It is observed that ambulances are allowed to break the prescribed speed-limit. Time is of essence whenever a serious patient is being transported to the hospital or when an ambulance has to reach an accident site. It may be recalled that a 53-year-old heart patient from Cumbharjua died in an accident after the ambulance which was transporting him to hospital rammed into a truck at Bambolim recently. Four persons, including a patient, died and four others were injured after an ambulance in which they were travelling, crashed against a toll booth at Udupi in Karnataka. Like any other emergency vehicle, the traffic laws apply to the ambulance as well. An ambulance can break the speed limit but there should be due regard for public safety. Some have electronic governors that limit top speed. It may also be completely legal for the ambulance to jump the red light at the traffic signal. But this needs to be done with extreme caution.
