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Top Gear had an episode about ambulances and showed how traffic congestion slows emergency response. Has anyone ever considered a scooter or motorcycle for fast response in heavy traffic until the ambulance arrives?
With the limited kit that could be carried, it'd really be down to basic services (CPR mainly).
There are smarter ways that simply need wider adoption. The 2 I know of are trained Uber drivers (who, in a test, were averaging 1/3rd the response time), and a simple smartphone app that ANYONE can download to alert of CPR need. In theory, you could have a sub-60 second response...
There are obviously some disadvantages.. not every state has Good Samaritan laws, and some that do exclude anyone who works in the healthcare field. But when you throw pure numbers at the issue, it's a really good idea.
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Two BMW R1100RTs were set up as paramedic vehicles in NJ in the late '90s, meant to give the ability to get thru traffic quickly and be first on the scene with medical care, they carried a fairly extensive emergency kit including defibrillators. AFAIK they were never given full state approval for that use as they couldn't carry a backboard, kinda silly considering they were never meant to transport patients, simply to provide the quickest initial response.
From what I've read, motorcycle use by first responders is fairly common in Germany with the bikes being ridden by physicians.
I had this idea that a fleet of loaded up dual sports would service disaster zones well. Carry maybe water, energy bars, and basic medical kits. Would be great for spreading out faster for locating victims as well as being able to go places that would be difficult for trucks.
99.9% of the time, if traffic is at a stand still, there are idiots that think using the emergency lane is cool. That is illega . That lane is for breakdowns only. We need a law, relieving Ambulances from any liability and then install cow catchers (think locomotives) on the front of the ambulances. Then train the drivers on how best to plow cars out of that lane.
You could put a lot of medical stuff under the seat of my Suzuki Burgman Scooter. The thing would be great for lane splitting through stalled traffic. This could be a real rapid response machine.
This is not likely to happen as it would provide low cost competition to the existing ambulance industry. After all the private profit or the ambulance manufacturers is far more important than getting to a sick or injured person as quickly as possible.
I think the US has some limited use in some cities like Daytona Beach FL
Motorcycle ambulances would only be effective in climates where they can be used year round. Which excludes a lot of the US.
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