It's a Team's Life
Pay Attention
Recently when driving through Fort Wayne, IN, I witnessed a police vehicle almost get hit by not one but three cars. We all were at a busy intersection, and a police car with lights and siren on was trying to make a left-hand turn on a red light.
What is your response when you hear a siren? Mine is to look madly around and if needed roll down the window so that I can locate the position of the emergency vehicle. If the siren is behind me or coming at me I look in the mirrors and when safe to do so pull over to the right. When the emergency vehicle is approaching from a side street, I look to see if the vehicle has a blinker on or if they are continuing and respond appropriately so they are able to get around me safely as they know what I am doing.
In this instance, the officer had come to a complete stop before entering the intersection, and I had stopped in my lane on the road to the right of the car with the flashing lights and siren. The oncoming traffic had stopped as well, and the traffic with the red light which they were at had also stopped. After I stopped two cars passed me on the right, but the one that scared me was the one that passed me on my left at a high rate of speed. They were oblivious to the sound of the sirens and the emergency lights until they got in front of the police car as it was pulling into the intersection. I am sure officers are taught to drive around oblivious vehicles as that is the only thing that saved the officer as well as the speeding car.
Where were these people’s minds? First, they see, or I hope they say me stopped at a green light, the lights flashing on the police car, and then wail of the sirens. I felt like all of this should have been a huge clue that something was going on at this intersection and proceeding with caution.
I wondered who was waiting for this officer to possibly save their life as these oblivious vehicles made the emergency vehicle wait as they sped by. The interior of the Freightliner Cascadia is quiet but not quiet enough to block out the sound of an emergency vehicle. We always need to be mindful of what is going on around us and take the appropriate action.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.