KTVN.com
RENO, Nev. — Emergency responders say one persistent problem is getting worse in Reno…drivers not yielding to ambulances as they rush to a call. For EMT Evan Schwartz, it’s a serious problem that needs serious attention. “There are a lot of distractions out there and it is getting worse. And it’s making it more difficult for us to respond.”
It’s been caught on camera time after time. Playing some recordings, Evan showed us one where a car stops in the middle lane in front of a green light, right over a crosswalk. The car doesn’t budge despite the siren and flashing lights, forcing the ambulance driver to make some tricky moves. In frustration, the ambulance driver yells, “Oh my god! You’re killing me!”
In another recording, a car in the left lane on the highway responds to the sirens behind it by stopping without pulling all the way to the left. As EMS Manager Steven Kopp told us, “I’ve seen people swerve onto oncoming traffic from the left lane, slam their brakes on...” He says that when the sirens blast, not enough northern Nevadans move over. He says it happens on a “daily basis. It’s not necessarily their fault. They’re just not paying attention sometimes.”
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