Don’t Play Chicken With Ambulances

 I could not believe my eyes.

There we were, my husband and I, making a pine straw run at 9 a.m. last Tuesday on Great Neck Road - nothing is more exciting in suburbia in springtime than a lead on fresh mulch - when we heard a distant ambulance siren.

Our heads swiveled, we both checked the car‘s mirrors, we asked each other what we always do at times like that, “Where is it?“ “Do you see it?“

And there it was, coming up from behind with lights flashing and alarm screaming. We eased to the right and slowed down.

Whew. The ambulance flew past and headed toward the next intersection.

It braked and nosed into the crossing. A red light stopped traffic on Great Neck. The siren kept wailing. The ambulance waited.

Sure enough: here came an absolute idiot flying into the crossing from the right and just before the intersection he mashed on the gas and BLEW THROUGH! Right in front of the ambulance. Nearly took its nose off.

What the heck???

There was no way the driver did not see the rescue vehicle. In fact, he wanted to beat it. And he DID.

What is WRONG with people???

Can we all agree that if an ambulance is sounding its alarm and speeding urgently down the street that we should make a PATH? That we should stop and yield the road?

Where is empathy these days? Are people so self-centered that an ambulance siren only translates into personal inconvenience, the slowing of a shopping trip, a delay getting to an appointment, another day arriving late to work?

Seriously?

It‘s an ambulance. A rescue vehicle. Move over. Get out of the way.