Kerala man blocks ambulance's path; fined Rs 2.5 lakh, licence revoked

The video footage shows the ambulance stuck behind a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the driver of which blocks every attempt by the ambulance to overtake the vehicle for over two minutes, despite the ambulance blaring its siren and honking persistently.

A man from Thrissur, Kerala had his licence revoked and got slapped with a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh for not giving way to an ambulance. Dashcam footage of the incident, shared by the paramedics, went viral on social media and prompted outrage.

Times Now reported that the a challan from the Kerala police revealed that the incident took place on November 7. The video footage shows the ambulance stuck behind a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the driver of which blocks every attempt by the ambulance to overtake the vehicle for over two minutes, despite it blaring its siren and honking persistently.

Police were able to identify the driver from the registration plate of the car in the clip, who was charged for failing to draw to the side road on the approach of an ambulance, obstructing the discharge of functions of an authority empowered by the Motor Vehicles Act and not carrying a Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).

According to the Motor Vehicles Department of Kerala, the three offences amount to a fine of Rs 6,250, but in this case a Rs 2.5 lakh-fine was imposed.

There is no official confirmation of the licence revocation as of yet, Times Now said.

Not giving way to an ambulance can result in up to six months of imprisonment, or a fine of Rs 10,000, or both, as per Section 194E of the Motor Vehicles Act.

While many netizens applauded the police's decision, others added that ambulance drivers must not be given the benefit of doubt since many were known to use the siren even when there was no emergency, or no patient in the vehicle. Some even criticised them stating that ambulance drivers drive in a very rash fashion that can lead to accidents.

In October, a critically-ill patient died when an ambulance in which he was being shifted to a hospital rammed into a wayside house in Kanjirappally in Kottayam district in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

(With PTI Inputs)