A fine was imposed for exceeding the speed limit while responding to a cardiac arrest emergency in Alicante. This is the shocking situation that Miguel Guillén, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), is currently facing. He has been penalised 100 euros for performing his duties. He asserts that his circumstances are “incomprehensible” and that he is not alone.
He was travelling from the provincial capital to San Vicente del Raspeig in a SAMU (Emergency Medical Service) vehicle at a speed of 88 kilometres per hour on the A-77, which is a section between two roundabouts where the maximum speed limit is 70 kilometres per hour. He expresses his irritation, stating, “I was travelling at a rapid pace because, logically, I was en route to an emergency service.”
He was bewildered when he received a letter in his mailbox from the Sanctions Unit of the General Directorate of Traffic, which contained a notification. The document contained a number of photographs of the ambulance that had been “caught” by the radar on the highway where it was travelling, as well as details regarding the violation it had committed for exceeding the permitted speed limit.
The worker was “caught” by a radar on the A-77 while travelling at a speed of 88 kilometres per hour in a 70 km/h section
In light of this outrageous situation, he is even more perplexed by the fact that the fine has been issued in his name and he is responsible for appealing it. “It is evident that the radar is unable to distinguish between an ambulance and a regular vehicle that is exceeding the speed limit, but it is inexplicable that the Administration is not taking action,” he continues.
Subsequently, he encountered numerous complications prior to receiving the fine. Initially, he contacted the rental company that owned the ambulance, followed by the Regional Ministry of Health, which was responsible for identifying the driver and the service he was providing at the time. The rental company then forwarded the information to the Traffic Department, which in turn forwarded it to the emergency technician.
“I was required to speak with Valencia to identify the ticket number I was filing that day and send it to Traffic. I was required to make an appointment to file the appeal and attend in my free time,” he laments, adding that “this does not occur in any other emergency service.”
Workers are not required to appeal the sanction in any other emergency service.
Is it possible for an ambulance driver to be penalised?
In accordance with article 67 of the Traffic Regulations, “emergency service vehicles, whether public or private, will be given priority over other vehicles and other road users while they are performing their duties.” They will be exempt from complying with other rules or signs where applicable and may travel above the speed limits.
Furthermore, it is stipulated that emergency vehicle drivers “will exercise caution and refrain from violating right-of-way at intersections or traffic lights until they are certain that there is no risk of colliding with pedestrians and that drivers of other vehicles have either ceased or are preparing to ease their way.”
It also specifies that the installation of devices that emanate special lights and acoustic signals on priority vehicles “will necessitate authorisation from the corresponding Provincial Traffic Headquarters, in accordance with the provisions of the regulations governing vehicles.”
Author: Derek Appleton
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