Rescue Vehicles Could Be Counterproductive

You know how you’re not supposed to text or otherwise play with your iPhone/Blackberry/iPod/Zune/whatever while driving? That’s because you might crash. Any device could distract you. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that just because you’re a cop or a paramedic you might still be susceptible to…distraction…

…

But that’s the case. The New York Times reports:

Philip Macaluso, a New York paramedic, recalled a moment recently when he was rushing to the hospital while keying information into his dashboard computer. At the last second, he looked up from the control panel and slammed on his brakes to avoid a woman who stepped into the street.

[...]

Ambulances and police cars are becoming increasingly wired. Some 75 percent of police cruisers have on-board computers, a figure that has doubled over the last decade, says David Krebs, an industry analyst with the VDC Research Group. He estimates about 30 percent of ambulances have such technology.

The use of such technology by so-called first responders comes as regulators, legislators and safety advocates seek to limit the use of gadgets by most drivers. Police officers, medics and others who study the field say they are searching to find the right balance between technology’s risks and benefits.

It would be ironic if an ultra high-tech ambulance coming to save you actually finished you off, no?

—Daniel Strauss