Kirk here, back from a little walk in which I came across an ambulance bogged down in traffic. What I saw was on the so-called “Kokutai Doro” (国体道路), close to its intersection with the East Bypass (東バイパス). The ambulance was up ahead of me but by merely jogging a little, I almost caught up to it. I couldn’t make out the details but I’m pretty sure that drivers were not pulling over promptly. I saw this in Kumamoto but I think it’s a national phenomenon:
https://buzzmag.jp/archives/181336
This article features quite a few complaints about drivers not getting out of the way. What I haven’t been able to find, though, is any reference to a “crying wolf” phenomenon due to patrol cars that turn on their lights for no clear reason. My concern is that this practice merely trains drivers not to perceive such flashing lights as a big deal. As someone who learned to drive in the U.S., I suspect I’m not alone in experiencing a pretty severe stress response whenever I see flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. And, when it comes to flashing lights, my impression is that American drivers actually tend to be a good deal more “obedient” than Japanese drivers (e.g. pulling over immediately, at least in my experience).
Generally, I have to admit that policing in Japan seems to be more successful and less problematic than policing in the U.S., but when I see ambulances struggling to get through traffic, I can’t help but think that the police bear some responsibility.
In this regard, I have a question for any Japanese people who may by reading this: Is my perspective entirely foreign? In other words, are there Japanese people who share my concern that patrol cars with flashing lights may be causing problems for ambulances and other emergency vehicles?
