High speeds to blame for ambulance crashes

[webfact]

High speeds to blame for ambulance crashes

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

DRIVERS of ambulances and other medical emergency vehicles have come under scrutiny in a recent study by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) aimed at preventing the risk of them being involved in crashes.

 

The NIEM survey created to raise public awareness and promote safety standards found that emergency vehicles were the ones crashing into other vehicles in 67.8 per cent of accidents. 

 

In 110 such accidents since 2016, there were 318 casualties and 129 of the people injured were medical personnel. Eighty per cent of the collisions took place while patients were being transported to hospital, the survey found.

 

Ambulance drivers are allowed to exceed the speed limit in accordance with the Institute’s policy of delivering effective aid to critically injured people within eight minutes, the crucial amount of time in ensuring their best chance of survival. 

 

However, the urgency of their responses increases the risk of road accidents. 

 

The NIEM assigned Dr Napatsawan Patcharatanasan to lead a research team studying the risk and the prevalence of traffic accidents. 

 

The survey was conducted in Chon Buri and included 199 selected emergency drivers from a private hospital and three rescue foundations. Most were men with an average age of 36.7 years. 

 

About one third of the drivers said they drank alcohol on average 2.2 times per week, while 48.7 per cent drank 1.6 cups of coffee a day and 35.7 per cent drank 1.2 bottles of energy drinks a day. 

 

Ten per cent of the drivers said they slept less than six hours a day and 43.2 per cent said they didn’t exercise regularly.

 

Forty-two drivers had been involved in 56 ambulance crashes, of which 67.8 per cent involved the ambulances striking other vehicles. The study listed contributing factors that included human error, the poor state of their vehicles and the conditions where accidents happened.

 

The drivers who had been involved in accidents said 67.8 per cent of the crashes took place between 8pm and midnight and at speeds between 81 and 100 kilometres per hour.

 

Recent ambulance crashes prompted the Public Health Ministry to earlier this month announce that a regulation barring ambulances in non-emergency referral cases from exceeding 80kmh would be more strictly enforced. 

 

Besides road accidents, emergency-vehicle personnel also faced other health threats, the study noted.

 

These threats included exposure to patients’ possibly infected blood, heavy lifting, being hit by sharp objects, physical assault and mental stress.

 

Ambulance personnel, it was estimated, had a 16.2 per cent higher chance of suffering extreme mental stress than other kinds of healthcare providers. 

 

NIEM deputy secretary-general Dr Sanchai Chasombat said that the agency, recognising the importance of preparedness in significantly reducing injury in ambulance crashes, had set safety standards and guidelines for emergency-vehicle personnel. 

 

It decided that vehicles should have all the required equipment and proper seating for staff, plus safety belts for both staff and patients. 

 

Personnel must undergo continuous training in on-board safety and drivers have to be checked regularly for sobriety, physical conditioning and safe driving skills. 

 

The condition of their vehicles also needed to be routinely assessed, Sanchai said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368563

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-30

[stanleycoin]

Oh my, oh my.

Idiots behind the wheels of some rescue vehicles

Most surprising indeed.  

[bdenner]

I have 1st hand experience with these idiots. Last January I was being transferred 5 km from one hospital to another in Udon Thani (non critical) and had to yell at the driver to slow down after the attendant (nurse) refused to act on my request. Calling him "ba ba bor bor" (effin idiot) got his attention.

[a977]

Of course it would have nothing to do with the other drivers Thai mentality of me first! 

[Tayaout]

This cannot happen in Bangkok since nobody give them priority of passage. 

[canopy]

It's not the speed itself but that an awful lot of thai drivers don't get out of the way that makes it dangerous. You have to remember so many thai drivers have never studied the rules of the road, never took a driving test. Just paid 500 baht for a license and have absolutely no idea what you are supposed to do when an ambulance approaches from behind.

 

[Basil B]

Do "Blue Light" drivers have to do any advanced driving course?

 

And first thing Ambulance drivers must know is every other driver is an idiot   ...AS WELL.

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

High speeds to blame for

most crashes.  Being an ambulance driver is a dream job for most Thais; it's like a licence to kill.

[notasmartassknowitallfarag]

Ambulances can crash anywhere in the world, but I would suspect the average to be a lot higher here.  

[DoctorG]

32 minutes ago, notasmartassknowitallfarag said:

Ambulances can crash anywhere in the world, but I would suspect the average to be a lot higher here.  

Very true, but it is interesting to compare them to more civilized places where the EV will slow and crawl through red light intersections and how most other vehicles will do their utmost to accommodate the free passage of the EV.

Edited April 30, 2019 by DoctorG

[Geoffggi]

All emergency drivers should have to pass an advanced drivers test - Just a suggestion !!!!

[Peterbkk99]

I gave priority to a speeding ambulance with flashing lights last week.

A few hundred meters later the ambulance slowed down to park. Apparently there was no patient inside and they were not going to pick up one either. 

[moonseeker]

4 weeks ago being transferred to BKK from Pattaya for emergency surgery. Being chased at speeds up to 140 kmh nonstop by <deleted>..... idiots fighting for pool position right behind ambulance with often less than 15m distance. Absolutely incredible and the nurse driving with us confirmed, always like this. People stupid. Enough said. MS>

[Cereal]

Recent ambulance crashes prompted the Public Health Ministry to earlier this month announce that a regulation barring ambulances in non-emergency referral cases from exceeding 80kmh would be more strictly enforced. 

 

How, exactly, are they going to enforce this? Are cops gonna pull over every speeding ambulance and open it up to see if there's an injured person in the back and ascertain whether that person in injured to the extent that speeding to the hospital is warranted by the ambulance driver?

 

It decided that vehicles should have all the required equipment and proper seating for staff, plus safety belts for both staff and patients. 

 

It absolutely boggles my mind that this needs to be discussed at all.

 

????

 

 

[Number 6]

Obviously not in Bangkok where the ambulances get stuck in traffic and people die in transit to hospital. But whatever.

[Sonhia]

Yet again, aggressive, me first,  I'm Thai, up to me, I do what I like, when I like and how I like, negative attitude.

 

The mind set is not there to be civil. Critical thinking is lacking.

 

Over head wires are a good example of how bad critical thinking is as with Thai driving skills, or the lack of it.

 

Greedy, me first attitudes.

 

The saying goes, 'less hast, more speed!

 

 

 

[Bob12345]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The NIEM survey created to raise public awareness and promote safety standards found that emergency vehicles were the ones crashing into other vehicles in 67.8 per cent of accidents. 

Let me explain this with some logic so the NIEM doesn't have to fund more expensive research...

 

As ambulances are the ones going with above average speeds to be at a place of emergency faster, it is much more likely for them to crash into slower vehicles than the other way around. It does not happen often that a car going slower than you crashes into you from behind as they are going slower and therefore not coming closer by to be able to crash into you. Its quite logic when you think about it... lol

[RobMuir]

A lot of people here slagging off the good volunteers.

 

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

most crashes.  Being an ambulance driver is a dream job for most Thais; it's like a licence to kill.

Really? A dream job? More the stuff of nightmares.

Thais like killing people on the road? 

 

 

 

If I was bleeding out on the side of the road I would appreciate them risking their lives and coming as fast as they can. 

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

All emergency drivers should have to pass an advanced drivers test - Just a suggestion !!!!

All Thais should pass an advanced driving test as the current one is not a driving test at all.

[CGW]

"Ambulances" or "body snatchers" most are the later. big difference to the west yet many like to consider them in the same light as their "home" country ????

[Khun Paul]

Two things spring to mind immediately, Thai Emergency drivers are not taught to drive in the first place and they receive to my knowledge ZERO training for driving at speeds, therefore you have the uneducated and poorly trained people driving.

Secondly Thai public do not give space to any emergency vehicles not even the Police. 

 

So unmtil Thai CVulture changes, enforcement carried out and training given there will be ZERO change, I just hope to god I am not in one of those vehicles in an emergency .

 

[saigonsunset]

What about the insane system that often health services are competing against one another as to who gets to load up the patient and taking them to the hospital? They are speeding to the scene of an accident just to be first which is asking for trouble giving traffic condition and driving ability. What is the logic behind such sytem also seen with public buses (in Bangkok at least)? Too much money to be made I guess ...

[mok199]

These drivers are the same children with the loud modified scooter that we all ''love so much'', they just had connections..

[pogal]

13 minutes ago, CGW said:

"Ambulances" or "body snatchers" most are the later. big difference to the west yet many like to consider them in the same light as their "home" country ????

You are wrong.

Ambulances and coroners vehicles are very different. 

 

There is no such thing as a Body Snatcher. There are paid personnel (coroners) who do the work although they are private organizations who register with the police. 

It is illegal for a rescue worker to touch a dead body (unless checking to see if they are actually dead or not). Rescue workers/ems staff may "assist" coroners only after police are on scene and a government doctor has examined the body. This takes from 1~3 hours. 

It is illegal for EMS staff/volunteers to drive fast to the scene of a suspected death. 

 

Ambulances and rescue vehicles are not permitted to carry dead bodies unless requested by government authorities in extreme situations such as Tsunami. 

 

99% of rescue workers are trained "first responders" (some are even doctors who volunteer in their free time). Less than 1% of volunteers are dedicated to assisting police/coroners in the transportation, fingerprinting, and photographing of the deceased. 

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, canopy said:

You have to remember so many thai drivers have never studied the rules of the road, and have absolutely no idea what you are supposed to do when an ambulance approaches from behind.

Nothing to do with rules. It's just the lack of common sense. Offenders should have their vehicles confiscated.

[CGW]

40 minutes ago, pogal said:

You are wrong.

Ambulances and coroners vehicles are very different. 

Are you sure about your facts - as I am?

Coroner vehicles? what country are you talking about, I am talking about Thailand, the "body snatchers" have been around in Thailand for a lot longer than I have and I have been here well over 30 years.

"With sirens blaring and lights flashing, Bangkok’s fearless body snatchers careen through traffic to morbid disaster sites where they seize fresh human corpses to pack in mustard-colored coffins for yet another profitable cremation."

"In many places across Thailand, body collectors flock to horrific crash sites, major fires and anywhere else people might be bleeding, sprawled, dismembered or burnt after a suicide, illness, crime, accident, drowning or other tragedy."

More? 

[essox essox]

3 hours ago, canopy said:

It's not the speed itself but that an awful lot of thai drivers don't get out of the way that makes it dangerous. You have to remember so many thai drivers have never studied the rules of the road, never took a driving test. Just paid 500 baht for a license and have absolutely no idea what you are supposed to do when an ambulance approaches from behind.

 

i would like to know just who is actually qualified to pass any thai driver.....IF HE TAKES a driving test...if I were the examiner I doubt if I would PASS any....

[RotBenz8888]

They shouldn't play those video games on their spare time, i don't think they're able to distinguish between game world and reality.

[CGW]

3 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

They shouldn't play those video games on their spare time, i don't think they're able to distinguish between game world and reality.

Thats a good point, though same in most countries, my generation - once TV was invented were indoctrinated with mindless violence of another form - cartoons, Thai kids spend many hours stuck in front of a TV watching the "acceptable" violence they portray.

[connda]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

High speeds to blame for ambulance crashes

Most Thai drivers don't know how to drive nor do they understand the bare minimum, basic driving skills that it takes to drive defensively and safely.  It's just "push the pedal to the metal" and "ignore the lines in the road and drive like a maniac."  So, driving an ambulance doesn't impart special skills to the driver; the driver needs to have developed driving skill before getting behind the wheel.  So the high number of accidents simply are a symptom of the inability to drive in the first place.  The drivers are driving beyond their ability to control the vehicle - as most Thais do.