A TOTAL of 4,047 vehicles voluntarily yielded to ambulances in 2023, accounting for 92.4% of the instances where vehicles were supposed to give way to emergency service vehicles.

Shenzhen drivers demonstrated a unanimous consensus on the importance of yielding to ambulances, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

At 6:55 p.m., Oct. 7, 2023, an ambulance blaring sirens was stuck at a traffic light on Bixin Road in Longgang District and was unable to move forward. A surveillance video captured the touching moment when vehicles in front started yielding to the ambulance upon hearing its siren. Through joint efforts, a pathway was cleared, allowing the ambulance to proceed, the Daily report said.

In 2014, Shenzhen police collaborated with the Shenzhen Medical Emergency Center to establish a “worry-free yielding” mechanism. In 2021, the two departments further enhanced this initiative by recording instances of vehicles voluntarily yielding or failing to yield to ambulances. Those who yielded were exempted from violation punishments.

According to the city’s traffic regulations, drivers failing to yield to ambulances performing emergency tasks could face a fine of 1,000 yuan (US$140). Last year, the “worry-free yielding” management and service platform documented a total of 4,047 vehicles giving way to ambulances and 332 vehicles failing to do so.

(Wang Jingli)