About 2 years ago I was called to a job in GentleTown, where I live. An old man, well-known in our community, was struck down by a car while he was crossing the road. He had severe injuries, and survived about 3 months, before finally succumbing to his injuries. The inquest heard that the chap driving was in all probability on his mobile 'phone at the time. Ever since then I have had a real "thing" about people driving while on the 'phone. With the ubiquitous nature of hands free kits and Bluetooth headsets there really is no excuse.
My car is a fully marked up Audi, with a fixed blue light bar on the roof. When I come up behind or beside someone, unless they are very observant, it just looks like a blue-light vehicle. Who knows, it could look a bit like a police car. I make it my business, if I see someone driving on the 'phone, to hoot them, often while I am riding in the lane next to them. I see it as service to the community. They may be the next one I have to scrape up off the road. Them, or the one they hit.
Today, I was driving to collect the kids from school, along a dual carriageway. The woman in the car in front was using a 'phone. I saw her steering with her elbows. My hackles well and truly raised, I pulled up beside her, and hooted. She looked at me. The phone was thrown to the seat next to her. Job done, I slowed and pulled in behind her, then indicated to go left at the next junction. She slowed, and stopped, obviously thinking I was pulling her over! I pulled out and went around her, leaving her clearly quite shaken and rather bemused.
I feel good about this. I'm not sure I should. I doubt she will use a 'phone while driving for a while now. I didn't impersonate a police officer. I just showed her the error of her ways. I'm sure this is a good thing. At least, I think it is...
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2 years ago
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ReplyDeleteGood for you!
ReplyDeleteI do the same....... I also tell parents to put seatbelts on their kids. The amount of people who let their children climb over the back seats of the car is unbelievable!!!
ReplyDeleteI also see it a service to the community and does tend to have more clout when i'm in an ambulance. I do not want to have to pick up a dead child from the footwell of a car, again....
How come you're allowed to drive on blue lights? I thought Docs could only use green...
ReplyDeleteGood on you bluetooth is extreamly cheap now so their no need for it any call can wait.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, hopefully we can stop these idiots injuring innocent people
ReplyDeleteRoss71521, a good question. As a BASICS Doctor, I am tasked by an Ambulance Service, at which point I am acting as one of their Fast / First Response Units, and so at that point I am able to drive on Blues. If I was driving to an emergency at the hospital, and therefore, not for the Ambulance Service, I would not be able to drive on Blues, and would only be entitled to a green light. I don't have a green light on my car...
ReplyDeleteIt has been known for me to do similar on occasions. Even when driving normally, returning to base to or from standby etc in an FRV its quite amusing to see other peoples reactions to a marked car (even though ours are green/yellow battenburg and the local plod are more 'jam sandwhich')
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the many eye openers of this job, you really get to see some poor standards of driving, both driving too (or from) jobs, and often when you get there!
Oh meant to say as well regarding lights. We don't have basics down our way we have EMICS ( http://www.nottm-vts.org.uk/emics/Incidents2008.htm ) East Midlands Immediate care scheme which I believe is very similar in princaple to Basics. Anyway I digress. Our local Dr, who responds with us regularly has the usual flashing headlamps and grill lights and a full light bar, but has greens incorperated to the light bar as well as blue (they are in place of the clear flash that some bars have) and then to the rear of the lightbar he has normal blues, reds (for when stationary) AND greens. It's almost impossible not to do a funky disco jive when walking behind his car at night!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! The fewer distracted goofballs with several tons of inertial mass to throw at others, the better.
ReplyDeleteHowever . . . handsfree sets aren't really the answer. There's plenty of evidence by now that it's the distracted *mind* that's the real problem. (Tom & Ray of cartalk.com have been on a real campaign against driving under the influence and have links to the research: http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Drive-Now/scientific-evidence.html .)
The mind aspect of it has been obvious to me for years. I live near Los Angeles, and you should see some of the doofuses talking to themselves in their empty cars, both hands on the wheel, floating onto the freeway, oblivious to the huge semi truck braking for all it's worth and the three lanes of traffic madly skipping sideways.
Well, this short post really has got people cmmenting like crazy. I've clearly hit a nerve with this one! I have to agree with Quixote about handsfree not being the answer, but I still feel it is better to have both hands on the wheel, rather than 1.
ReplyDeleteMr, Rapidresponsedoc,
ReplyDeleteOn the use of blue lights, the law is actually quite loose. You can use blue lights when your car is being used for medical purposes. This does include driving to an emergency at the hospital, as in the eyes of the law, that is exactly the same as driving to a roadside emergency. Having said that, your local PCT may have rules about that and only allow you a green light. Most docters I know (and have seen) have a mixture of the two!.
Most docters I know (and have seen) have a mixture of the two!
ReplyDeleteWhat, a sort of tasteful aquamarine?
Seriously, the value of having two kinds of light seems at best marginal and at worst negative. If you're driving to an emergency as an official responder, people should get the hell out of your way. End of story.
BASICS and other other immediate care personnel and blues - it's an 'ambulance purpose' therefore covered by that legislation.
ReplyDeletetechnically the use of blues by a doctor who isn't responding on behalf of the ambulance service or for an 'ambulance purpose' isn't allowed and they should be using greens and not not claiming exemptions
the use of mixed lights ( blue and green) is long stadning with certain BASICS schemes and where hospitals maintain their own response vehicle - primarily to identify the presence of that vehicle ( and it;s Doctor)
Good on you! Seen too many mobile related crashes... A friend of mine has an ex-police motorbike, that he does similar things with when he spots people on the phone in their cars. Very entertaining to watch, especially when riding pillion...
ReplyDelete