Ambulance drivers

We complain soo much about Bangalore traffic. How tiring, frustrating, etc it is. Now, lets imagine all of this from the point of view of the ambulance driver. In our case, we lose some time, some energy, and add some frustration. In the case of the ambulance driver, its a life at stake. If for no other reason, all those crazies out there breaking lights, and taking u-turns which end up blocking the entire road, should at least think twice.

Many times I've been stuck in a jam and somewhere behind me I can hear an ambulance. I start freaking out, I really can't stand the thought of an ambulance stuck somewhere. The problem is that the jam extends pretty far to a signal somewhere ahead. And those people can't hear the ambulance. I think we need some kind of a signal. For example a relay of 3 beeps and 1 flashing light or something. That way if I hear the ambulance I can pass on the message to the car in front of me and so forth, until it reaches the front of the jam, and then we can start making way for the ambulance.

I understand this requires a certain amount of education for the drivers (including trucks,buses, etc) but if we give it a shot, and even one person has a better chance, isn't it worth it? And I'm sure theres tons of finetuning that can be considered. Maybe I have no idea of already existing methods in place - for example radioing the police - but obviously, based on simple observations, this isn't working.

I must commend the latest government initiative for round-the-clock ambulance services. All you have to do is call 108. toll-free. All the ambulances have state of the art GPS and GIS systems to help locate the scene of the accident/issue easily. At this stage, 66 ambulances covering 5 districts have been launched, and many more are promised to be on the way.

It's good to know that, however late in the day, there's at least a beginning..