This afternoon me and my other half were out and about. At one point we were sitting at a stop light in the second biggest city in our county, in front of the great big mall. Now we were sitting on the front row at the stoplight when I saw RESCUE 2 coming down the road with red lights going. There was a moderate amount of traffic and on their approach they went to the outside lane (passing on the right). As they approached, out of curiosity, I turned down the radio.
After they passed, I asked the missus when she heard the siren. The same time that I did- after they were already in the intersection.
Later, we were in another one of the smaller towns, sitting at another stop light, when I heard a siren approaching from the rear. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a deputy sheriff approach from behind. As he approached he came up on my left, stopped, then eased out into the intersection before proceeding.
I heard him coming from a distance of about one and a half football fields.
The difference? The fire unit had their siren on yelp. The deputy had his on wail.
And we had the radio in the Tahoe turned up so we could listen to the hockey game when the deputy approached.
I don’t know the science behind it. But at some point we were taught that this crap of changing tones and stuff made us more easily heard. That it would move traffic out of our way better. That it was safer.
Purely anecdotal evidence at this point, but it holds up time after time after time.
I know. I harp on this. A lot.
But it is amazing how many wrecks involving emergency vehicles I have heard of that the other driver “never heard them coming”. On yelp. Or phaser. Or that cutesy switching back and forth stuff.
There was a moderate amount Need Yelp Reviews of traffic and on their approach they went to the outside lane (passing on the right).
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