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| Yes | 72% | 68 votes | Total: 95 votes | |
| No | 28% | 27 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesAlthough hazard lights are technically used when pulled over to the side of the road for changing flats and other emergencies, they also should be used for driving to the hospital. When going to the hospital, usually it signals an emergency, unless one is going to visit. We all know about the case of the NFL player that was going to visit his dying mother-in-law and got pulled over for rolling through a stop sign by an over-zealous police officer. The cop later apologized, too little too late as far as I'm concerned. Serve and Protect? Yeah, right.
With a little common sense, when someone has their hazard lights on, it must mean something. They are communicating the message that something is wrong, either with them or their vehicle. Patience and understanding should kick in at this point, something that cop doesn't understand, evidently. But for the sane among us, give these vehicles a wide berth. They also may need assistance as well. If you don't want to stop to help, maybe use the cell phone to call if they need it. As far as them going in the direction of the hospital, something is seriously wrong. Not many people would turn their emergency flashers on if they are going to visit, right? It must mean something else. Maybe there is going to be a birth, or in the case of that previously mentioned football player, a death. Emergency lights mean what they signal, an emergency.
When you look at the situation a little further, what other means does a civilian have to signal an emergency? Not much, really. As they are traveling to the hospital in an emergency, they could just run the risk and not turn any lights on. But I don't think they are worried too much about getting a speeding ticket or other infraction in an emergency. When it's a matter of life and death, the only means a vehicle has to signal an emergency are the lights or the horn, and it certainly doesn't make sense to lean on the horn the whole way to the hospital. So, it's back to the hazard flashers. At least it gives some sort of message that something is wrong and to look out for the vehicle.
That ignorant cop should have praised the driver of the SUV, not held him up and wrote a ticket. It's obvious that the cop had no common sense, not the driver. By the way, the driver's mother-in-law was dying, and by the cop holding him up, by the time the poor driver got to see his mother-in-law, she was dead. This is a very sad case indeed, and the rumour is the cop is to be fired. I'm sure most of the other motorists gave this vehicle the right-of-way as they could sense something was wrong. Who drives with their hazards on unless something is wrong?
Yes, I believe the hazards should be activated when driving to the hospital, as maybe a life could be saved.....
Learn more about this author, Anthony Megna.
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No
What are four-way signals, otherwise known as hazard lights, for? They are used to signal the presence of a hazard to other drivers. Drivers use them when their car has broken down in the middle or side of the road and when they are traveling at a slower speed than the traffic around them because of mechanical problems. Should they be allowed as warning signals while driving to the emergency room? Sure, but this should not be permission to ignore posted speed limits, run stop signs or traffic signals to get to the hospital faster.
If the medical problem is one that warrants immediate care 911 should be called. Once 911 has been contacted emergency care will be sent directly to you where life saving techniques can be used on the way to the hospital. The emergency crew can typically get to you quicker than you can safely get to the hospital even if it means calling in a helicopter.
If the medical problem does not warrant immediate care then speed should not be an issue and lives should not be risked because someone is frantically in a hurry to get to the hospital. Most people are not capable of knowing if a condition is life threatening or not which is why it is even more important to call 911 as emergency technicians are better able to determine the severity of the situation. Do you know the difference between a heart attack and angina?
Worried about the cost of the ambulance services? Cost should not weigh in as a factor when it comes to saving a life. Safe the life then deal with the cost afterwards if insurance doesn't cover it. Payments can be made as low as $5 per week to pay for the service and you cannot be refused service on the basis that you cannot afford it or you do not have medical coverage. If once the ambulance arrives and the emergency technicians determine the situation was not life threatening then there is no charge for the service if you do not take the ride.
In closing I would like to share a short story. One evening while we were sitting in the back of the pickup watching the movie at the drive-in theatre my daughter decided to do a nosedive over the side of the truck while I was reaching for something in the opposite direction. I jumped out of the truck and picked her up to find blood all over her face. There was more blood than I had ever seen and I was frantically trying to gather our things so we could drive to the emergency room. While I was fastening my daughter into her child seat I noticed one of her eyes seemed to roll into the back of her head and at that time I decided that rather than fight the late-night weekend traffic and risk further injury to my daughter I would call 911. The ambulance arrived quickly and once we were under the bright lights of the inside of the ambulance and the technicians had the blood cleaned up we could easily see that it was not a life-threatening situation. The EMS technician explained to me that the reason there was so much blood more than you would think for such a small cut was because of the location of the cut, which was right above her eye. They finished cleaning her up and even let us have the blanket they used for her and went on their way. We never received a bill not even for the blanket or the supplies used to check her wound. Even better lives were not put at risk by a scared mother trying to get her daughter to the emergency room.
Learn more about this author, C.K. Matthews.
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