Traffic lessons for ambulance drivers can save many lives

To ensure that ambulances, instead of getting stuck in traffic, reach hospitals in the golden hour to save lives, the city traffic police department is planning to organise an awareness programme.

Besides ambulance drivers, the programme will involve motorcyclists who often frustrate them by weaving through traffic and blocking their vehicle’s movement. Lives are often lost when ambulances get trapped in traffic jams.

“By launching this programme, we want to ensure that ambulances reach hospitals on time. We’ve been trying our best to make it easy for ambulance drivers to reach their respective hospitals without any hassles. But sometimes, these vehicles get struck in traffic due to various reasons,’’ MA Saleem, additional commissioner of police (traffic), said.

Ambulance delays are attributed to lack of awareness among motorists, especially bikers and autorickshaw drivers. “We’ve no problems with the city traffic police. They always try to help us. But we’re not getting the same cooperation from motorists,’’ Anand S, a driver of 108 Ambulance, said.

Welcoming the move to organise awareness programmes to save lives, Krishna, who works with 108 Ambulance Service, said motorists and traffic police should cooperate with them. “I’ve seen motorists unmoved by the presence of wailing ambulances at traffic junctions. It would be of great help if they make way for our vehicles to reach the hospital in time,’’ Krishna said.

Mustafa Shariff, president of the ambulance drivers’ union, said bad roads too affect the movement of their vehicles. “Most roads are potholed or narrow and driving an ambulance on these stretches during peak hour is a Herculean task. We’ll be under pressure while taking patients to hospital since we’ve to reach there fast to save lives,’’ Shariff said.

Nayaz Khan, who has been working as an ambulance driver for 15 years, stressed the need to create awareness among drivers of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), as well as autorickshaws. “The purpose of organising the awareness programme will be served if the traffic police invite BMTC bus drivers and autorickshaw drivers too to attend the awareness programmes,’’ said Khan.