S and I often respond with a pause to a certain sound & sight on the roads of Delhi or elsewhere. The sound of the siren and the flashing lights of an ambulance. S immediately says a silent prayer sending wishes towards the person concerned. My first reaction as a driver is usually of attention and looking at my mirror(s) to ascertain the exact position of the ambulance. I must admit the siren does achieve the purpose it was meant to have been their in the first place - get the attention of the other drivers on the road and get them to make way for the ambulance.
I find now that I get too distracted, disturbed and almost irritated by the sound of the ambulance and the sight of the flashing lights around me. It is primarily because of the way I see other fellow drivers and traffic respond to the presence of the ambulance on the road - indifference or worse, opportunity. The noise persists for quite some time and one feels that one is in that state of alertness for prolonged period while trying to concentrate on driving.
I have seen ambulances struggle to find a way to navigate their way along the traffic lanes which sadly no one follows in our cities. They struggle to speed past other vehicles to save the precious seconds and minutes called the "golden hour" and reach the hospital where the paramedics and doctors can try to save the life of the patient. It's really sad to see them stuck with you and one can't help but think of the contrast. While most people on the road are on they way to their everyday jobs, or some errand or even a leisurely visit to friends and family, it is truly a matter of life and death for the person in the ambulance and his/her family.
What appalls me to see sometimes is the stubborn refusal to acknowledge this situation of the "other" person and try to do the basic minimum - make way ! Put your indicators and move to another lane. I have seen the ambulance drivers struggle to move across the lanes to find the slightest scope of moving ahead of other cars and swivel in a zig-zag manner. It should be the other way around. We should make way for the ambulance. It is truly a wonder that we don't force these ambulances to cause more accidents on road.
If at all the ambulance finds a way to go past others or a traffic signal, one also witnesses the most opportunistic behaviour which some drivers - cars and bikers alike, tag right behind the ambulance to speed ahead of the traffic. I don't feel envious of them because these guys got to go to wherever they were planning to go and do whatever they wanted to do. I feel bad and almost sad at the state of affairs as a society. Where is the sense of any empathy or sympathy ? What about common sense? How can we be so blinded by our own sense of importance of our life, activities and priorities that we ignore this.
