JOHOR BARU: Johor Fire and Rescue Department has reminded motorists not to take advantage of a fire engine’s siren to escape from a traffic jam.
This comes after a video of a black Proton Wira seen overtaking a fire engine along Jalan Bakar Batu here that was congested went viral.
Department director Datuk Yahaya Madis said the driver’s action was irresponsible and he did not set a good example to other road users.
“Please do not follow the driver’s way of driving as it is reckless and will delay the firemen's arrival at the scene of an emergency.
He said the driver was being selfish and would have caused firemen to be late in responding to an emergency and in turn be blamed by the public, ” he said when contacted here today.
Yahaya said that a fire engine is equipped with a siren as well as a beacon and a speaker to tell road users to move out of the way or not to block its path.
He added that the Fire and Rescue Department could not take action against such drivers but would lodge a police report.
“The police can take action under the Road Transport Act against any drivers that block the path of an emergency response team such as the Fire and Rescue Department as well as an ambulance, ” he said.
Fireman Mohd Ridzwan Shah posted the video on his TikTok account on March 28, urging Malaysian road users to give way to emergency vehicles.
“Please give your cooperation when you hear emergency sirens and do not follow the example of the driver in this video, ” he wrote.
The fire engine was approaching an intersection along the road when the car overtook in front of it from the left side.
The firemen inside the fire engine can be heard reacting with annoyance as they were forced to follow behind the car but got stuck behind it when the driver hesitated to cross the intersection.
The fire engine honked repeatedly at the car, forcing the driver to put his arm out of the window and signal cars coming from the other direction to stop and let them pass through the intersection.
A fireman can be heard saying that the driver was selfish while another said the driver was rude and asked if they recorded the car’s action.
The Proton car then can be seen turning left heading towards Bakar Batu and Permas Jaya from the intersection.
The video has gained more than two million likes and shared more than 5,000 times as well as receiving more than 7,000 comments.
