The traffic picture at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 has been characterized by very challenging driving conditions throughout Norway – both with closed mountain passes due to snow, but also mirror-clear roads after a change in weather.
Get off!
The challenging driving conditions led to eight people losing their lives in traffic in December, according to Trygg trafikk and Statistics Norway.
The figures for January have not yet been published.
Several times the Swedish Traffic Agency has advised motorists to leave the car parked, but for some, this may be impossible – and potentially life-threatening.
Terje Horten is the safety representative for the 32 ambulance workers who are stationed at Nordre Follo Ambulance Station in Nordre Follo municipality.
He has worked as an ambulance worker for 30 years, and now sees an alarming trend in the traffic picture – something has changed.
– In the past, the main focus was that the car should be safe and safe in traffic. Now, however, the car has become a source of entertainment – with large screens, multimedia tools, video, telephone, internet and the like.
Now it has to go down
Horten says that the new focus now extends to the other motorists on the road. Also the ambulance – especially in demanding driving conditions.
– We struggle with exactly the same as all other cars – it is also demanding for us when there have been severe weather changes. Especially on narrow roads. We are then dependent on help from other motorists traveling on the road.
Østlandets Blad mentioned Horten’s call to motorists first.
The ambulance worker says that it is the collective wish of everyone who drives an emergency vehicle that the motorists give a signal and pull over to the side, as well as that they slow down or stop, as it says they must do, according to the legislation.
sea view
Nevertheless, not all motorists seem to understand the regulations.
– We see that there is a tendency in Eastern Norway in particular, that the drivers barely hit the brakes, and continue at the speed they had initially. It is not good enough, and can create dangerous traffic situations. The car we drive is also not equipped with a large engine as many might think.
CONCERNED: Terje Horten tells of an alarming trend among motorists. Photo: Private
sea view
Losing respect for emergency vehicles
Horten has also worked in the ambulance service in Guldbrandsdalen, and tells Dagbladet that it can almost seem as if motorists are a little better at showing consideration for emergency vehicles in slightly smaller places.
– I think maybe it’s a matter of habit? In the big city, unfortunately, you get so used to blue lights that you eventually lose a bit of respect for them – which in turn can lead to more accidents. We need people to pay attention to us. We have to get where we are going quickly – and we depend on others on the road to be aware of what is going on around them.
Hylles: – Have we seen anything similar
– Are there many who are inattentive?
– We, who sit so high up in the car, usually have a view into most passenger cars – there is a lot of strange going on there – both people doing their morning routine in the car, eating and on their phones.
Horten emphasizes that the vast majority of people are good at behaving in traffic, but he has also seen an increase in habits that can create dangerous traffic situations.
– Many people use the car journey as a source of distraction, he says, and adds that they need more people to follow the traffic.
– Suddenly we are behind them, and have to pass. For those of us who work in the ambulance, it is urgent to arrive on time in a safe and sound manner. Imagine if it was you or someone you were close to who was in the back of our car?
