Thursday, August 25, 2005

Rubber Neckers...

I have over 20 years of Emergency Medicine history. Over the years, I have been known to stop at auto accidents and provide care for those that are hurt, either physically or emotionally.

Something that bothers most emergency crews at an accident, and it definetly rubs me wrong, is rubber neckers. Those folks that slow down, and even stop, regardless if they are on the same side of the accident or not, to look at the event.

This causes problems for one and all, especially the emergency crew!! How does it effect the emergency crew you ask? Well, all the slowing down can slow down further responding units, or even initially responding units. Once the units are on site, the rubber neckers get in the way as a potential distraction and possible mini accidents as people forget to pay attention to what is going on in front of themselves.

So, if you aren't stopping to help (as in right after it happens and before emergency crews show up), keep your eyes on the road, pay attention to what you are doing and get out of the way! Let the emergency crews do their job. Move on and get back to your life, and forget what is going there!

Stay Safe!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Advice, Don. I've not been on site of very many such incidets, but paramedics are amazingly well trained. I resonate with your suggesting that observers make sure the situation is handled, and move on.

Anonymous said...

I hear you on this one, Don. I don't have your years in the ED, but I was a supervisor of emergency room registrations for 3 years back in the 80's, so I've seen a few things I wish I never had. I have very little use for rubber necking most of the time, though I'll admit that every once in awhile there's something that's so spectacularly catastrophic that it does draw the eye. But I never slow down to gaze at anything; if it's way in front of me, I may look ahead, but seeing death and destruction isn't my idea of a good time.