Emergency Vehicle Accidents

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mwtrek

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Hey guys,
My first time posting on this forum, even though I've been reading it since I got my cert. I'm doing a project for school involving accidents while emergency vehicles are going lights and sirens. We are trying to develop a new way to get a driver's attention in emergency mode. Does anyone have any suggestions have any statistics or personal stories I can include in our initial presentation? What causes the crashes? Is it not hearing the sirens due to music?

Thanks
 
Welcome to EMTLife!! There actually have been some interesting discussions of this before, it's worth doing a search.
What kind of school is this project for? I think I have different advice for a high school student then someone working on their masters in engineering.
Rather then engineer new technology for ambulances, I'd rather re-engineer the training the operators receive.
With all of that said, I have heard and seen good things about the new rumbler sirens-- that shake the road when activated...
 
emt.dan said:
rumbler sirens-- that shake the road when activated...
Click to expand...

+1,, But they shake the car. Don't get images of an apocalyptic type device that tears up the road. Maybe a voice warning over a siren. LRAD google it.

look at what lighting you have, is it low enough to be seen when you are right behind them. Think grill mounted and bright. Lasers may not be that outlandish, think focus emergency lighting. I'll leave it up to you to address the cons.

I bear no association with reality, get your ideas then introduce them to them to Mr Reality.
 
There are many reasons, IMHO, that contribute to people ignoring EMS and other emergency vehicles.

Cell Phones - Handheld, texting, bluetooth, etc.

Car Stereos
Car Soundproofing: There was a car ad a few years back that showed the soundproofing on a car was enough to make you not notice an ambualnce.

Add that to the fact that everyone seems to think that wherever they are going or doing MUST be more important than what we are doing.

I think that warning devices and Emergency Vehicle accidents are two separate things... and that many of the EV accidents end up being due to the operator taking stupid risks.
 
how about a device similar to an opticom for cars? with all these new bluetooth wifi enabled cars that get satellite fed expresso lol you should be able to create a device that transmits a warning signal to cars up to say 500 feet away that immediately silences the car radio, cd's, speaker phone, all of the above and announces in clear loud voice "emergency vehicle approaching please pull to the right" or something similar...
 
Actually I'm really a fan of the LRAD idea, or something similar...
 
Around here the rigs with the chevrons on the back tend to be seen a lot. Those type of hi-vis schemes, IIRC some of what I read, have proven very effective
 
FLEMTP said:
how about a device similar to an opticom for cars? with all these new bluetooth wifi enabled cars that get satellite fed expresso lol you should be able to create a device that transmits a warning signal to cars up to say 500 feet away that immediately silences the car radio, cd's, speaker phone, all of the above and announces in clear loud voice "emergency vehicle approaching please pull to the right" or something similar...
Click to expand...

That was kind of what we were thinking. Ultimately we'd like to have small light on the dash showing where the EV is approaching from. By the way, I'm a sophomore Aeronautical and Mechanical engineering student.
 
FLEMTP said:
how about a device similar to an opticom for cars? with all these new bluetooth wifi enabled cars that get satellite fed expresso lol you should be able to create a device that transmits a warning signal to cars up to say 500 feet away that immediately silences the car radio, cd's, speaker phone, all of the above and announces in clear loud voice "emergency vehicle approaching please pull to the right" or something similar...
Click to expand...

LOL! It would be too tempting to use it to convince people God was communication with them via iPhone.:P Plus it would too tempting to just say "get the *** out of the way!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVdUUyGrz2o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmV9tF4bzKc&feature=fvw

Focused sound beams seem to have promise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKXUZ2Opsdc

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Voices-In-Your-Head-May-Be-Real-45051.shtml
 
The majority of accidents at my work are people backing into or hitting stationary objects. I can only think of one accident recently that happened while a crew was occupied with a patient. In that case the state police ruled that the intersection lights was faulty as they witnessed after the accident that the light was green for multiple sides.
 
I once (almost) hit a train, or should I say, it once (almost) hit me?

Blind crossing of a spur line near Saddlecreek in Omaha, train going fast, "wigwag" signals only and started as the train entered the intersection.:ph34r:
 
Ignore Us. How about RACE us?

I can remember a few instances riding tailboard and having a car pull within spitting distance. My handlineman actiually did spit on one of them.
I blew past a sportscar at the base gate one night and he/she tried to catch up. I had a 45 mph advantage and accelerating,but they took two miles to give up. Ijits........:angry:
 
A department in our region had a piece of apparatus crash recently.

Aggressive driving was the reason. No one was hurt, thankfully... but I think it would be better to put more emphasis on beating it into their heads in drivers training that the engine is not a toy.
 
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