My husband and I were driving west on Route 23 one day when we heard and saw an ambulance driving east. We pulled over into the shoulder. We counted five cars in front of us continue to drive, completely disregarding the blaring emergency. It is not only a minor courtesy to pull over when vehicles are responding to an emergency, it is a requirement. There are good reasons for this simple, less-than-a-minute maneuver. Whether or not the vehicle may need to drive down the center of the road due to traffic, we must not be the ones to discern the severity of the emergency. Just pull over.
The Cape Gazette’s editorial June 2 identified road safety needing more attention. We can expect more emergencies in Sussex County, unfortunately. Our Sussex County officials, for years, were provided valid traffic projections due to overdevelopment. Planning & zoning continues to approve unnecessary developments saying builders were following the listed code requirements. They overlooked equating the safety and well-being of Sussex residents and tourists on the roads. It would be prudent for road safety and well-being to become the primary regulation to avoid the voluminous life-and-death traffic issues year after year.
I respectfully ask everyone to please give all emergency responders a break. Their job is difficult enough. Please pull over when the blaring siren and blinking lights warn us they are near. Their next emergency response may be your own.
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