Motorists who refuse to move for emergency vehicles.

[Horus]

This aspect of Korean culture truely astonishes me. The bumping, pushing, littering, cutting in line, horking, staring, and so on are bad enough. But they rarely endanger lives. But refusing to move for an ambulance with its siren on is unforgivable. And it's not just the occasional driver that doesn't accommodate the emergency vehicle. Noone does! How can people be so inconsiderate and callous as to not move for an ambulance or fire truck. Just because you've likely never been formally introduced to the person requiring an ambulance doesn't mean their lives are unworthy of your consideration.

Last summer I was in Canada and heard an ambulance siren. I immediately stopped to observe how motorists would respond. Within seconds every car had pulled over and stopped - and didn't begin moving again until the ambulance was well ahead. It was obviously second nature to them. Someone was in need of emergency care, and they knew the decent thing to do.   

But not in Korea.  Speaks volumes.

[Frozencat99]

As a Canadian, I won't kid myself.

The only reason people move over as if its "second nature" to us is because is against the law to not move over -- lest you want an immense fine/possible demerit points depending on the province.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Move_over_law

The fact that we needed to have it codified in order to matter speaks volumes, doesn't it?

[woman-king]

Ah, Horus.

[FloridaGator314]

I think in North America, most people realize that a fire truck/ambulance has somewhere to be that's more important that whatever we're doing, and the fact that every car will move for an emergency vehicle is based on much more than just simply the law. You'll also see many drivers in America yield quite often for others simply out of courtesy. This literally never happens in Korea. This is not simply a case of what's the law in North America and what's the law in Korea. Drivers in Korea are simply a bunch of narcissistic jerks.

I grew up near Miami, which is consistently ranked at the top for rudest drivers in America, and Miami is absolutely nothing compared to anywhere in Korea.

[kiwikimchi]

If police and ambulances only use there flashing lights when there is a direct emergency instead of driving around with them on for no reason at all. Then that might help to make drivers pull over for them. Then again probably not.
I guess it is one of those things that is different from our western cultures. We are raised to believe that spitting, sneezing without covering your mouth and staring are rude/bad manners. Here in Korea it doesn't apply.

[justanotherwaygook]

As a Canadian, I won't kid myself.

The only reason people move over as if its "second nature" to us is because is against the law to not move over -- lest you want an immense fine/possible demerit points depending on the province.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Move_over_law

The fact that we needed to have it codified in order to matter speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Massachusetts (my home state) only enacted it in 2009.  Folks were pulling over for emergency vehicles way before that.  I remember at an early age (probably 5-7), as I learned about the world, my mother pulling over for an emergency vehicle.  All other traffic did the same.  She explained to me how we need to let emergency vehicles go first.  It had nothing to do with the law.  I can't imagine Canadians are to terribly dissimilar. 
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsagencylanding&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Crime+Prevention+%26+Personal+Safety&L2=Traffic+Safety&L3=Move+Over+Law&sid=Eeops

[roentgen15]

One of the IAMA's on reddit was from an ambulance driver and he mentioned that they try not to use the flashing lights. Running intersections and having people pull over doesn't save them a lot of time and may cause more accidents. Anecdotal but I question how much time is saved truly and how many times there is a true emergency.

[Frozencat99]

If police and ambulances only use there flashing lights when there is a direct emergency instead of driving around with them on for no reason at all. Then that might help to make drivers pull over for them.

Not to mention the motorcycles and selling trucks/vans that have also got a hold of the same flashing lights.

Its like people on this forum go out of their way to triumph the cause of Western superiority. Ironic, considering most posts are about how Koreans are narcissistic. I'm not an apologist, the lack of care given to letting emergency vehicles bothers me. However, saying its because Koreans are holistically narcissistic is laughable.

Also, anecdotal evidence works wonders when anyone can create a story. I'm sure "moving for emergency vehicles when driving" is high on the childhood morality list.

[justanotherwaygook]

If police and ambulances only use there flashing lights when there is a direct emergency instead of driving around with them on for no reason at all. Then that might help to make drivers pull over for them.

Not to mention the motorcycles and selling trucks/vans that have also got a hold of the same flashing lights.

Its like people on this forum go out of their way to triumph the cause of Western superiority. Ironic, considering most posts are about how Koreans are narcissistic. I'm not an apologist, the lack of care given to letting emergency vehicles bothers me. However, saying its because Koreans are holistically narcissistic is laughable.

Also, anecdotal evidence works wonders when anyone can create a story. I'm sure "moving for emergency vehicles when driving" is high on the childhood morality list.

People have been pulling over way before laws went into effect.  It's as simple as that.

[kiwikimchi]

Has anyone seen those tow truck drivers. If you have seen one in action you will know what I am talking about. They are the craziest drivers I have ever seen. They drive at ridiculuosly high speeds anywhere anytime.
They don't slow for anything or anyone. I haven't figured out why they are in such agod dam hurry.
Maybe amulance drivers should drive like them because they dominate the road and intimidate drivers causing them to pull over.

[marchingocelot]

Ah, Horus.

This is the correct response.

[#basedcowboyshirt]

Ah, Horus.

Topic over.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

It is easy to be negative about postings like this, but sometimes some of us feel we would really like to make a difference here in Korea and I am not talking about changing Korean Culture, I am talking about things that hinder orderly and safe living here in Korea.

This and road safety are two issues that I would really like to have some influence on and it is not because I hate Korea or Koreans, it is in fact because I care about them. Daily I see people's lives endangered because they have no basic education in things like this.

Seoul in particular is really bad with these two issues and the excuse is often given that it is a densely populated city and therefore these things happen.  I beg to disagree, I have been in other cities just as densely populated and yet they observe basic road safety and courtesy.

I seriously would like to help with issues like this but like many others, don't know where to start. If anyone has positive suggestions, then please let us have them, so we can turn this sort of posting into positive action.

[Frozencat99]

If police and ambulances only use there flashing lights when there is a direct emergency instead of driving around with them on for no reason at all. Then that might help to make drivers pull over for them.

Not to mention the motorcycles and selling trucks/vans that have also got a hold of the same flashing lights.

Its like people on this forum go out of their way to triumph the cause of Western superiority. Ironic, considering most posts are about how Koreans are narcissistic. I'm not an apologist, the lack of care given to letting emergency vehicles bothers me. However, saying its because Koreans are holistically narcissistic is laughable.

Also, anecdotal evidence works wonders when anyone can create a story. I'm sure "moving for emergency vehicles when driving" is high on the childhood morality list.

People have been pulling over way before laws went into effect.  It's as simple as that.

Nice demonstration that they have been all along. I've seen a Korean pull over to let an ambulance pass by but I'm not going to use this as anecdotal evidence that all Koreans do the same. But yeah, absolutely everyone in the West has been doing this since the invention of the car, absolutely, guaranteed, we're just kinder than these weird Asians!

It is easy to be negative about postings like this, but sometimes some of us feel we would really like to make a difference here in Korea and I am not talking about changing Korean Culture, I am talking about things that hinder orderly and safe living here in Korea.

This and road safety are two issues that I would really like to have some influence on and it is not because I hate Korea or Koreans, it is in fact because I care about them. Daily I see people's lives endangered because they have no basic education in things like this.

Seoul in particular is really bad with these two issues and the excuse is often given that it is a densely populated city and therefore these things happen.  I beg to disagree, I have been in other cities just as densely populated and yet they observe basic road safety and courtesy.

I seriously would like to help with issues like this but like many others, don't know where to start. If anyone has positive suggestions, then please let us have them, so we can turn this sort of posting into positive action.

At least you're concerned with actually looking for somewhere to start so you can promote positive action. Rather than posting on a forum mainly for foreigners in Korea (and elsewhere, that's true) whining about some aspect of life that happened to irk you today.

[justanotherwaygook]

Steelrails?

[anichion]

There was a scandal uncovered a few years back about Ambulance drivers switching on their sirens and lights for non-emergency purposes, including transporting hospital VIPs to bars and stuff. A guy on Dave's ESLcafe once mentioned seeing a bunch of suits come out of an ambulance after tearing up the street with sirens on. So, I wonder if that's why people don't pull over- they probably think it ain't a real emergency!

[Horus]

As a Canadian, I won't kid myself.

The only reason people move over as if its "second nature" to us is because is against the law to not move over -- lest you want an immense fine/possible demerit points depending on the province.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Move_over_law

The fact that we needed to have it codified in order to matter speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Oh, please. The laws are introduced in the West because there is the very rare individual who won't make way for an ambulance or fire truck. Those individuals deviate from the norm. In Korea, on the other hand, it is the norm to disregard emergency vehicles. People who do move for them are the exception to the rule. I have never needed a law to tell me what to do when an ambulance is approaching. I doubt very much that you ever required such a law either. So please try to refrain from defending the indefensible. Some things are simply morally wrong. The situation under discussion in this thread is one of them.

[justanotherwaygook]

If police and ambulances only use there flashing lights when there is a direct emergency instead of driving around with them on for no reason at all. Then that might help to make drivers pull over for them.

Not to mention the motorcycles and selling trucks/vans that have also got a hold of the same flashing lights.

Its like people on this forum go out of their way to triumph the cause of Western superiority. Ironic, considering most posts are about how Koreans are narcissistic. I'm not an apologist, the lack of care given to letting emergency vehicles bothers me. However, saying its because Koreans are holistically narcissistic is laughable.

Also, anecdotal evidence works wonders when anyone can create a story. I'm sure "moving for emergency vehicles when driving" is high on the childhood morality list.

People have been pulling over way before laws went into effect.  It's as simple as that.

Nice demonstration that they have been all along. I've seen a Korean pull over to let an ambulance pass by but I'm not going to use this as anecdotal evidence that all Koreans do the same. But yeah, absolutely everyone in the West has been doing this since the invention of the car, absolutely, guaranteed, we're just kinder than these weird Asians!

I'll bite the troll bait.  Plenty of us who take issue with vehicles not moving over in Korea have a legitimate concern.  In the US driving habits in regards to emergency vehicles are better(I can't speak for the rest of the West).  It has nothing to do with me considering Asians weird.  If I did consider them weird, I wouldn't have been here for nearly 3 years (and staying for a 4th and possibly beyond).  Trying to label me as a racist won't work.  I've simply have observed some of this stuff enough times to say that moving over is a value back home that rarely exists here.  I know you may be enamored with Korea at this point, and that's fine.  But don't be so quick to discredit me and those who think alike.  I know many of the other commenters on this thread who have the same view also have had enough time to make a valid judgment.

[Frozencat99]

Ah, the I've been here longer card. I was wondering when that'd make its appearance.

As I said before, I legitimately share this concern. However, I'm not going to wholesale attribute the negligence of some Korean drivers with the entirety of the populace because I'm not ignorant enough to do so. Just as I'm not ignorant enough to claim that all people back home rush over to the shoulder of the road whenever they see or hear an emergency vehicle. Seeing as the majority of the move-over laws I linked to earlier were enacted after 2001 (9/11 would be my guess), a significant enough proportion of people in Canada and the US were obviously not moving over either.

I'm not enamored by Korea, I'm just tired of the consistent level of fallacious logic people possess in topics like this. Motorists who refuse to move for emergency vehicles are not confined to Korea, as is evidenced by our need for laws to tell us to do so, and pretending otherwise is pointless.

Further notes:
- Troll bait? Shouldn't you know the TOS by now?
- Being here for x amount of years doesn't at all prove that you don't find Koreans or any other group of people weird, or that you don't possess ire towards aspects of their culture. I hate the homophobia here but I've stayed, it doesn't mean I hate it any less.
- Racist, no. West is Best, West is Best? Yes.