Efforts to Reduce Ambulance Crashes

With over 600,000 emergency calls annually in the Pennsylvania area and thousands of drivers operating ambulances, it is no surprise that the crash rate for ambulances in Western Pennsylvania averages one multi-vehicle accident every day.
To combat this issue and reduce the injuries caused when an ambulance collides with a car, ambulance drivers in Western Pennsylvania will begin a new training program to improve driving safety.

Virtual drive is the new teaching tool that will help local paramedics and EMT’s become safer and more efficient drivers while operating their emergency vehicles. The new simulation training will take place inside a large trailer at various EMT stations. The company, Duran Precisions, who first started simulation training for long haul truck drivers and pilots, have adapted their program for ambulance drivers. The simulator can take drivers through a variety of settings including poor driving conditions, dangerous highways and adverse weather conditions, simulating daytime or nighttime, and snow or rain.

The $310,000 trailer which is equipped with the simulator has been paid for by the state and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. It will be making its way to 135 ambulance services throughout Western Pennsylvania. The simulator can train 16 first responders a day and it will take several years to cover the 12 counties in Western Pennsylvania. According to a spokesperson from the Emergency Medical Service Institute, the mobile simulation vehicle training is significantly expensive but the safety of the drivers and all others on the road is of the utmost importance.