Last week, while on the way home from picking up newspapers at our printer in Maysville, I ran into a situation that made my blood absolutely boil. As an ambulance came up behind me and to my left, in the passing lane of a stretch of four lane road highway (two lanes in each direction), the driver of a tanker truck refused to get over and yield right-of-way.
Other drivers in the passing lane behind the truck moved over to the right, falling into line behind me. I was already in the right lane, and ahead of both the ambulance and the tanker, but I began to fall back, yielding more than adequate space for the tanker truck to get over in front of me as it passed. As the ambulance moved nearer to the tanker, honking their horn to punctuate the sound of their siren and the sight of their flashing lights, I moved onto the shoulder, as far as space would permit, and came to a stop. Other drivers also did the same behind me.
Yet, the driver of the tanker still refused to get over. As we were near an intersection and traffic light, with stopped traffic, it was less practical for the ambulance to pass on the right. However, that’s what the ambulance driver eventually had to do, masterfully threading the needle between the tanker and a line of stopped traffic doing their best to overlap the right lane and the limited width of the shoulder.
Still, the driver of that tanker truck probably cost the ambulance more than a few minutes of time – time that is precious in an emergency situation.
I’m not sure if the ambulance was on its way to an emergency in progress, or if they already had someone in the back and were on their way to a hospital with them.
It doesn’t matter.
The person in the tanker truck was not only inconsiderate, they were breaking the law.
KRS 189.930 defines the need to yield right-of-way to emergency vehicles (rescue, ambulance, fire, or police) and the means to do so, and prohibits either blocking or following emergency vehicles.
Upon seeing the lights and/or hearing the siren of an emergency vehicle approaching within 500 feet, “the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection, and stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.” Unless, that is, you are otherwise directed by a police officer or firefighter.
The statute goes on to explain what a driver should do if approaching an emergency vehicle going in the opposite direction, a stationary emergency vehicle, or even fire department hoses stretched across the roadway.
But what the statute makes abundantly clear is that, no matter the situation or number of lanes, everyone is required to get out of the way and allow emergency vehicles to pass. Drivers should never do anything that would hinder the safe passage of an emergency vehicle.
The actions of the tanker truck driver, however, did hinder the safe passage of an emergency vehicle.
By refusing to abide by the letter of the law – not to mention the tenets of basic human decency – this driver put lives at risk.
Whether it was negligence (e.g. the driver just didn’t notice the sirens or lights because they were invested in something other than the road), or acting with malicious intent, the end result is the same. The driver slowed down an ambulance. They put lives at risk.
And that just isn’t acceptable.
While there isn’t much we can do about it, other than hope the police catch them if they do it again and pray that those lost minutes didn’t mean the difference between life and death for someone’s loved one, we can be aware of how we react in these situations ourselves.
If you find yourself on the road with a fire truck, an ambulance, or police officer approaching you, either from behind or the opposite direction – or find yourself approaching their stationary vehicle – just slow down and get over. Let them pass you, or pass them with the utmost care if they aren’t moving or moving in the opposite direction.
Because you never know when someone else’s life might just depend on it. And none of those precious minutes you shave off your driving time are worth that risk.
