The RACE proposal for emergency corridors for ambulances

We all know that an ambulance or a fire engine has priority of passage as emergency vehicles, and that we must move aside to make room for them to pass. I believe that in this respect almost all drivers comply with the rule, although some problems arise when changing lanes to yield the way, especially at the times of heaviest traffic congestion.

For this reason, the RACE has prepared a recommendation for these cases, avoiding delays to the emergency vehicle and reducing the transport time of the injured person. It has been shown that most seriously injured people only need to reach the care centre four minutes earlier to increase their chances of survival by 40%.

To achieve this, the RACE proposes the emergency corridor, or space reserved for emergencies, as is already used in other countries such as Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Slovenia, mandatory on motorways.

Following the European recommendation, basically if we are driving in the left lane we must move as far to the left as possible, while those driving in the right lane will move to the right to leave a free central passage for the ambulance. On three-lane motorways, those in the central lane will move over to the right, together with those in the right-hand lane.

Finally, drivers of emergency vehicles are advised not to use the hard shoulder, since on many roads and motorways it is not continuous in some sections, which would make the transport of the injured person even less safe.

Source | El Mundo