This petition begins with a tragic event that took place recently: a child, innocently playing outdoors, fell victim to a speeding ambulance driver who was not making use of the vehicle's siren, lights, and had malfunctioning equipment. This could have been avoided had the emergency vehicle been equipped properly and used its warning systems appropriately to notify the public of its rush.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), emergency vehicles, including ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars, are involved in thousands of accidents each year. Regrettably, the lack of proper use of emergency warnings contributes to these circumstances. It is time to stress the importance of adhering to comprehensive safety standards, including the proper functioning and use of sirens, lights, and equipment for all emergency vehicles.

We urge the policymakers to establish laws requiring sirens, lights, and functioning equipment to be switched on before emergency vehicles embark on their high-speed journeys to serve those in need. Lives are lost not only to the emergencies being responded to but also to the process of the response itself - this shouldn’t be the case. We owe it to every child, to every person in our community, to ensure they are safe from the very services meant to protect them.

Sign this petition to compel lawmakers to enact and enforce necessary measures that would necessitate all emergency vehicles to maintain and use their sirens, lights, and other equipment at all times during emergencies to prevent avoidable tragedies.