Emergency Ambulance Safety Concerns Rise: Urgent Call to Halt Tailgating Practice

Stop the dangerous practice of tailgating emergency ambulances.

That appeal came yesterday from Shane Sealy, communications specialist of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), after one of the Barbados Ambulance Service’s fleet was involved in an accident earlier in the week.

He pleaded with offenders to cease and desist, underscoring the potential danger, especially when patients are on board.

“This is a trend that we have been seeing. My ambulance crew have reported it on many occasions that they have seen more and more people taking a chance to beat traffic, in most cases by driving behind the ambulance, while others are pulled to the side of the road.

“As far as I understand, that is illegal and it is very, very dangerous.”

Sealy said the incident earlier this week occurred when the ambulance was enroute to the QEH and was travelling on the highway near Hothersal Turning, St Michael.

“The driver was tailgating and they hit the back of the ambulance. Thank God it was minor and so that unit wasn’t badly damaged and out of service, but we have had other accidents like this one that would have forced other ambulances out of service . . . . Some of our ambulances are out of service simply because of situations like these.

“When you think about it, this ambulance was carrying a patient to the QEH. It was in full go mode and other vehicles had already pulled off the road and this one [motorist] decided to tailgate,” he explained.

A passionate Sealy said this meant that when someone calls for an ambulance “we cannot respond to them immediately as we would like to”.

Sealy said since police were always called to the scene of any accident they were aware of the

reports of the tailgating.

“We have also reported to the police service that we have seen more drivers tailgating. It is a problem, it is illegal and it is dangerous.”

The communications specialist said motorists need to be more responsible and he urged them not to adopt the dangerous practice.

“Yes, sometimes the traffic is dense and you really can’t move but don’t use that as an opportunity to beat traffic as these accidents can happen. We have patients on board and you can cause more harm to the patients on board, the driver and crew and even you, the motorist, involved.