Ambulance crashes have increased over the years and are mostly happening in rural areas and across intersections (Sandall et al., 2010). Statistics show that there are over 6,500 ambulance crashes per year as reported by Abdelwanis (2013). EMS providers are at the highest risk of involvement in vehicular accidents than any other first responders. The medical personnel riding in the ambulances are also at the highest risk of injury in that while working at the back of the ambulances they are hardly in restrains that would ensure their safety. The most common characteristics of ambulance crashes include mechanical trouble, weather conditions, fatigue, not using the sirens and emergency lights. Isenberg, Cone and Stiell (2012) state that EMS drivers over the age of 50 are likely to cause more accidents than their younger counterparts. Proper training should be given to drivers of EMS vehicles to not only save the lives of passengers but also the pedestrians and other road users.
Brice et al. (2012) reported ambulance crash that occurred in Pennsylvania at an intersection involving a police car responding to a 911 call at a jewellery store and the emergency vehicle rushing a patient to the hospital. Both ambulances had their sirens blazing and were at high speeds and crashed into each other with the ambulance hitting the police car on the drivers’ side door killing the policeman on impact. Such a crash was caused by ignoring of basic traffic rules (Brice et al., 2012). If it were a non-emergency service vehicle instead of the ambulance, the driver would have slowed down at the intersection to check for oncoming vehicles following the rules of the road. Both sirens were on thus impairing the ability of both drivers to hear the other vehicles siren creating a tricky situation. The volume of the siren should be loud enough to warn other road users and pedestrians of the presence of the Emergency Vehicle. Drucker et al. (2013) note that it is a question of safety first as opposed to quick response, at blind intersections emergency vehicles should slow down and check whether the road is clear.
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Another ambulance related accident happened when the driver of an ambulance ran a red light while the vehicles on the opposite lane had already started moving because when the lights go green, they have the right of way by the time they noticed the ambulance they could not stop to give way. The ambulance hit two private vehicles lost control and flipped over (Brice et al., 2012). The EMS drivers usually speed during emergencies and assume that the siren or the emergency lights will deter other drivers from blocking their paths (Isenberg, Cone, & Stiell, 2012). Such an instance can be attributed to poor judgement on the part of the ambulance driver and lack of the duty of care on the part of the drivers of the private cars. The light turning green does not mean that the driver should not check for oncoming vehicles.
An accident involving a pedestrian standing by the side of the road waiting to cross and a speeding ambulance occurred due to weather condition. It was snowing, and the ambulance veered off the road and hit the pedestrian. The poor design of this vehicle in terms of size, weight and safety features were to blame for this accident because on an interview the EMS driver said that the vehicle lost control when he tried to slow down and skid off the road (Brice et al., 2012). The weather conditions contributed significantly to the accident due to poor visibility and slippery road surface.
Diverse measures have been set to improve the safety of the pedestrians, other road users and the EMS providers. The drivers of the EMS vehicles should be trained in safe but quick service delivery. Assumptions are the common causes of accidents. The drivers assume that the right of way, siren and emergency lights are seen or heard by everyone and become increasingly careless. It should be addressed in training also including knowledge of the routes to be used including dangerous intersections and how to approach them. The drivers should also be trained on the safety procedures to be taken after an accident occurs. Other factors such as proper vehicle maintenance, design, use of emergency lights and signals, avoiding drugs and alcohol, avoiding using mobile devices when driving, working reasonable hours to avoid fatigue and general rules of the road should be the focus of the training. Policymakers can also be of help in that they can reserve some lanes of the road for EMS and educate the public on safety policies while driving.
References
Abdelwanis, N. (2013). Characteristics and Contributing Factors of Emergency Vehicle Crashes . Retrieved from https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1224
Brice, J. H., Studnek, J. R., Bigham, B. L., Martin-Gill, C., Custalow, C. B., Hawkins, E., & Morrison, L. J. (2012). EMS Provider and Patient Safety during Response and Transport: Proceedings of an Ambulance Safety Conference. Prehospital Emergency Care , 16 (1), 3-19.
Drucker, C., Gerberich, S. G., Manser, M. P., Alexander, B. H., Church, T. R., Ryan, A. D., & Becic, E. (2013). Factors associated with civilian drivers involved in crashes with emergency vehicles. Accident Analysis & Prevention , 55 , 116-123.
Isenberg, D., Cone, D. C., & Stiell, I. G. (2012). A simple three-step dispatch rule may reduce lights and sirens responses to motor vehicle crashes. Emerg Med J , 29 (7), 592-595.
Sanddal, T. L., Sanddal, N. D., Ward, N., & Stanley, L. (2010). Ambulance crash characteristics in the US defined by the popular press: a retrospective analysis. Emergency Medicine International , 2010 .
