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Dr REFSHAUGE 24/09/1998 Legislative Assembly

"I am advised by ambulance officers that there are too many occasions when ambulance vehicles are delayed because drivers are not giving way to them. If drivers hear a siren, the rule is simple: they must make every reasonable effort to give way, such as pulling over to the left and stopping. It is becoming apparent that many drivers simply do not hear sirens at all. The modern design of vehicles is such that most traffic noise is blocked out, and the problem is exacerbated by loud stereos, mobile phones and airconditioners."

Mr HUNTER: My question without notice is directed to the Deputy Premier, Minister for Health. What is the Government doing to help ambulance drivers deal with drivers failing to move aside in emergency situations?

Dr REFSHAUGE: In an emergency every second counts. Any delay puts at greater risk the lives of those seriously injured in accidents at home, at work or on the roads. Deliberately or otherwise, drivers on our roads are failing to give way to
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ambulances, resulting in delays in ambulances attending emergencies. The issue is so serious that the Government is taking immediate action. New South Wales Health in conjunction with the Roads and Traffic Authority is developing an education campaign, including community service announcements on radio, to ensure drivers know what to do when they hear a siren. Further, I have today written to the Ministers for police, emergency services and roads to establish a working group to address the issue.

Mr ANDERSON: My question without notice is to the Minister for Health. What is the Government doing to assist ambulance drivers?

Mr KNOWLES: Honourable members would be aware that every single day ambulance drivers and ambulance officers around the State visit thousands of accident scenes But ambulance officers are often obstructed by drivers who simply will not move out of the way of an ambulance that is travelling to the scene of a trauma. Those drivers either do not know the rules, or they just do not care.

The main problems reported by ambulance officers include drivers failing to pull over; drivers stopping in the middle of traffic without warning; drivers passing through red lights in an attempt to clear a path for the ambulance; and tailgating, perhaps the most dangerous of all of the various illegal activities.