So I actually experienced one of these on 64W between VA Beach and Richmond. It was amazing how everyone including myself just instinctively moved to the sides of the road. It’s not a hard concept it just takes cooperation.
Comment on America is fucked
Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 1 week ago
In case you wanna see a “RETTUNSGASSE!!!” (= rescuing lane) in action this clip is what it looks like ideally.
Aviandelight@mander.xyz 1 week ago
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Also space to pull over is important. Here in the midwest we have room to move over and everyone does, honestly way more than is necessary. Like people start to pull over a few blocks in front of the ambulance if they just hear the siren.
New York’s problem in the video is the congestion makes it hard to move out of the way when there is nowhere to go.
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 week ago
At about 10 seconds on the video you can actually see a guy getting out of the way of the ambulance to let it through, though he was not doing it preemptively.
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
What I find strange in Germany is that there is literally an emergency lane on the right side of the highway but they block it to make a corridor in the center
Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 6 days ago
That’s the “Standstreifen” and it’s used for towing, parking after an accident or other emergency and as an extra lane during traffic jams and road work. That’s too many use cases to make them also suitable for emergency vehicles.
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
Ah ok I didn’t know, where I live you can’t use it for towing or as an extra lane (wpu get fined if you do that)
Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 6 days ago
Not everyone can use it for towing and it only doubles as an extra lane when the road signs say so but my point is emergency services can’t rely on it being available.
Canonical_Warlock@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 week ago
That’s how it’s supposed to work in the US too. Maybe it depends on the state but in MN at least it’s illegal to fail to pull over for emergency vehicles. If you see any emergency vehicle on the road running with lights on then you are supposed to stop and pull off to the side so that they can have the whole road.
The video in the OP looks nuts to me too. I’ve never seen people fail to pull over for an emergency vehicle in my area.
gt5@lemm.ee 1 week ago
This is how it is in Manhattan when it’s busy. It’s not so much failing to pull over so much as there is nowhere to go.
Hi_May@lemmy.world 1 week ago
This is a very NYC phenomenon, everywhere else I’ve ever been and lived in the US moves out of the way for emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on, I’ve seen both issues where there is nowhere to go and times where people just don’t care, every time I’m in NYC I hope to not need medical attention