Come down harder on motorists who refuse to give way to ambulances

I have noticed that many motorists in Singapore do not give way to emergency vehicles.

I urge our authorities to look into effective measures to ease traffic flow for emergency vehicles.

It is already illegal not to give way to emergency vehicles, and offenders can be fined and jailed.

I am surprised that there is strict enforcement against motorists who hog bus lanes, but it appears that there is little enforcement against motorists who obstruct emergency vehicles.

This may explain why many motorists do not bother giving way.

Based on my observations in countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, emergency vehicles enjoy smooth traffic flow because of cooperative motorists, many of whom will promptly make way.

In 2018, a member of my family had to be taken from Changi General Hospital to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

I sat next to the ambulance driver who turned on the siren.

It took about half an hour for the ambulance to reach Tan Tock Seng Hospital via the Pan Island Expressway, instead of the usual 15 to 20 minutes had vehicles given way to us.

There was a jam along the expressway during the evening rush hour, and most drivers did not bother giving way. Two motorists even drove into the path of the ambulance after others gave way to us.

The authorities should increase enforcement against motorists who refuse to give way to emergency vehicles. This can be done using cameras installed in emergency vehicles and videos taken by the public.

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