Driving Lessons

Are all drivers in Vancouver so lazy that they can't stop for a red right? Or perhaps they're in too much of a rush to get somewhere? Maybe they just don't have any regard for their safety and those around them. Drive anywhere in the Lower Mainland and you can count a multitude of inconsiderate drivers blowing through red lights. And to make life interesting you have the other absentminded drivers who go through the green light without looking and almost crashing into the red light runner. As a Paramedic we see our fair share of crashes; from the minor fender benders in the grocery store parking lot to the high speed highway crashes. All come with their fair share of challenges. Recently we treated a patient who needed to go to the hospital with a Code 3 response (lights and sirens). We explained to the family what was happening and gave them directions to the hospital we would be attending. So the family jumps into their car and proceeds to follow us at the same speed trailing our ambulance by about twenty feet. Of course, he did put on his four-way flashers, which makes it perfectly acceptable. The kicker came when "we" approached a congested intersection and I had to take the ambulance into oncoming traffic against a red light- and looking into my rear view mirror I saw the family vehicle still following us; against oncoming traffic and a red light!! It was at this point that I had to pull over the ambulance, walk back to the vehicle and explain "politely" that you can't drive like that- EVER! And we wonder why our vehicle insurance is so high?