How to modify the risk-taking behaviour of emergency medical services drivers?

Abstract

High speed and an aggressive style of driving are major risk factors for serious traffic accidents. Consequently, frontline emergency medical services vehicles have an increased collision risk. We report on two studies designed to modify the risk-taking behaviour of emergency medical services drivers. In the first study, we compared the travel intervals for a second tier unit using two different types of vehicles. We found that the replacement of a sports estate by an ambulance, which can be considered more or less as a change from a speedy and aggressive style of driving to a cautious style of driving with respect for the speed limits, resulted in an increase of the travel interval of only 10-20%. In the second study we found that the installation of a 'black box' in an emergency medical services vehicle, combined with well-defined guidelines for the drivers and a close monitoring system, provides fair but still not optimal results with regard to maximum speed and the occurrence of harsh braking events. Despite some limitations in the study designs, we conclude that for second tier units only a small amount of time is gained by high speed and an aggressive style of driving. Furthermore, we are convinced that a 'black box' is a good tool to modify the risk-taking behaviour of emergency medical services drivers.

Transportation-Related Injuries and Fatalities among Emergency Medical Technicans and Paramedics

“…36 Driver performance feedback and monitoring devices have been found to improve ambulance safety. 37,38 Other-Maguire notes that Haddon's Matrix "allows us to look at multiple causal, contributing and associated factors"…”

Ambulance Crash Characteristics in the US Defined by the Popular Press: A Retrospective Analysis

“…Emergency medical personnel are at a higher crash risk than other first responders including law enforcement officers and firefighters [2]. The volunteer nature of the workforce [4–6], inadequate screening of vehicle operators [7, 8], inadequate vehicle operator training [7–14] fatigue and distraction [1, 7, 11, 15], poor knowledge of driving laws [16], poor vehicle design [7, 11, 17, 18], and inadequate policies and procedures have been linked to the increased crash rates. Unfortunately, little is known about ambulance crashes in general and rural ambulance crashes specifically [1, 2].…”

Preventing Emergency Vehicle Crashes: Status and Challenges of Human Factors Issues

“…Repeated risky driving attitudes and behaviors of emergency vehicle drivers are significant determinants of emergency vehicle incidents (National Volunteer Fire Council, 2016). Emergency vehicle drivers have been often involved in speeding, risky, and aggressive driving (De Graeve, Deroo, Calle, Vanhaute, & Buylaert, 2003;Melby, 2001). These behaviors are strongly associated with urgency of emergency duty resulting in severe time pressure (Clarke, Ward, Bartle, & Truman, 2009;Kahn et al, 2001;Pirrallo & Swor, 1994) and siren syndrome caused by the emergency vehicle drivers who are deluded into a false sense of invincibility with warning lights and sirens (USFA, 2014a).…”

“…Drivers with high epinephrine may also become more aggressive and take more risks, which can result in risky or careless driving (Dula, Geller, & Chumney, 2011;Netter & Neuhäuser-Metternich, 1991). Such aggressive and abnormal driving behaviors of emergency vehicle drivers have frequently been observed on the road (De Graeve et al, 2003;Melby, 2001), and these acts are often complicated by inattention of the drivers and failure to yield by other drivers, resulting in emergency vehicle crashes (Saunders & Heye, 1994).…”