to allow the ambulance driver to slowly and easily change lanes to the left and pass the car. 

[stud858]

I vote for German engineers to take over infrastructure and offices by invitation .  Those guys are fast,  precise and efficient organisers that won't tolerate sub standard. 

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed. 

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

When are the government, police, courts - someone - going to do something!

Answer: NEVER! (Why do they always have to make it so simple)

[anon789561]

this might sound unbelievable but think mobile phone. i'm not sure that driver even knew the ambulance was behind them. as soon as he flashed his headlights and put the siren on across they went.

[wwest5829]

Perhaps a big leap but courts refusing "defamation" cases where the offending driver's car and license plate is clearly shown on social media and the police can use as evidence to fine the driver? I cannot seem to get a handle on why Thailand persists on "defamation" if an accusation is true. Slander or Libel, as I was taught seems reasonable. Only if an accusation is false do you get penalty damages awarded.

[sammieuk1]

Make them all swim in the sea and feed them to the rocks.

[selftaopath]

The world will never understand "Thainess." 

[stanleycoin]

He should not be driving a rescue vehicle,  his crap at it.

Just one more , 3 minute hero,  on the internet.

Wonder how he drives in his own car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[473geo]

Mentioned in the report by Thai drivers, "why did the ambulance not undertake"? The curse of regular accepted undertaking as part of Thai driving, as far as Thai driving goes, there was clear space to undertake on the inside, therefore the car in front could well assume was not delaying the ambulance. Only when the headlights were flashed as in 'I want to come through' did the driver then understand the ambulance would not 'undertake'

[Wallander4]

Nothing will happen until a high ranked army officer or politician is lying in the ambulance ...

[Juan B Tong]

The government is doing something to solve this problem for high ranked army officers and politicians.

 

It's approving medivac flights.

 

(Are emergency drivers required to tailgate?)

 

 

[rkidlad]

Unfortunately, the government are really busy serving themselves at the moment. Maybe you could try the RTP:

 

[yellowboat]

The driver could be drunk.   It also seemed the ambulance could pass on the right, but that is no excuse for the drivers poor judgment.  

 

When stopped and vehicles block my way, I tap on the window and ask them to politely move.  Rarely is there ever an altercation. 

[leither69]

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Make them all swim in the sea and feed them to the rocks.

When did rocks start to eat!! Have i missed an evolutionary event?

[BEVUP]

12 hours ago, Artisi said:

 Bull sh1t, there was plenty of room and it appears not too much traffic to allow the ambulance driver to slowly and easily change lanes to the left and pass the car. 

& that's what looked like the car was hinting

& then you have no siren on 

 

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

Mentioned in the report by Thai drivers, "why did the ambulance not undertake"? The curse of regular accepted undertaking as part of Thai driving, as far as Thai driving goes, there was clear space to undertake on the inside, therefore the car in front could well assume was not delaying the ambulance. Only when the headlights were flashed as in 'I want to come through' did the driver then understand the ambulance would not 'undertake'

All true but, the car drivers shouldn't really be hogging the right hand lane in the first place.

It's the ' I have a big fast car so I must drive it in the fast lane ' attitude.

[Monomial]

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

Mentioned in the report by Thai drivers, "why did the ambulance not undertake"? The curse of regular accepted undertaking as part of Thai driving, as far as Thai driving goes, there was clear space to undertake on the inside, therefore the car in front could well assume was not delaying the ambulance. Only when the headlights were flashed as in 'I want to come through' did the driver then understand the ambulance would not 'undertake'

 

I think much of this has to do with lack of education. Even the word "undertake" has no real meaning. In the USA for example, that is not even a word. You can overtake on the left, or overtake on the right. "Undertake" implies an absolute restriction on relative traffic speeds. While this may be relevant for the German Autobahn, it is merely a convention in most places that passing should be done on the right if possible when on a multilane highway. It is certainly completely acceptable behavior when there are multiple lanes to pass on the right in most states of the USA, and it is acceptable here in Thailand to pass on the left.

 

So if you come up behind me on a multilane road, fell free to overtake me on the left. I won't be offended. I will be offended if you demand me to move because you are too lazy to change lanes. Again, this is a cultural expectation. Treat it is as such. If I was in Germany, I would not pass on the right. I'm not in Germany, so I need to consider how other road users feel in Thailand.

 

Turning left on a red light is another flash point. Let's not get started on that either. Short answer, it is legal in Thailand unless otherwise marked, so do it. Everyone expects you to.

 

As for the ambulance driver, most Thai drivers believe that if the siren isn't on, then it is not an emergency. Too many emergency vehicles drive with just their lights on and no siren when it is not an emergency because they feel it is "safer", so Thais have adjusted to believe that if the siren isn't on, there is no emergency. The government needs to strictly enforce the idea that ambulances can never drive with their lights on if there is not an actual emergency, and that "annoying" people with a siren is a ridiculous excuse not to turn it on. The ambulance drivers are as much to blame for this state of affairs as the Thai public, and only a concerted educational campaign can resolve the issue.

 

Look at how different everyone on this board sees the simple problem of passing a car. And none of us are Thai. Imagine how the supposedly uneducated Thai drivers must feel when presented with conflicting opinions.

 

 

 

[Pilotman]

This is a big generalisation, but I have never known a people who have so little regard for others, so little spacial awareness and who do not forward plan on anything, including driving.  I was involved some years back with Thai fighter pilots at a fighter meet in the US, apart from one notable exception, they were uniformly  below average and I now see why.  Its a National trait.  

[shady86]

Rear view mirror is missing, so he did not know what was behind.

[overherebc]

7 minutes ago, shady86 said:

Rear view mirror is missing, so he did not know what was behind.

Girl friend/wife using it to check hair/makeup/zits/blackheads?

[essox essox]

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Make them all swim in the sea and feed them to the rocks.

NO!! make them go swim off hua hin....let the skarks bite their body.....then put them in ambulance and see if THEY like all the blood pouring out of them, as ambulance tries to take them to hospital but can not get there quick due to Thai drivers NOT letting the ambulance through !!

[hansnl]

It all boils down to mentality.

End of discussion.

[essox essox]

Just now, hansnl said:

It all boils down to mentality.

End of discussion.

very true.............a frog has more brains that thai drivers on the roads....

[essox essox]

43 minutes ago, leither69 said:

When did rocks start to eat!! Have i missed an evolutionary event?

just what I thought.....how can rocks eat any kind of matter....the poster has NO BRAIN !!

[Borzandy]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

When are the government, police, courts - someone - going to do something!

Never, they have a seat and they want to enjoy it.

[essox essox]

29 minutes ago, Monomial said:

 

I think much of this has to do with lack of education. Even the word "undertake" has no real meaning. In the USA for example, that is not even a word. You can overtake on the left, or overtake on the right. "Undertake" implies an absolute restriction on relative traffic speeds. While this may be relevant for the German Autobahn, it is merely a convention in most places that passing should be done on the right if possible when on a multilane highway. It is certainly completely acceptable behavior when there are multiple lanes to pass on the right in most states of the USA, and it is acceptable here in Thailand to pass on the left.

 

So if you come up behind me on a multilane road, fell free to overtake me on the left. I won't be offended. I will be offended if you demand me to move because you are too lazy to change lanes. Again, this is a cultural expectation. Treat it is as such. If I was in Germany, I would not pass on the right. I'm not in Germany, so I need to consider how other road users feel in Thailand.

 

Turning left on a red light is another flash point. Let's not get started on that either. Short answer, it is legal in Thailand unless otherwise marked, so do it. Everyone expects you to.

 

As for the ambulance driver, most Thai drivers believe that if the siren isn't on, then it is not an emergency. Too many emergency vehicles drive with just their lights on and no siren when it is not an emergency because they feel it is "safer", so Thais have adjusted to believe that if the siren isn't on, there is no emergency. The government needs to strictly enforce the idea that ambulances can never drive with their lights on if there is not an actual emergency, and that "annoying" people with a siren is a ridiculous excuse not to turn it on. The ambulance drivers are as much to blame for this state of affairs as the Thai public, and only a concerted educational campaign can resolve the issue.

 

Look at how different everyone on this board sees the simple problem of passing a car. And none of us are Thai. Imagine how the supposedly uneducated Thai drivers must feel when presented with conflicting opinions.

 

 

 

english definition of the WORD UNDERTAKE

British 

• Catch up with and pass (another vehicle) while travelling on the inside.

   

  this is from the oxford english dictionary

[Sydebolle]

Confiscate the car, auction it off and use the revenue for welfare while the driver can enjoy the auctioning on TV during the three months stay at Bangkok Finest. 
Should the patient die, its first degree murder as the flash lights (in all cases I've seen) were on. 

Go figure how long it takes Khon Thai to put the godforsaken selfishness aside - for once!