skidmark
06-24-2010, 08:59 AM
I am guessing that most people see the code 3 operation of an emergency vehicle as something that would be exciting or thrilling. From my own experience I can say that this feeling quickly wears off and a sense of responsibility settles in. The lights and siren provide no protection for you or anyone else on the highways and the speeds involved expose us all to danger.
Two of my close colleagues have had serious crashes while operating police vehicles in this fashion. One was chasing a speeder and had another vehicle change lanes in front of him so closely that he could not avoid rear ending it. The other was responding to an incident involving firearms. He was vehicle two in a convoy where a driver pulled over for the first police vehicle and then either failed to look or failed to see and moved back onto the highway at the instant he tried to pass by.
The latter was the case here on Vancouver Island this past week. The driver of the car that pulled out in front of the second police vehicle was not as fortunate as the two incidents I describe. She has since succumbed to the injuries that she suffered in the crash.
The moral of my story is you should always anticipate that emergency vehicles tend to travel in packs when something serious is happening. If you pull over and stop for the first one, take great care when you move back onto the highway that there are not more following along behind. Simply put, it url] save your life.
Reference Links (http://www.drivesmartbc.ca/collisions/watch-out-number-two)
Two of my close colleagues have had serious crashes while operating police vehicles in this fashion. One was chasing a speeder and had another vehicle change lanes in front of him so closely that he could not avoid rear ending it. The other was responding to an incident involving firearms. He was vehicle two in a convoy where a driver pulled over for the first police vehicle and then either failed to look or failed to see and moved back onto the highway at the instant he tried to pass by.
The latter was the case here on Vancouver Island this past week. The driver of the car that pulled out in front of the second police vehicle was not as fortunate as the two incidents I describe. She has since succumbed to the injuries that she suffered in the crash.
The moral of my story is you should always anticipate that emergency vehicles tend to travel in packs when something serious is happening. If you pull over and stop for the first one, take great care when you move back onto the highway that there are not more following along behind. Simply put, it url] save your life.
Reference Links (http://www.drivesmartbc.ca/collisions/watch-out-number-two)