Stupid Drivers...

[Niles22]

Our FD got a call yesterday for a PI car accident so I jump in my car, roads are a little snowy. I’m just hitting my lights and siren to clear intersections. I get on a one lane road and get stuck behind a car crawling along.

Call gets upgraded for multiple serious injuries so I hit my lights. Driver refuses to pull over, so after a mile or so I get the siren going and what does the driver do? Slams on his BRAKES! off the road he goes and into a tree.

He was OK but he wanted to fight with me. I get PD out there and apparently this guy thought that it was safe for me to drive around him without him having to pull over. He tells the officer that he slammed on his brakes because he was mad that I only put my lights on when I got behind him and that I had followed him for so long with my lights going without going around him.:rolleyes:

Guy is being a jerk to the officer so the officer cites him for failure to yield to emergency vehicle. I can only imagine his anger when he sees the price tag that comes along with that one… Ugh needed to rant..Any of you other Police/Fire/EMS Northerners have a lot of problems with drivers in the Winter?

[txinvestigator1]

Our FD got a call yesterday for a PI car accident so I jump in my car, roads are a little snowy. I’m just hitting my lights and siren to clear intersections. I get on a one lane road and get stuck behind a car crawling along.

Call gets upgraded for multiple serious injuries so I hit my lights. Driver refuses to pull over, so after a mile or so I get the siren going and what does the driver do? Slams on his BRAKES! off the road he goes and into a tree.

He was OK but he wanted to fight with me. I get PD out there and apparently this guy thought that it was safe for me to drive around him without him having to pull over. He tells the officer that he slammed on his brakes because he was mad that I only put my lights on when I got behind him and that I had followed him for so long with my lights going without going around him.:rolleyes:

Guy is being a jerk to the officer so the officer cites him for failure to yield to emergency vehicle. I can only imagine his anger when he sees the price tag that comes along with that one… Ugh needed to rant..Any of you other Police/Fire/EMS Northerners have a lot of problems with drivers in the Winter?

Could you have gone around? Or was he gonna get out of your way and move over, regardless?

As an emergency responder you have an obligation to drive safely and with due care. From reading your post, you did neither.

[Cat_Doc]

As an emergency responder you have an obligation to drive safely and with due care. From reading your post, you did neither.

Hey, Tex, I missed the information indicating poster was not driving safely and with due care. Did he edit the post before I saw it? :confused:

[Super Six 5]

What's a "PI car accident?"

[Cat_Doc]

What's a "PI car accident?"

I think it means Personal Injury. Kinda like our 962.

[ChesCopPodz]

Hey, Tex, I missed the information indicating poster was not driving safely and with due care. Did he edit the post before I saw it? :confused:

Yeah, me too.

[txinvestigator1]

Hey, Tex, I missed the information indicating poster was not driving safely and with due care. Did he edit the post before I saw it? :confused:

No, but he wrote this

so I hit my lights. Driver refuses to pull over, so after a mile or so I get the siren going

Then he said

this guy thought that it was safe for me to drive around him without him having to pull over

It reads to me like he was mad the guy would not pull over, so rather than go around him, he hit the siren. If the weather was bad and they went a mile, this went on for over a minute.

If the road was clear, then he should have just gone around rather than try to be police and FORCE the guy to move over.

I know the feeling though, some knucklehead won't respond in traffic in the proper manner. So rather than remember the mission, to get to the scene expeditiously, you get caught up in wanting to make that driver do what he ought to.

I understand it, but its wrong. The bottom line is the Niles22 did not get to his original dispatch because of this situation.

Unless he was blocked in by other traffic and not able to pass, then I apologize in advance.

[Cat_Doc]

Well, heck, us central Arizona boys don't do much emergency driving in the snow, but I apparently wrongly assumed the safest thing to do is to wait until the driver has pulled over before attempting something that may cause you to break traction in a passing movement.

Thanks for setting me straight.

[txinvestigator1]

Well, heck, us central Arizona boys don't do much emergency driving in the snow, but I apparently wrongly assumed the safest thing to do is to wait until the driver has pulled over before attempting something that may cause you to break traction in a passing movement.

Thanks for setting me straight.

I don't drive in the snow much either, but braking and breaking traction can be just as dangerous for the non-emergency vehicle too, can't it?

And thats not what my argument was anyway, and you know it. If he could have safely moved around the other driver and gone on his way it is better than forcing the issue that the other guy pull over, don't you think? Especially considering the end result.

I'll do my best to keep you in line.

[Hockey9019]

This is coming from another MI FF so yeah. I understand when the roads are bad its tough. But remember this: They will still get the job done even if you don't make a truck. They did it before you were on the department and can still do it with or without you. If the roads were so bad that you could not safely pass and he failed to yield, (I was not there so I am doing what it sounded like) I would have turned lights off and just did the "i'll get there when I get there" kind of deal. Remember your a lot better asset to your department getting there to the station in one piece. ;)

[Cat_Doc]

If he could have safely moved around the other driver and gone on his way it is better than forcing the issue that the other guy pull over, don't you think?

Now, I have done plenty of emergency driving in the city and I almost always, with the exception of a 999 (officer needs help) waited for vehilces to pull over. You never know what they are going to do, especially the Snow-Birds (retirees) who come down here for the winter. Hell, I have had them slow down, start to pull to the right (like they are supposed to), then all of the sudden swing to the left to go in a parking lot.

Regarding this kid's post, I was thinking of what it must be like to be trying to respond on a slippery one-lane road and the driver in front is being unpredictable. I think I would have stayed behind the guy too.

Hey, thanks for keeping me in line. I need it every once in a while.

[Jynkxxie]

Hey Tx, I am not completely sure if it applies in this situation, though I know Jay or RO56 can hook this one up, but we got that "Move Over Law". So maybe if it does apply, then Niles should not have had to go around.

Every story has two sides. The guy in front could have been an *** and breaking the law, OR perhaps he just did not see/have a chance to get over. Who really knows! It ain't the first time this is gonna happen, and it sure won't be the last. People are idiots, and yesterday was horrible weather. The first time it snows I swear these damn people forget how to drive.

[txinvestigator1]

Now, I have done plenty of emergency driving in the city and I almost always, with the exception of a 999 (officer needs help) waited for vehilces to pull over. You never know what they are going to do, especially the Snow-Birds (retirees) who come down here for the winter. Hell, I have had them slow down, start to pull to the right (like they are supposed to), then all of the sudden swing to the left to go in a parking lot.

Regarding this kid's post, I was thinking of what it must be like to be trying to respond on a slippery one-lane road and the driver in front is being unpredictable. I think I would have stayed behind the guy too.

I probably wolud have too, but I would not be here bitching that he refused to pull over. Thats what concerns me about his post. I am reading a little arrogant driving attitude from the original poster. I could be wrong.

Hey, thanks for keeping me in line. I need it every once in a while.

lol me too

[Cat_Doc]

I would have turned lights off and just did the "i'll get there when I get there" kind of deal.

Let's not blast the kid too bad. Remember, the driver was unpredictable. Who would expect him to slam on the brakes and skid off the road as soon as the siren came on? The siren is designed to warn drivers to pull over.

I have been behind driver's uncountable times that did not see my emergency lights until I tapped on the siren. I have also been behind them when they did not see the emergency lights or hear the siren because the radio was up too high in the car.

I would watch the driving behavior to determine if they knew I was there and were failing to yield, or if I just had to be patient and wait for them to finally look in the rear-view.

You are absolutely correct on the not doing any good unless you get to the scene. This is exactly why I would not take chances passing unless it was a balls to the wall officer needs help call.

[Niles22]

It reads to me like he was mad the guy would not pull over, so rather than go around him, he hit the siren. If the weather was bad and they went a mile, this went on for over a minute.

If the road was clear, then he should have just gone around rather than try to be police and FORCE the guy to move over.

Tx - I see where you're coming from. I was upset the guy didn't pull over, but I wasn't trying to force him over. I hit the lights hoping the guy would pull over and let me by. I hit the sirens after the call got upgraded thinking that maybe he was focused on the road in front of him and didn't see the lights behind him. Per our FD policy - they prefer we try and get people to stop instead of passing on slick roads and I was not comfortable trying to go around him without being sure whether or not he saw me. Not saying I couldn't have done things any differently, but I did what I thought was safer at the time.