Obnoxious traffic

[king_pellinor]

On the way in to work today I was merging in turn, as a slip road from the motorway joined an A road (a horribly complicated junction where four lanes of traffic need to re-organise into four new lanes in the space of 100 yards), when I noticed a large white van was being very aggressive and trying to push past me.  I was about to get all outraged when I realised that it had blue flashing lights on (barely visible, it was so close), and was in fact an ambulance that had snuck up past the lorry behind me all silently.

You know, I was under the impression that these things were fitted with some sort of loud noise-making device specifically to alert drivers in this exact situation.  Had I known there was an emergency vehicle nearby, I'd have hung back on the slip road and he'd have been an awful lot quicker getting past me, not to mention everyone else. 

Why oh why oh why was the driver not using his siren?  I know he had one, it went off for about half a second as it clambered on down the road.  Madness!  The world is going to pot!!

Comments

[adaese.livejournal.com]

Ambulances sometimes use lights but no siren if the patient inside needs to be protected from stress, for example in heart attack cases. The sound of sirens blaring can do more damage than the extra few minutes saved on the journey time. When Wellinghall got rushed to hospital in an ambulance, after his collapse ten years ago, the ambulance didn't use a siren.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

Oh, that makes sense. It might explain why when he did use the siren it was a very short squark, as one might use a horn.

Curses, my righteous indignance is fading... ;-)

[adaese.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry - righteous indignation is such fun, too.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

Yes, isn't it?

Mind you, some people go around dispelling it! Really, the effrontery...! ;-)

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

I wondered about that - but when I accompanied my colleague to hospital while he was having a heart attack that the paramedics told him "was probably the worst case they'd see today"***, I was sitting next to him thinking "bloody hell, that's a lot of sirens all around us, has there been some kind of terrorist attack right when we need to get to the Heart Hospital?" and only then realised it was us.

*** Admittedly, it doesn't sound like these were the kind of paramedics who were trying to protect the patient from stress.

[adaese.livejournal.com]

Thinking about it, I wonder if it also has something to do with the kind of road you're on? You probably need to make all the noise you can to force your way through urban traffic, whereas on a multi-lane A-road or motorway, the siren doesn't make as much difference. Wellinghall's trip was almost entirely down the M1, the hospital being right next to the junction.

Your trip sounds *Fun*. Ambulance rides are wasted on the people inside them!

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

It was kind of fun, except for the being a hypochondriac in an ambulance with a much-liked colleague having a heart attack right next to me part...