by Anthony Megna

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 13, 2012

Although hazard lights are 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 rumor 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.....

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