Emergency vehicals, get the f- out of the way!

[Brian37]

I just got back from work, after seeing mass stupidity.

While waiting for a cab to come home from work, I walked out of the front door of where I work, to see a blue pick up just pull into the business lot next door. The guys got out and the engine was making really weird noises and the POOF, as they were walking away from it black smoke was pouring from the hood. The two guys paced back and forth on their cell phones not knowing what to do, but finally entered the shop next door, AND NEVER CAME OUT.

In the mean time I ran back into where I worked because the black smoke had turned into massive flames as tall as the windshield and asked my co worker to call 911.

It urked me that the guys never came out of the store to tell the responders whose vehicle it was after all this.

BUT here is what REALLY pissed me off. The main street I work on is one lane each way in a very small town. Everyone was rubbernecking preventing the fire trucks from getting there quicker. FUCKING ASSHOLES! Seriously, if that thing had blown up it could have spread the fire or caused damage to the surrounding vehicles or to the business I worked at.

And the cowards who pulled that vehicle in sent a poor old man out with a puny fire extinguisher. The old man approached the vehicle, and I shouted at him. I damned sure wasn't going to let him injure himself or possibly get blown up. The truck at that point was too far gone in massive flames to be fucked with.

But seriously anyone reading this, DON'T FUCKING RUBBERNECK. Especially when there are no emergency vehicles on scene yet on a tiny one way each way road.

Get the fuck out of the way. Let the emergency vehicles get there quickly.

Good news is that no one got hurt, but I was concerned for the firefighter who finally approached the vehicle with the hose. It had been burning for almost 8 minutes and the cab was engulfed. I was so scared for that guy.

[Cato]

People not giving way to emergency vehicles annoy me to no end. Equally annoying are those that jump back into traffic after the vehicle passes and prevent vehicles in front of them from getting back in.

[Autumnlicious]

You can't fix fundamental stupidity. The most you can do is make it an administrative offense to rubber neck.

But then you'll have to deal with corruption, abuse and the overly litigious American.

[Rayaan]

[Cyberman]

The people who refuse to give way to emergency vehicles - or worse, deliberately obstruct them - would undoubtedly be the first to complain when the emergency vehicle they later come to rely on doesn't arrive speedily enough. Some years ago at the annual tenant shareholders meeting for our estate, there was an proposal on the agenda to install security gates at the approaches to prevent unauthorised parking. Thankfully it failed to go through, partially for staffing reasons but also because as I pointed out, the first time an ambulance was unable to get through for my Sam (whose condition necessitated the service fairly frequently) I would rip out the barrier and insert it into the person who thought it was a good idea.

[Brian37]

That pisses me off, but just as equally is when a school bus stops an it's lights are on and the stop sign is out and some fuck wad still passes them.

[jackman]

this isn't the same exactly, but it's philly ignorance. people just park right in front of where they want to go into a store - with no regard for traffic. it's totally out of the question to go find a parking spot and "walk" to where they have to go. between the bad drivers and random stopping in the roadway, i'm usually feel homicidal. this time, i pulled out the small cam and tried to record the police booting (disabling) people's cars for parking in traffic, but i didn't do so well. video is quite horrible quality but ... :p well i was more focused on navigating thru the gauntlet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sgO8E2gI...ture=g-upl

[Autumnlicious]

That pisses me off, but just as equally is when a school bus stops an it's lights are on and the stop sign is out and some fuck wad still passes them.

That's massively illegal, at least in my state.

One time, gridlocked in traffic, far right lane (furthest one), I hear a horn from a distance.

It's growing louder and louder at an alarming rate.

I look behind me, to my right, and *ZOOM*!

A fucking pickup truck is speeding at 40mph (everyone's at 0 mph) in the EMERGENCY TURN OFF lane (which is barely a real lane). Almost fucking clipped my car.

The worst part?

Several cars behind me started to dive into the emergency turn off lane.

So...

I straddled my car between my lane and the turn out lane, watching carefully for any emergency vehicles (just in case).

If they we're going to "hack"/cheat the system, then I was going to anti-hack them.

No one got by me. And the fuckers who were having second thoughts were given a brief lesson in disappointment.

Traffic cleared up in 10 miles and 40 minutes later.

[The Grand Nudger]

Some long haul drivers do that in jams, block centerlines and sidelanes. They also do it when another driver is clearly falling asleep.

[Jackalope]

this time, i pulled out the small cam and tried to record the police booting (disabling) people's cars for parking in traffic

There is a better technological solution to the problem:

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