Reasons for Collisions with Emergency Road Vehicles
Emergency road vehicles have the difficult task of navigating through traffic at high speeds. More than 300 accidents occur annually that involve an emergency vehicle. Occasionally, disastrous collisions occur that involve emergency vehicles and lead to needing car accident lawyers or attorneys to help decide who is at fault. Often, the drivers are at fault in a collision involving an emergency vehicle due to bad driving decisions, while under pressure or disobeying traffic signals. Most collisions with an emergency vehicle also occur at intersections.
Urban vs. Rural Emergency Vehicle Collisions
93% of accidents in urban environments involving an emergency vehicle are caused by driver error, as opposed to 75% in rural areas. Urban car accident lawyers and attorneys help clients to decide what necessary steps to take in this type of accident. Most accidents involving emergency vehicles occur during peak hours when traffic congestion is higher. Ambulance crashes are also found to occur more often during the evenings and weekends.
Accidents with emergency vehicles are usually at the fault of the other vehicle and driver involved. The person driving the vehicle is most often male and within the 26-30 year old age group. Car accident lawyers or attorneys can help the person involved in the collision to receive the best claim possible in a situation involving an emergency vehicle.
The Wake-Effect Phenomenon
Another type of collision that may happen is caused by the wake-effect phenomenon. The wake-effect is when an emergency vehicle is not involved in the accident directly, yet causes other vehicles to make poor driving decisions. The wake-effect is often caused by the lights and sounds of the emergency vehicle, and the immediate need to move automobiles to allow the emergency vehicles to pass by.
Sources
http://ctrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/4YasminAnowarTayInjuryRiskofTraffic.pdf
https://www.emergencydispatch.org/articles/wakeeffect1.htm