The first time I went to New York City was in 2002, not long after the first anniversary of September 11th. One evening I was in the back of a cab, headed to the Lower East Side from my hotel in Midtown. I heard a siren approaching from behind, and noticed the cars around us pulling over to the side of the road. My cab driver, however, kept driving. “These emergency guys think they own the road!” The cabbie was a stereotypical hack-driver, and while I wanted to say, “Um, they kind of do own the road,” I was too intimidated by his New York-ness to reply. As the ambulance sped by, I remembered the emergency personnel that rushed to Ground Zero, and I wrote my cabbie off as a total asshole.
Almost two years later, New York City was hosting the Republican National Convention. I’d been living in Manhattan for almost a year at that point, and because I was totally broke I hadn’t been able to leave town during the convention like most of my coworkers. My bus route to work was a disaster. The NYPD had closed off lanes of traffic on many of the larger streets to create emergency lanes, and there were traffic check points all over. The emergency lanes were necessary – since that first trip to New York, I’d seen fewer and fewer drivers pull over for police and fire vehicles. I’d lost count of how many times I’d sat on a bus, staring out the window at a frustrated ambulance driver. As the daughter of a police officer, I felt badly for them – they were just trying to do their jobs.
I’d never thought about the person in the back of the ambulance until the day Madeline was born. She needed to be transferred to a better hospital four miles away, and she was going to be taken there via ambulance. There are times in Los Angeles where going four miles can take as long as going forty, but the transport team assured us that it wouldn’t take them long. It was a Sunday, Veteran’s Day, and it was after eight pm. “Besides,” one of them told me, “we have the lights and siren.” After they wheeled Madeline away I was taken to the postpartum unit to recover. My room just so happened to overlook the ambulance bay. I heard her ambulance’s siren go on, and I listened to it drive away, the siren slowly dimming with distance. I willed every car on the road to get out of its way.
The day before Maddie died she and I were taken from her pediatrician’s office to the ER via ambulance. The paramedic in the back of the ambulance was chatty. I told him how I rarely saw cars get out of the way of ambulances in New York. He shook his head and told me that in his experience at least half the cars didn’t pull over. I was appalled. The driver of our ambulance used the siren to go through intersections, but I was too focused on Maddie to notice if cars were pulling over.
The exact same transport team that moved Maddie to the better hospital on the day she was born came to transport her on the day that she died. They arrived too late to help, even though I begged them to save her like they had once before. I wondered later how long it had taken them to arrive. It was a Tuesday night, during rush hour. Had all the cars pulled out of their way? Would those cars have moved to the side if they’d known the lights and sirens were for a sick baby? What if the team had arrived sooner?
We live rather close to a hospital now. Helicopters going to and from the hospital fly over us every few days, but I see or hear an ambulance daily. I always stop what I’m doing (or pull over if I’m driving), and will every possible delay out of the way of the ambulance. I hope with all my heart that they get to where they need to be in time.
Jana from Germany says:
I can not understand people not pulling over. We all are lucky to live in a country with ambulances and they are there to save people. And even if for once the use of the sirens is just a joke 99.9 percent of the time it is no joke it is saving a life. I always move for sirens even when I am on a bike (very normal in my small student town here in Germany).
Lauren says:
I find it incredible that anyone would do that! Here in Australia it is still very much expected that you get out of the way when you hear sirens, everyone definitely does their best to adhere to that. Though recently I found myself in a situation where I needed to change lanes to get out of the way for an ambulance, and the very young driver next to me chose that as the time to rev her engine to try and try to stop me from getting in front of her. Of all the times to do that!!
Natalie says:
How upsetting. It’s never crossed my mind that people would not listen to the sirens and move out of the way. When I was learning to drive, I was always taught to pull over immediately. I mean, how could you not spare 10 seconds out of your day to pull over and possibly save the life of another. There is no where important enough that takes precedent over where that ambulance may be going.
TamaraL says:
I just cannot fathom NOT pulling over for any emergency vehicle. In my city, it seems to me that most people do pull over…but I don’t live in a really big city. New York cab drivers scare me (to the point of taking dramamine for motion sickness, ugh) but the fact that they can be jerks about something so important really scares (and saddens) me.
Jackie S. says:
I worked as an EMT for many years before getting my degree in Emergency/Disaster Management. Luckily, I lived in rural Michigan at the time, and even when people didn’t pull over there was still rarely any traffic problems. Lights and sirens are never a joke. Most states or counties have pretty strict rules about when and how they can be used. If you see the lights or hear the sirens, please know that it is a true emergency!
I live in the D.C. area now, and it absolutely sickens me how most people refuse to pull over for an ambulance. I’ve seen them, lights and sirens going, stuck in rush hour traffic trying to get to the scene of an accident.
Most of us (Emergency Personnel) try not to take loss personally, but it’s sooo hard when you know that it could have been prevented. When you’re working on an ambulance, you learn that seconds count. I wish more people understood that, and were more respectful and empathetic towards what we do. You never know- it could be someone dear to you that we are trying to help.
Mary Ann says:
I cannot possible understand what is soooooo importatant that you can’t spare the time to pull over and let an emergency vehicle pass. It drives me insane! It amazes me how many people don’t pull over I see it all the time.
Molly says:
I’ve always pulled over. I was an EMT for a while in the ‘burbs and in NYC, so I always pull over. Since my dad’s stroke though, I also have a silent [panic attack. The lights and sirens make me so damn nervous now. Does that ever go away?
Brooke says:
That is awful. I live in rural Virginia and have never seen a car not pull over for an ambulance. I would have never thought to do so. How disheartening.
Casey says:
I live in VA too and was thinking the same thing – can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone NOT pull over (thank goodness). I don’t know what people are thinking when they don’t – hope this post is a good educational tool for folks who don’t pull over. It’s against the law, and it could make the difference in whether someone lives. Common sense people – move over!!
jj says:
I cannot fathom not pulling over. Here I feel guilty because I don’t STOP I just slow down and pull way off to the side. I notice that people will try to pass others once the siren has gone by.. what the F is wrong with those people? Possibly that’s why they don’t move in the city, not that this makes it any better, but there are a lot of petty, territorial assholes out there.
Marsha says:
In Illinois it is a state law to yield and pull over for emergency vehicles and it should be that way in EVERY state! Plus they need to radio in plate numbers of cars that do not yield to them and force delays!!!!!!!! Law enforcement needs to punish/fine to the max when this happens!
The people who do not yield…….god forbid when they need the use of an emergency vehicle……..will be the FIRST ones to complain “What took you so long to get here”
PLEASE everyone from a nurses view and former EMT’s plea…….those vehicles are not out for a joy ride….someone is in need so pull over for them!
I cannot tell you how many times we were literally just a few minutes to late to save someones life and it is heartbreaking to have that on our shoulders.
karen says:
We live in England and my husband is a Paramedic. It happens lots over here but there are laws saying you must not obstruct an emergency vehicle. They arent used often but they do exist. We also have new laws about assaulting emergency workers. The daft thing is that an ambulance is not classed as an emergency vehicle but an ‘essential’, its to do with pay structures and retirement age basically!
One day I pulled into a bus lane to allow an ambulance pass and was caught on the bus lane camera and fined. Apparently, according the enforcing council, moving over for an ambulance was not a reasonable excuse. We went to appeal and won. But it just goes to show that even when you have laws to make sure emergency vehicles can pass it isnt easy to make it happen!
Becca says:
I had no idea it was common practice not to pull over….
wow.. that’s so disappointing.
susan says:
I’m a 911 dispatcher – if everyone would put shoe on other foot when they see/hear emergency vehicles and think what if that were my loved one…….
Stacy says:
It’s a law in MN that you pull over and STOP, too, but just last week, I saw cars not pull over for three police cars with lights and sirens blaring. They were obviously on their way to something when it happened, so I pulled over and stopped and was so angry to see people not doing the same. I often think how I hope there never comes a time when the lives of those who refuse to move over and stop depend on the other drivers following the law. My thought process is if I would want it done for me or my loved ones, then I will do the same for other people.
Kristen says:
I had the same exact experience on the 101 in On the San Francisco peninsula. We were taking my unconscious son to the hospital after a 15 minute seizure. It was 3 pm, I was riding in the front on the ambulance, and even though we were full lights and siren, the driver kept having to drive on the shoulder. Besides worrying about my son, I spent most of the trip willing te cars ahead of us to move over. It makes my blood boil every time I see an ambulance and people feuding to pull over.
Vicky says:
I’m in Orlando, and while I have seen a few cars pull over, the great majority of them do. In fact, they don’t just pull over onto the side, they will pull in medians, ditches, anywhere they have to in order to get out of the way.
I too had to have my child transported via ambulance for a life threatening medical problem, and would never dream of not pulling over. If those lights are on, its an emergency.
Trisha says:
I am also in the Orlando area and with Florida implementing the Move Over law for emergency vehicles, it has drastically improved. I still see cars occasionally keep going but even on the interstate most people try to move over if they can and they slow down so that the ambulance or police cruiser can have the right of way.
I just wish I could see a little more enforcement of it with the police when asshats don’t get out of the way when they obviously can.
Sue says:
It’s certainly a law here in Florida that you have to pull over, but I never see, or hear, of anyone getting a ticket for not doing so.
Rory says:
Yep, I always pull over and don’t understand why people don’t. Like someone else further up mentioned, I find I get teary and a slight panic attack feeling whenever I hear a siren lately.
Carrie says:
My kids and I have a ambulance ritual where we pull over and silently say a prayer for the patient. We are not overly religious but it makes us feel a little better and hopeful that they’ll make it to the hospital in time.
Shannon says:
Always always always pull over..I’ve been the lady in the ambulance with the baby not knowing what the hell was gonna happen.
Lisa says:
It makes me so mad when I see people not get out of the way of ambulances. I always get out of the way and will always get out of the way. Love and hugs sweetie.
Jamie says:
my husband is a firefighter in your town. You wouldn’t believe some of the stories. Lots of people don’t pull over. Lots of people also call 911 for things that take away from the true emergencies- like a hummingbird in their house. I consider that to be a complete waste of community resources and taking away from the care of someone who truly needs it.
Pattie says:
I always pull over/get out of the way for emergency vehicles. It angers me beyond belief when my fellow drivers don’t do the same. Like you, I always hope the patient inside gets to the hospital in time to be helped. Helping them get there a little bit faster is the least I (and everyone else) can do.
Brandy says:
I lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro for 12 years and was astounded to learn that people don’t pull over for emergency vehicles on the Generally, when in town people DID pull over, but it wasn’t a guarantee. I’m really glad to be back in a smaller community now where people respect those flashing lights and sirens. And, at the age of 37, it still breaks my heart everytime one goes by and I hope that whoever is riding in the back makes it in time.
Deirdre says:
I’ve noticed this growing trend of people not pulling over too and I can’t wrap my head around it. What if it was you in that ambulance? Or your mother? Or your child? Wouldn’t you want *everyone* to pull over? EMTs, police officers and firefighters aren’t exactly known for joyriding with the lights and sirens on just for fun, so get the hell out of their way. I, too, am the daughter of a cop so certain things were instilled in me, but that people don’t move out of the way of an ambulance just seems like basic common sense and courtesy. Who would want that kind of bad karma?
Jenn says:
Three years ago, I watched an ambulance pull away with my husband after watching the paramedics bring him back to life. He was in such bad shape, they asked a friend to bring me along behind them. We live in a small town near a larger city in the Upper South. The little hospital is barely three minutes away and it was early in the afternoon. To this day, I see “our” ambulance and I wish and pray for every single person in the ambulance and all the ambulances. We have always pulled over for them..and now, I thank the powers-that-be that I live somewhere were people pull over and get out of the way. Seconds make a difference. Seconds! I also believe there should be a HUGE fine and insurance rates penalty for anyone caught NOT pulling over if they can. When I hear a siren be it firetruck or ambulance I pray for it every single time.
And I totally CANNOT understand people that do not get out of the way for ambulances and emergency vehicles. (Grand-uncle is a sheriff.) We move over for funeral processions! Still, as more and more people move out here to “escape” the city, I see it starting. I mean, who knows when one day it may be you or your loved one or baby or grandmother in that ambulance? Car crashes send many people to the ER everyday…so what are these people doing that is so important or are they so self-involved that all that matters is themselves? That’s is too scary.
Great article!
Jenn
Amber says:
I also think people forget that emergency response vehicles only use those lights and sirens if there is truly an emergency! I took a bad fall onto my head when I was 23 weeks pregnant and while it was very scary and I bled a ton, the ambulance that transported me to our ER specifically did not use lights and sirens because as the paramedic told me “you’re completely stable right now and the baby seems good – if you notice a change, you let us know and then we’ll kick it up a notch.” They don’t throw them on for kicks and giggles – if they’re using them, it’s because someone needs assistance as soon as possible.
I find myself silently cursing those on the road that don’t seem to get it and don’t pull over.
Gretchen says:
Great reminder for everyone. We were driving on 1-70 through a very windy Colorado canyon when a semi tipped over, crushing a car about 300 yards in front of us. Everyone stopped. People near the front ran to help. I tried to distract my kids. After an eternity (in the middle of nowhere) an ambulance arrived. Everyone did their best to pull over to the shoulder…except this lady driving a very, very nice newer car with Nevada plates. She had room to move. But she didn’t. Another lady and I were ~screaming~ at her with our windows down to move. She just sat there. The ambulance had to wrangle around her, a tight squeeze. W.T.F. She confirmed there are people with their heads so far up their own butts, in their own worlds, entitled, that I seriously worry for the future.
TonyaM says:
I’m among those who has never heard of NOT pulling over. I’m in middle Tennessee, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone not pull over. We pull over for funeral processions as well. For either one, I’ve taught my kids that we need to get quiet and say a silent prayer because while our lives are right on track at that moment, someone else’s may be unraveling. It’s a matter of respect and compassion.
Emese says:
In my mom’s own words “where ever you are going isn’t nearly as important as where they are going” It’s stuck with me since I was a teenager, I could never imagine not pulling over.
Kristin says:
Some people just don’t think. I always pull over. In fact, I was just explaining why we pull over to my kids the other day while waiting for an ambulance to pass by. I usually say a prayer for everyone involved as the pass by.
It can be hard to think about the what-if’s but I’m glad you wrote about this and maybe people that didn’t pull over before will start now.
Denise says:
Here’s hoping many read your words and remember to let the ambulance pass. Luckily, I have never seen a car refuse to pull over. Sorry to read there is a growing trend in some cities.
Sabrina says:
I pull over every, single time. Who cares if that time it’s not a real emergency. Sometimes it is. And if I never need an emergency response team, I hope everyone pulls over.
It’s kind of the same when I see an Amber Alert. I memorize all the information. Because if it were my kid, I would want everyone else to memorize all the information and keep their eyes open.
zeghsy says:
My father was a volunteer EMT when I was growing up. My step-dad too. I pull over, stop, and put on my hazard lights. I was the prectice “dummy” for a lot of they’re quick practices.
Lights and sirens are no joke. They have the right of way.
zeghsy says:
My father was a volunteer EMT when I was growing up. My step-dad too. I pull over, stop, and put on my hazard lights. I was the prectice “dummy” for a lot of their quick practices.
Lights and sirens are no joke. They have the right of way.
Expat Mom says:
We called an ambulance last year when my son started vomiting blood and was unresponsive. Waiting for that ambulance nearly did me in . . . we ended up getting in the car and going ourselves and we were halfway to the hospital before the ambulance passed us. I can’t imagine having to sit in traffic with a child who is in serious condition and not having people move out of the way.
When I first moved here to Guatemala, I was stunned at traffic. Lanes are not marked in many areas, so what would normally be three lanes turns into four cramped ones, people drive like madmen and emergency vehicles were just part of the crowd. No one paid any attention to them. Now I’m seeing a trend toward people pulling off to the side when an ambulance comes through and I’m so glad.
Paula says:
Wow. That is insane. I’ve only ever seen a couple of cars not pull over here in New Zealand – mostly kids wearing iPods!
You would think that of all places and people, New Yorkers would understand the importance of emergency workers.
hdj says:
They don’t pull over for fire engines very well either. I used to work in the bay area on an engine and we’d have the sirens on during traffic on the freeway in the LEFT LANE and on the shoulder, honking that stupid loud air horn. Know what they’d do? They would pull over TO THE LEFT. And we’d be “AREYOUFUCKINGKIDDINGME??!!??!??” We did have a loud speaker on the engine, so I got to yell at people to pull over to their OTHER RIGHT. Seriously, you can drive a car, but cannot tell the difference between right and left?
Michelle says:
With baby #2, I started bleeding heavily and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. My baby then had to be rushed by ambulance to a better hospital after my emergency c-section. We were both in bad shape and I would probably be telling a different story had it not been for the EMTs. I dont recall much of my ambulance ride, and since I was in the back, I have no idea if everyone pulled over. I’ve always pulled over for ambulances, but now that I have first hand experience, I have much more respect! Everyone should pull over. You never know who is in the back (could be your family member!) or how critical their situation is. It seems so disrespectful to not pull over!
Lanie says:
I too have been in an ambulance with my child. However, even when I was a child I always said a prayer when I heard or saw an ambulance. As an adult I always pull over and my ambulance ride with my son will always be hauntingly ingrained in my mind.
Thank you for your post. Take care.
dysfunctional mom says:
When I was 11 I rode to the hospital via ambulance due to an injury. Once I started driving, I always thought about that when I saw an ambulance, and have told my children that too. You have to think about that person in the ambulance and also realize that even seconds can literally be the difference between life and death.
Karen says:
I can’t even imagine not pulling over for an emergency vehicle. Can they call for police back up or escort if traffic is not parting? Then, I guess, there is not time for that- especially not if it is occurring all along every route. What Hell??? Be aware that if you do not pull over for an emergency vehicle you just may be responsible for taking a life or multiple lives by stealing precious rescue minutes. Are you truly selfish enough to take that risk?
Kristin says:
Up here in Edmonton, AB we are fortunate that our road systems are never really busy enough that most emergency vehicles can weave in and out and make it around the *asshats* that insist on not moving over. It still shocks me that people don’t move – seriously, gtf outta the way!
As for helicopter response, our house is a couple of blocks off of a major roadway, and unfortunately air ambulance (It’s called STARS Ambulance here) are an all too familiar occurance. No matter what I’m doing I go outside and look to see what direction they’re coming from and try and see what hospital they’re going to (yes, Edmonton really is that small that you can tell). My 21 month old daughter has started doing the same thing – putting down her coloring or toy, and yelling at the door “Opter! Opter! Caire (Claire) see!”
It’s neat that she does the same as me, but just like you said I always wonder about how the person in the back is doing after.
Vicky says:
I was in NYC just a couple of weeks ago. I was standing around the Times Square area when not 1 but 5 fire trucks attempted to come screaming through the intersection. No one pulled over, pedestrians didn’t even stop. A couple of cabs and pedestrians were almost taken out by a few fire trucks. And to that I have to say would have served them right.
Pull over and yield to the emergency vehicles, because it really is a matter of life and death.
Marin D says:
I live in Las Vegas and people tend to just stop where they are. It makes me crazy. I yell in the car to them that they need to move over. Just stopping where you are – blocking the lanes – isn’t helping the ambulance/fire truck/police out in any way really. I always think about the person they are trying to help. Is it someone I know?
Our house backs up to a very busy street near a freeway entrance/exit. Due to the poor design of the freeways up above us, everyone uses the one next to us. This includes a lot of ambulances and police. I always stop and if I am near the window, look out to the street to see them pass by. I say a little prayer for whoever they are going to help. I wonder if I know them and hope they are going to be okay.
My second daughter was moved to a hospital about 10 miles from where I delivered her. I often wonder what that drive was like. My husband followed the ambulance when they transported her. He said he doesn’t really remember because he was focused on the ambulance itself. Luckily it was all freeway and the time of day would have made it a simple drive.
melissa says:
As long as I’ve been driving I have always pulled over at least slowed down when I see lights in my review mirror. My first fender bender was because I slowed down and the car behind me didn’t think it was necessary.
Now, I always add a quick prayer and have taught my daughter to do the same “God, get them there safe” My dear uncle was recenly rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, he never woke up, years ago the same thing happened with my Grandpa. Everytime I pull over I hope I’m giving some one else’s loved one the extra seconds they need to have a better outcome than my loved ones.
Annalisa says:
We always pull over, unless there’s no room to, and that’s pretty rare, but it happens during rush hour. One time I had no room to pull over, so I basically turned from the middle lane onto an adjacent street. Pretty risky move, so I’m not sure I’d do it again in a pinch unless I literally had the ambulance right behind me.
That said, we live in the city center, so we hear ambulances more than once a day. Even if we don’t see them, I always give a sort of half prayer (i.e., “Whoever you are, I hope you will be okay”).
Shauna says:
I live in NJ, and while I can’t see I’ve seen every single car pull over, the great majority of them do. Like others have said, we (the majority!) pull over for everything, funeral processions, police, fire, etc. It absolutely infuriates me when people don’t pull over for the reasons you listed. I’m sure the person in the back of the ambulance would rather their inconvience of the day be a 5 second delay in traffic of having to pull over for an ambulance! Since it is NJ, I do see a lot of people use everyone being pulled over as a chance to pass everyone. I mean it’s rude, but the chance of someone doing that would never prevent me from pulling over!
edenland says:
Sweetheart. Tears.
You are the exact person I thought of, when I saw the chopper and incubator the other night.
You’ll be pleased to know, we all shit ourselves down in Australia when it comes to emergency response. Even in busy Sydney .. everybody gets out of the way immediately.
XXXXX
jess says:
I had to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance when I was trapped in my car. I needed cut out of my car, the dash pinning my legs, the steering wheel putting pressure on my chest. It never dawned on me that perhaps someone wasn’t moving out of the way to let the ambulance pass. I always let police, ambulance, and fire pass. It’s a given for me. I think anyone who doesn’t is a horrible person. Because one day it could be them, or their loved one waiting for that ambulance, or inside it.
Jayme says:
I’ll never understand the people that don’t pull out of the way! So rude!
Jessica Makuh says:
I always pull over. I’ve always had a soft spot for them, even as a kid. It’s always amazed me that it’s one of the few times we all stop and pause to help another. I can’t say I’ve ever noticed anyone not really stopping. It’s upsetting to hear many don’t. My daughter Lauren has been in an ambulance twice because of her congenital heart defect. I was recently behind a Cincinnati Children’s transport team on the highway and it made me cry. I wondered if it was the same one Lauren was in when she was born.
Debra @ A Frugal Friend says:
It’s amazing how many people don’t even think about the ambulance. I guess honestly I might have been guilty of that at one point too, up until the moment my mom was with paramedics when she went into cardiac arrest.
Now, I’ve taught my daughter to say a prayer aloud whenever we hear a siren. She’s almost 5 and does it without fail because it’s all she’s ever known. We’ve trained her to think about the situation – whatever it may be.
Auntie_M says:
Thank you Heather!!!
I absolutely do not understand people not pulling over for sirens! I have noticed though, if I pull over, people tend to “follow the leader” and will do likewise. It’s the people who act like the way was cleared for the them to zoom through or the others who act like they can’t be bothered who get me! Lives are at stake here, people!
I panicked the other day because the ambulance needed to turn left & I was in the left-hand turn lane and couldn’t remember if I should stay where I was or move out of the way–fortunately this time everyone to the right of me actually moved to the right and the ambulance was able to clear the intersection freely despite the long line of left-turners, like myself.