move over and stop

According to the Florida Driver’s Handbook, “When an emergency vehicle including police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, other law enforcement, and tow trucks approaches you are expected to pull over to the closest edge of the roadway and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed.”

Maybe I’m crazy, but I take this very seriously. Think about it: if you or someone you love is waiting for medical attention or law enforcement, do you want to find out the emergency vehicle couldn’t get there fast enough because it was stuck in traffic??!! I don’t.

Yesterday I was driving to work down Orange Avenue. There are three south-bound lanes, three north-bound lanes and a middle turning lane. A fire truck was blazing up the road, trying to weave around drivers who weren’t stopping, pulling over or even slowing down so finally he barreled into the center turning lane and continued on his way. Myself and a few others around me pulled to the right and stopped our vehicles. But a few other drivers continued driving on past us as the fire truck was maneuvering it’s way through traffic.

I was stunned. And it’s not the first time it’s happened. But for some reason, yesterday, it just made me really angry. And sad that no one seems to care.

While we’re on the topic of driving laws… Florida law statute XXIII clearly indicates thathazard lights are to be used only on stationary vehicles. Stationary, people. Stopped. Not. Moving. People should not be driving in the rain with their freaking hazard lights on. It’s not only absolutely ridiculous, but dangerous and against the law.

I do realize that driving laws in other states may be just the opposite where hazard lights are used for slow-moving vehicles. But we live in Florida. And when it’s pouring down million gallon buckets of rain and I’m driving on I-4, I cannot tell if someone is moving or stopped when their car is flashing red lights into the blinding, reflective water completely engulfing us. Get off the road. Wait out the storm. Heavy rain usually doesn’t last more than 10 minutes anyway.

Ok. I’m done now. Hope this little PSA was, if nothing else, an entertaining spot in your day.