Motorists and rescuers have backed calls to hike penalties for drivers who fail to give way to ambulances with critically injured patients on board, saying the current punishment is too soft.
They expressed their support after the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on April 26 received a petition calling for harsher punishment for motorists who fail to give way to ambulances.
The petition came from two social media influencers -- Weerakij Akaracho-tewit, administrator of Street Hero Project page on Facebook, and Phakphum Dejhasdin, administrator of Mor Lab Panda page on Facebook.
The paid have called for an increase in the current 500 baht fine to 10,000-20,000 baht, and suspension of an offender's driving licence from 1-3 months.
Also, drivers who intentionally block emergency vehicles causing an on-board patient to later die could be charged with a criminal offence.
The call for more severe punishments arises after a motorist recently refused to make way for an ambulance that was taking a critically ill patient to a hospital. The ambulance arrived late and the patient was pronounced dead at the hospital. On April 6, social media user Kenzaa Standby posted a video clip of a Suzuki Swift sedan sticking to the right lane despite the tailing ambulance's lights and blaring siren.
Prasit Raemkhonburi, 61, who was being taken by ambulance from Lat Krabang Hospital to Nakhon Ratchasima's Khon Buri Hospital, was pronounced dead later that day.
The driver who failed to allow the ambulance to overtake was called in by police on April 10 to hear the charge of failing to make way for an ambulance, which is only punishable by a 500 baht fine.
The incident has attracted criticism from the public with motorists been urged to be more considerate and attentive to the sounds of sirens and the warning lights of emergency cars.
Sanchai Chasombat, deputy secretary-general of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (Niem), said he fully supported the call for harsher penalties for motorists failing to yield for ambulances as it would change driver behaviour dramatically.
"A 500 baht fine, in my opinion, is too soft. Drivers will not care if they think the consequences of getting caught are manageable. The fine should be no less than 5,000 baht if you want to change road users' behaviour,'' he said.
Dr Sanchai said some motorists fail to give way because they are busy on the phone or not concentrating on the road.
Some drivers simply do not care because it's not their family inside the ambulance, he said. "If the penalties are too severe, a driver will have to think harder before violating the rule," he said.
According to Niem's statistics, traffic problems caused about 20% of the deaths of emergency patients while on the way to hospital. The institute's study also found some people did not understand that they should give the right of way to an ambulance, he said.
"Everyone should be aware that one second could mean life or death for patients in need of medical care,'' Dr Sanchai said.
He said motorists should not be in any doubt when seeing an ambulance on a road whether it is really taking a patient to a hospital.
Instead, they should raise their own awareness and learn to give way to an ambulance without being required to do so by a law.
Sompob Wanalee, an ambulance driver at Sirindhorn Hospital, said he also backed the idea of raising fines for drivers who fail to give way to ambulances as he has seen this kind of behaviour often when transferring patients.
"I have noticed people don't realise there's an emergency vehicle trying to pass through. We have to force our way to save the patient and zig-zag between the cars because cars won't let us pass. This puts us and the patient at risk of getting into an accident and not being able to reach on time," he said.
Some, he added, did not know what to do and panicked. This is especially common among new drivers.
"It's not easy for us to find our way between cars and people need to know that it's an emergency when the sirens and lights are on and should give us space. We've also noticed some motorists who get confused and instead block the road," Mr Sompob said.
He said even though some drivers may have the intention of making way for the emergency vehicle, not all know how to do it. "I think motorists should be trained on how to give way to emergency vehicles," he said.
Nares Songsang, a member of the Por Tek Tung Foundation, a rescue foundation which often turns out for accidents, said he is often stuck in traffic when taking patients to hospital.
"It gets extremely difficult and stressful," he said. A moderate case can turn severe at any second if an ambulance does not move fast.
