The scene of the fatal ambulance crash at Wilson Garden’s KH Junction late Saturday night.
Credit: DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V
Bengaluru: The speeding ambulance that killed a couple and injured two others in a chain accident in Shanthinagar around midnight on Saturday has renewed questions about the safety of both ambulance drivers and other commuters.
A similar accident had occurred at the same junction — H Siddaiah Road and KH Road — in May, when an ambulance driver lost control of the vehicle and injured six people.
PG Krishna Murthy of Sanjeevini Ambulance Services said drivers were regularly instructed to drive carefully and follow traffic rules. “Every week, we remind our drivers to be mindful despite the pressure. Unless the case is very critical, we do not encourage breaking traffic laws,” he said.
Murthy added that police had asked ambulance service providers to use an app that updates the control room about patient movement so that traffic can be cleared accordingly. “We have also deployed ambulances in different parts of the city, so drivers do not have to drive rashly to reach far-off places,” he noted.
V Narayana of Vinayaka Ambulance Services said they maintain vehicles regularly and have introduced a shift system to prevent driver fatigue. “We specifically instruct them not to drive on the wrong side. Motorists approaching from the right may not be as attentive,” he said.
“By driving rashly, drivers risk their lives too. We have also warned them strictly against drunk driving,” he added.
Narayana said many motorists still lack awareness about giving way to ambulances. “Even after we inform the police and switch on the siren, people often refuse to make way,” he said.
Ambulance driver M Kumaraswamy said, “Even with all the pressure, we understand the responsibility we carry — for our lives and those of others. But when one incident like this happens, all of us are dragged through the mud.”
He added, “We are expected to switch on the siren and speed up even while going to pick up patients. Then we face allegations of speeding and using the siren just to escape traffic.”