Thai Ambulance Advert

[Boycie]

My Thai's not the best but i think they are trying to get the word across that motorists should make way for Ambulances.

Should be shown on every Thai TV channel until people get the message.

If it saves just one life

I'm hoping that more traffic safety commercials are produced and more lives can be saved.

[Bagwan]

It says a lot about the Thai people, particularly the motoring fraternity, that it is necessary to put this message before them.

How long before some self important pompous prat travels around in a faux ambulance complete with bells and whistles?

[mrtoad]

It really pisses me off when you see the selfish pricks making no room for an ambulance with its lights on. I always pull Over, sadly few do. <deleted>.

[NomadJoe]

It says a lot about the Thai people, particularly the motoring fraternity, that it is necessary to put this message before them.

How long before some self important pompous prat travels around in a faux ambulance complete with bells and whistles?

Good spot.

I have worked in EMS both here and back home. Back home, there are strict protocols as to when an emergency vehicle can use emergency lights and siren (refered to as "code 3" in many jurisdictions). Not yielding to emergency vehicles is an expensive ticket. Here both police and ambulances will run their lights even when not "code 3" and this desensitizes traffic to them. There actually is a law stating you must yield to them. I have seen ambulances (code 3) stuck in Bangkok traffic for 30+ minutes. I had to tell my taxi driver to get out of his way,but he ignored me.

As for your second sentence, at least here in Phuket some 48 seat "VIP" buses run red and blue emergency lights in front with no police escort. It is also not uncommon to see unmarked minivans or pick-ups with red and blue flashing lights in front. The police don't seem to mind.

Edited September 21, 2013 by NomadJoe

[Suradit69]

It says a lot about the Thai people, particularly the motoring fraternity, that it is necessary to put this message before them.

How long before some self important pompous prat travels around in a faux ambulance complete with bells and whistles?

"It says a lot about the Thai people ..."

Try to be serious. People everywhere ignore emergency vehicles or are ignorant regarding what they're supposed to do. And police everywhere are resorting to YouTube to give the public and boot up the butt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZntEoI8xGg

Motorists vs. Ambulances

With red lights flashing and siren blaring, an ambulance weaved in and out of traffic in upper Manhattan recently, racing to get a woman who had suffered a heart attack to St. Luke's Hospital at Amsterdam Avenue and 114th Street.

But a large pickup truck that was double-parked on 113th Street blocked the ambulance's path, and construction workers sitting in the truck refused to move. The paramedics had to remove the critically ill woman from the ambulance and wheel her down 113th Street on a gurney.

''She could have died right there on the spot,'' said Deborah Castronvinci, a 28-year-old paramedic who assisted the patient.

Racing Ahead, Tailing Behind

More and more motorists in New York City are refusing to yield to emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks, transportation and emergency services officials said. They based this assessment on a sharp rise in complaints from paramedics and firefighters.

Instead of clearing fire lanes and pulling to the side of the road as the law requires when an emergency vehicle approaches, many motorists are racing ahead of ambulances and fire trucks or following closely behind them to pass more quickly through traffic.

Edited September 21, 2013 by Suradit69

[Mosha]

Well I thought I'd seen everything, until last week, Going down the highway towards Ranong, and this bloke is flagging the traffic down. In the queue the other way is an ambulance, Blues and 2s going. When he's satisfied the traffic is stopped, he proceeds to guide a large flat bed lorry out. He didn't appear the least concerned.

[NiwPix]

Can someone help me explain something, while we're on this topic.

EVERYTIME I see an ambulance, the red and blue lights are on. And only sometimes do I see/hear the siren on. I asked Thai family and I couldnt get a definite answer. All I know is, if I'm dying, I'm better off driving to the hospital myself than to wait for the ambulance.

My question/assumption:

- Red/blue lights are always on ( do not know the reason ).

- Sirens will be turned on when its an emergency.

[cooked]

In Bangkok people assume an ambulance has its lights on because he wants to get home for tea in time.

In Isaan, certainly not every ambulance has its light flashing. Two days ago a Honda Civic came up behind me and flashed his lights repeatedly to move over although he could see that the other lane was packed with motorcycles. I did so as soon as I could. Comes an ambulance with lights going, I let him go by and he gets stuck behind the Civic who ignores his presence completely.

[stefb1964]

The situation Cooked is describing above just reflects, and I'd nearly dare to say, the general Thai mentality towards respect for another one's life.

Just look at their seemingly poor ability to manage their anger and violent behaviour in a conflict. In a country where the majority says they're Buddhist, I can't figure out where this behaviour comes from.

Anyway, it's 5 to 12 and probably even much later for the educational system to take action and change today's youth as well as the mass...

[robblok]

Part of the problem is corruption, because there is no police force to stop ambulances from turning on the lights and sound if its not a real emergency people assume they will just do it to get past in traffic. If it was clear that this did not happen and sirens really meant a life in danger things might change.

I do like suradit69 his remark because its not uncommon in other countries either.. though I think the probelm is more prevalent here as in the West.

[Benmart]

It will take many years of public service announcements on TV, education in the schools, retraining the police and consequences for failing to yield to emergency vehicles. There also needs to be better regulation as to what constitutes an emergency vehicle to prevent the indiscriminate use of the lights and siren which is ignored today because of misuse. While we are at it, perhaps reinvent the Emergency Medical System which is fragmented and in some cases, non-existent.

[belg]

road courtesy simple does not excist here... welcome to the jungle baby, you gonna dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

yes, i/we give way, most thais : MAI PEN RAI

[tingtongteesood]

Sad to say that due to the crazy superstitious crap they believe in here, if the person in the ambulance is fated to die then they will die regardless of your actions and if they are fated to live then they will live so why even try to get out of the way as it will make no difference ? If they die then they didn't have a good enough magic amulet or tattoo to save them so that is their own fault then...Stupid I know but most people believe this stuff here.

[grimblegrumble]

Can someone help me explain something, while we're on this topic.

EVERYTIME I see an ambulance, the red and blue lights are on. And only sometimes do I see/hear the siren on. I asked Thai family and I couldnt get a definite answer. All I know is, if I'm dying, I'm better off driving to the hospital myself than to wait for the ambulance.

My question/assumption:

- Red/blue lights are always on ( do not know the reason ).

- Sirens will be turned on when its an emergency.

I was always told by the Thai people that only an ambulance with its sirens on was on an emergency call. You see them all the time with lights flashing driving at a sedate pace and touring for accidents.

[jbrain]

Can someone help me explain something, while we're on this topic.

EVERYTIME I see an ambulance, the red and blue lights are on. And only sometimes do I see/hear the siren on. I asked Thai family and I couldnt get a definite answer. All I know is, if I'm dying, I'm better off driving to the hospital myself than to wait for the ambulance.

My question/assumption:

- Red/blue lights are always on ( do not know the reason ).

- Sirens will be turned on when its an emergency.

I was always told by the Thai people that only an ambulance with its sirens on was on an emergency call. You see them all the time with lights flashing driving at a sedate pace and touring for accidents.

Don't get confused between ambulances and the body snatchers. When a motorbike has stumbled into the soft bank od the road and has scratched his knee, at least 4 body snatcher pick ups will come out of each direction with blaring sirenes and jumping red lights.

I once saw when a VIP <deleted> had to pass and all traffic was halted ( just another insane action) an ambulance with sirens on from BHP wanted to pass the traffic light while the road was still empty, and was forcefully stopped by the <deleted> in uniform.

[cpofc]

there you go, just did my nightly run over to tesco express which is becoming a habit since it opened just a few months back. Which is also next door to a big hospital. Coming out and crossing the road, two emergency vehicles with sirens blaring and lights flashing came screaming up the road to do a U Turn back to the hospital and all the oncoming vehicles stopped to let them pass!

The Ad must be working!

[Thai at Heart]

Part of the problem is corruption, because there is no police force to stop ambulances from turning on the lights and sound if its not a real emergency people assume they will just do it to get past in traffic. If it was clear that this did not happen and sirens really meant a life in danger things might change.

I do like suradit69 his remark because its not uncommon in other countries either.. though I think the probelm is more prevalent here as in the West.

Not really. It's a complete inability to have empathy for others. Wondering, "what if that happened to me?" isn't very common here.

Thais will continue to reinvent the wheel until they are told to change it.

[joepattaya1961]

So, there seems to be no law for this:

http://m.bangkokpost.com/news/361329

[trainman34014]

One problem i've noticed is the sirens/warblers on Ambulances in Thailand are nowhere near as loud as on Western emergency vehicles and i don't hear them when i'm inside the car until they are almost next to me. I always give way and some Thai's do but a lot don't. I also note that the Ambulances tend to have their hazard warning lights on as well as blues/reds which is confusing when they are approaching junctions as nobody knows which way they want to go.

Of course; the simple answer is a big illuminated sign on the top saying '' RICH VIP ON BOARD..MOVE OVER ''; you can be sure then that all Thai's would move out of the way immediately !!

[ChrisNW1]

Hi there all

I can speak about this from a Thai perspective and a UK one too.

I work operationaly on ambulances in North Eastern Thailand, where there is one of the few integrated EMS systems in place, however, there is no structured driver training for the volunteer guys in responding to a (what we refer to in the UK) as a Red1 call (life threatening medical condition). Someone mentioned the driving with hazard lights on (annoying but true) and next to useless audible warning systems. All true. All calls seem to be responded to in the same way irrespective of the urgency (or lack thereof) which is not quite right either.

There is no structured driver training (am starting some hazard percpetion training and on the road, road craft training soon though) but worst of all (forgetting the plethora of well meaning volunteers in inadequate PPE standing on the back of a pick up) is the total and complete ignorance of many Thai drivers!

Without education campaigns, this WILL NOT CHANGE. The police seem uninterested. So who will lead this one forward I wonder? The MoPH?

[ChrisNW1]

It really pisses me off when you see the selfish pricks making no room for an ambulance with its lights on. I always pull Over, sadly few do. <deleted>.

There is a problem with the advert though (or more correctly with the ambulance) - where are the 'grill lights' set in the front of the ambulance?

This is where problems arise, and of course, the head lights should ideally have a wig-wag relay fitted too (and then add a decent siren to it and you're halfway there)

Chris

[thamteak]

Used to stay in Silom. Often the traffic police would be in charge of the u-turns etc. Nope. Ambulances with full flashing lights and sirens would not get a way through, the police would continue to wave traffic through and the ambulance would have to wait.

Consider it a lesson in Thai Buddhism.

[Boycie]

This video was posted a few days ago on the Thai news sites. Why don't drivers just pull over?

http://news.tlcthai.com/news/356244.html

Edited August 26, 2014 by Boycie

[thaipod]

What is also annoying is the police in their boxes will not change the lights for an emergency vehicle to get through either. I was at a set of lights and an ambulance was sitting in the traffic with lights flashing and siren blasting for several minutes before the officer changed the light to green and of course nobody would try to move to let it get through.

[kannot]

It says a lot about the Thai people, particularly the motoring fraternity, that it is necessary to put this message before them.

How long before some self important pompous prat travels around in a faux ambulance complete with bells and whistles?

"It says a lot about the Thai people ..."

Try to be serious. People everywhere ignore emergency vehicles or are ignorant regarding what they're supposed to do. And police everywhere are resorting to YouTube to give the public and boot up the butt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZntEoI8xGg

Motorists vs. Ambulances

With red lights flashing and siren blaring, an ambulance weaved in and out of traffic in upper Manhattan recently, racing to get a woman who had suffered a heart attack to St. Luke's Hospital at Amsterdam Avenue and 114th Street.

But a large pickup truck that was double-parked on 113th Street blocked the ambulance's path, and construction workers sitting in the truck refused to move. The paramedics had to remove the critically ill woman from the ambulance and wheel her down 113th Street on a gurney.

''She could have died right there on the spot,'' said Deborah Castronvinci, a 28-year-old paramedic who assisted the patient.

Racing Ahead, Tailing Behind

More and more motorists in New York City are refusing to yield to emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks, transportation and emergency services officials said. They based this assessment on a sharp rise in complaints from paramedics and firefighters.

Instead of clearing fire lanes and pulling to the side of the road as the law requires when an emergency vehicle approaches, many motorists are racing ahead of ambulances and fire trucks or following closely behind them to pass more quickly through traffic.

HA ha Suradit you are so funny, come to the Uk and try doing that..................you really are the ultimate defender of Thailand arent you!

I severly doubt its ANYTHING like the Thai way of not yielding which is probably in the 80-90% range, there are always some morons anywhere but Thailand really is "The Hub" in this case. MOST drivers in America and EUROPE will yield here its a case of MOST drivers wont

Stop defending and state the facts just for ONCE eh?

The video is WAY overhyped, " a man strolling across the road" he was well over the road before the truck got there and this is NOTHING in any way like what you see in Thailand.

Edited August 26, 2014 by kannot

[kannot]

This video was posted a few days ago on the Thai news sites. Why don't drivers just pull over?

http://news.tlcthai.com/news/356244.html

Dont upset Suradit with this the "true" Thai way, there isnt even any traffic for this pratt to easily move over

[kannot]

road courtesy simple does not excist here... welcome to the jungle baby, you gonna dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

yes, i/we give way, most thais : MAI PEN RAI

In the UK we flash out headlights to "let another person go" whats the Thai equivalent????? is there one??

[Kan Win]

This one is for you Boycie from Kan

Win

Edited August 26, 2014 by Kan Win