American Impressed By Dutch Ambulance Response During Heavy Rush Hour
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The big L sign on one of the cars is indeed a learner car for driving lessons. The car with blue license plate indicates a taxi.
in Poland blue plates it embassy workers green electric car yellow oldtimers/clasic cars
@@supreme3376 Blue background and black letters in Dutch is taxi / uber etc
diplomatic plates are
Blue background and yellow/gold letters
@@supreme3376Not only in Poland, blue plates are international designation for cars for diplomats. So it's very confusing to have similar plates for taxis. Although diplomatic cars should also have a smaller oval CD plate.
Interesting, in sweden the blue plates are for embassy and the yellow are for taxi
Than we have also the green plates for cars who belongs by a garage, for testdrives
I really don't know why I've been watching an American dude watching an ambulance drive through Dutch traffic, but here we are. It's weirdly entertaining.
Same!
Maybe other countries can learn from this.
Imagine being a Dutch guy watching an American watching Dutch traffic 😅
Imagine being the driver watching some American dude comment ;-)
There you say something ...
Maybe because it's TH-cam and the world wide web and you can watch everything that you think that is interesting.
What I don't understand that you watch something while the title is pretty clear what you are going to watch , and you watch it and then ask why you watch it .
But here you are .
As a Dutchie, it's very interesting to see how smooth it seems from the ambulance POV. When you're in a car on the road trying to make way, it sometimes feels like it's not going fast enough, but this video really showed the ambulance parting the sea of cars like some sort of Moses XD
Can you imagine me freaking out while driving a truck?😅😅
The Dutch, coolest neighbours ever. Greetings from Germany. I love their sweet accent when they speak German.
Thank you! With love from the Netherlands!
You are a cool neighbor to 😘
So few speak German now.
@@baronmeduse I'm sorry.
@@baronmeduse there are wayyyyy way more dutch people speaking german than the other way around
"So much awareness." That's because we get driving lessons from certified driving instructors. Not our parents. When I had one of my first lessons some 35 years ago,there was the sound of an emergency vehicle somewhere in the distance and I didn't see such vehicle so I just kept chatting at my instructor. She got SO ANGRY with me! Like seriously, angry. Told me in firm language to pay attention, look around,to check my mirrors numerous times. It was an ambulance. The car was not heading my direction but ofcourse could have been. She made me pull over and stop the car and look her in the eyes. I'll néver forget her words: "That could be you in that ambulance or one of your loved ones. Every second matters, it can save a life so you fxxxxxg need to pay attention when you hear a siren."
She was right, lesson learned.
Those kind of instructors are the best!!
During code lessons, my instructor always added "and the firefighters, don't forget them, it could be an injury, a fire - and don't forget, gas too" (as firefighters also go to emergencies for gas leaks)
Did she wear a leather outfit?
Had a similar instructor. We would be chatting, and he'd distract me by pointing out hotties in the summer, but when a siren was heard, he told me to STFU AND MAKE SURE YOU MOVE YOUR ASS OUT OF THE WAY IN A SAFE AND PREDICTABLE WAY! Same reasoning as yours, and it's what i told my kid as well.
He also offered us a "slipcursus" (Skid course?) where we learned to control a skidding car and not panic etc before we even had our license. Bailed me out of a wreck once or twice.
@@pistonburner6448 koekwous
Hi Ian, a dutchie here. If tou look back at the video, watch the traffic light. Almost all turn green when the ambulance comes close. This is because we have a lot of smart traffic lights that detect emergency vehicles and turn green as soon as possible.
This makes it easier for traffic to make space.
Oh nice, thanks for that bit of info ☺
Yeah that happens here in Australia too, I was told that they have a button to press that changes the lights as they approach them.
We have that in the USA as well. Actually we've had it for decades but in a simpler form.
Just like all line-busses. We bus drivers have also a system, named “KAR-systeem” to get green light.
Dutch traffic lights are most efficient than compared to most traffic lights outside the Netherlands, but I don't like how Dutch traffic lights just goes from red to green like in the US.
Hi, Dutchie here too 😇. We dont have the “keep your lane” prinicple like the US. In NL when going forward multiple lanes, the left one is the “fast lane” for overtaking and the (most)Right one is like “the place to be” for cruisin. The yellow plates are normal, blue is Taxi, green is temporary plates for like “test driving” a vehicle from a occassion dealers to buy. The “funny” yellow car you mentioned at the beginning is a Peugeot 208. 😇 Love you videos 🥰
We Dutch tend to complain about everything. This video is a much appreciated mirror that shows that our modes of transportation and the driving skills of the vast majority are nothing short of enviable. We Dutch curse the railway, even though very few countries have a better, denser and more heavily used railway system. Because of the population density and road design (bike lanes with precedence for bicycles), a bike is faster than a car most of the time within a city. After a visit by car to Germany (Fahren, fahren, fahren auf die Autobahn) it was a delight to cross the border back to the Netherlands. The kind of tarmac, the state of maintenance, the signalling, the design. It's easy to forget how blessed (and spoiled) we are.
I must say, I am really impressed by the neat and clean state of your streets. Also, it seems pretty well planned and thought through. I‘ve never been to the Netherlands (yet), but in many ways it seems like the way infrastructure should be here in Germany as well. I don’t know, of course, if this is only a highlight spot, or whether it pretty much looks like this all across the country.
Kudos to your perfect way of letting the ambulance pass, btw. I assume that this is also not just an extraordinary fine example, but simply common sense and standard behaviour. Most of the time it works well in Germany, too, but sometimes there are people simply not noticing what is going on around them and/or how to properly react in such cases, thus causing noticeable delays.
This is so smooth, I get almost ashamed for the videos from Germany where people sometimes are struggling to clear a lane or got to close to each other on the Autobahn and struggle to make room. And those are already those the ones where things go well on a normal average level.
Have you ever crossed the border with Belgium.
You go from beautiful well maintained tarmac to a damn gravel road😂
@@thierpetersen7907 but only if you miss the pottholes.
Oh wait, which direction?
When you cross the border from Netherlands to Belgium, it feels like going back 30 years in time.
I'm European and I've never seen that many bikes either. Cycling culture in The Netherlands is truly extraordinary even by European standards
thats bc basicly everything is reachable with a bicycle and no traffic issues while cycling
@@ultimatebo3noob710 And also no hard uphill sections because the netherlands is so flat.
I live in Cambridge. It's quite similar in terms of numbers of bikes (and electric scooters/mopeds), but the cycling infrastructure is not as good as in Amsterdam. It's gradually getting done, in part because we have robot delivery vehicles that sometimes get stuck at traffic lights!
There are several problems with cars in the Netherlands
a) narrow streets in old settlements no parkling place
b) expensive insurance
c) car tax - paid quarterly
by vehicle weight, engine type
d) good connection by train (mostly)
Copenhagen is also a "cycle" city 👍🇬🇧
As a hungarian who drives almost every day, If i see or hear any kind of emergency vehicle one really short sentence pops into my head: "Get out of the way immediately!"
Good mentality. Here in the Netherlands most people are of the mindset that they treat an ambulance with it's sirens on as if there is a relative or close friend in the back.
És így mindig kell lennie
And always the thought goes through my head that it could be a friend, loved one or myself in danger, so indeed get the f*ck out of the way!
Yeah, it's really looked down upon to be in the way of an emergency response vehicle in Australia
Sometimes on more complex crossings or multilane roads it's not so clear from the mirror where the emergency vehicle wants to go.
@@reinhard8053 obviously challenging situations can present themselves, this is an emergency after all. The taxi at 2:58 in the video is actually in the exact situation you describe, he assumed the ambulance wants to go straight ahead because of it's lane choice but it actually wants to make a right turn, so he's in the way. The important thing in that case is to just react to resolve the situation as fast as you can while trusting that your fellow road users are doing the same.
When I hear a siren I check everything, everywhere, in all directions. As I was taught.
I am on a motorcycle, so in theory not much of an obstruction, but the cars might react unexpectedly, so I pay attention.
The Dutch really know how to drive when there is an ambulance about.
It always tears me up when we all move to let an ambulance, police car or firetruck go by. We just hear a siren and look around to see where it comes from and then handle accorddingly (aka just getting out of the way). I'm proud of this form of respect for each other ❤
In the meantime traffic piles up on the highway because everybody stops to take out their phone and film the wounded or dead people on the other side of the highway
02:00 that is a bakfiets, or cargo bike. This kind mostly used for transporting children.
02:50 yes, that is car specifically made for driving lessons. Where the instructor has pedals on the passenger side also so he can do an emergency brake or help with the gear change.
05:05 the cars with a blue license plate are cabs/taxi.
05:05 contract transport, and that includes taxi's, ubers, medical transport.
bakfiets, or cargo bike
th-cam.com/video/OhVHhB2C1w4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=XHx9bIiFa0FCWUhD
Dutch license plate colours:
Yellow: regular. Some of the letters can indicate to type of vehicle like commercial, heavy trailer or agricultural.
White: light trailer / bicycle rack
Blue: taxi
Green: dealer plates. Not linked to a specific vehicle and are solely mentioned to move vehicles between dealers and/or test drives.
@@elricthebald870 One to add: Blue with white letters and numbers for oldtimers.
@@PGraveDigger1 that’s dark blue though, and you see them only very seldom. On top of that it’s only for old timers from the era blue plates were standard/allowed.(before 1978)
thing about us dutchies when we hear a siren our heads turn into the eye of sauron RQ like where is that siren coming from do i gotta move or not so yea thats why people move so quick
Absolutely!
i am so proud when i see this
I think there are really some cultural differences in the Netherlands, and I think across most of Europe, plaing into this behavior. (And yes, some things are slightly exaggerated)
First of all, compare how hard in comparison it is in any European country to get a drivers license compared to the US. Both the theoretical training als well as actual driving lessons.
Second thing, although there are strong communities in the US, a lot seems to be way more egocentric and not focused on the overall society, which also mirrors in politics, insurance etc.. And don´t get me wrong, they have people caring for the people around them as well as we have egoistic idiots.
Also, here people from childhood on learn to be a pedestrian or cyclist in traffic and pay way more attention to traffic around them. In the US it seems everyone is used to only drive and moves along in his or her own isolated metal bubble, not noticing what is going on around them and just registering the bare minimum of traffic signs.
Or look at the willingnes of people to administer first aid. It is natural for most of us (although there seems to be a worriing trend to just take pictures and videos on your smartphone these days and get aggressive as soon as first responders tell you you are standing in the way). And while things got a lot better in the US in that regard, many are still scared to get sued if something goes wrong (which from what I understand for quite a while they are, as well as we are, protected from as long as they are not grossly negligent or purposely inflicting harm. I think it is called something like the good samaritan law. While here depending on where you are, you can be held liable for not helping.)
Lol, these images I have in my head now xD
But yeah, here in germany it's about the same.
Ye because we all want the same when we would be the one in ambulance.
The learning car is the reason why our response is so well. I’m Dutch and I live in America. The way to get your license here is FASCINATING to say the least. We need hours of lessons and tests etc. We don’t just learn how to operate a stick shift car, we also learn how to share the road well with others, motorcycles and ambulances. When in traffic, we learn to hold to the left when on the left lane on the freeway to make way for motorcyclists etc. It’s all part of your test.
And yeah, the blue license plate is for taxis or other company cars.
I'm also pretty sure our testing standards are higher and are also very much based on ensuring drivers have the kind of driving skills that help in a situation like this. Like the very strong focus on 'defensive driving', quick response time and spatial awareness.
3:35 Bright blue license plates are for taxis.
12:52 The 'weird intersection' is actually a massive roundabout, called Prins Bernhardplein. If you keep left, you continue on the roundabout, but the ambulance turns onto Wibautstraat, which is one of the main arteries for cars going towards the center of Amsterdam from the south.
Blue plates are taxi’s. Green are cars being traded, dark blue are old timers, white are for trailers.
And green plates are 'temporary dealer/garage plates'
green plates are for the dealer/garage for the insurance so people can make test drive.. your welcome :)
Small fun fact that organ transport ambulances also drive with blue plates since they are contracted out with "taxi" companies
White plates can also mean 'German' which in turn usually means 'leadfoot'
@@JoshSweetvale Or Belgium or Polish or any of the many countries that have white plates. But we're talking about Dutch plates here.
Very nice to see a response from someone outside of our country to the way we handle these situations. For me it has become so normal, that I don't always appreciate enough how well this works. It even works for motorcycles who get to pass in between during traffic jams. When I see one in my mirror, I try to go more to the side so that motorcycles can pass. It is common courtosy for me, but to outsiders it sometimes seems strange.
Regarding the roads on the highway, we called it ZOAB asfalt. It’s a Dutch invention of creating an asphalt structure that is extremely porous. When it rains, water get absorbed really fast. Disadvantage of ZOAB roads it’s that it disintegrates faster with extreme heat.
And with freezing.
This is actually not a normal ambulance but a mobile intensive care unit. They are used to transport ICU patients to better equipped hospitals if the patient health is very bad. They are usually older, bigger and much heavier than a normal ambulance due to all the equipment and medical personnel riding with the patient.
I also didn't get why it left a hospital only to drive to another one. But this makes sense.
Yes because normally the ride wouldn't be so long. My mom had this she lives in a little village and the ambulance took her 40 km to a specialized hospital.
That explains a lot, thanks! An Ambulance has max 15 minutes to reach his place to be here in the Netherlands. With the clips it was already 15 mins.
That little car at the end is a small 2 petson car which is limited to 45 km/h and is not allowed on highways. Often used by elderly people/disabled people or students that won’t want to get wet while cycling 😂
Or people that cannot bike or walk for long, but still can drive. This is common with knee issues for example
It’s probably a Citroën Ami, an electric car that can be driven by 16 year olds with a moped permit.
@@thomasalbrecht5914 14 Years old in France and Italy
The ambulance is likely the MICU Truck (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) somewhere in the end you hear an airhorn, which is generally reserved for trucks in priority vehicle roles (Firetrucks, Crashtenders, Police Busses, and Mobiele Eenheid voertuigen (SWAT vehicles). It's in the section you cut. Check it out. A MICU is a mobile intensive care room for IC to IC transport between hospitals, often a doctor accompanies patients on these.
Very often of the brand "Aixam"
Great to see your reaction on this ambulance ride. As a Dutchman, all in this video is pretty much par for the course. Driver behavior is very much a part of our driver's exam so like you said, it's part of the culture. On top of that, ambulance drivers are amazing. Their license is one of the hardest driver's licences you can get and it shows.
As for the street lay-outs and split between public transport, cars, bikes and pedestrians; I feel your amazement. I visited Las Vegas recently and when I tried to walk to a convenience store from my hotel, I felt like I was a contestant in Takeshi's Castle or American Ninja Warrior or something.... Terrible walkways (if any), no traffic split from the motorway, extremely broad roads to cross when walking. Suddenly I understand when the hotel reception asked if they should get me a cab...
2:02 that is the Dutch version of "the mighty pickup" it is called a 'bakfiets' a sort of a trunk bike or crate bike. It is great to transport your kids or groceries, especially when your in the city it's most of the times faster than a car ride.
And the lane earlier, is a public transportation dedicated part of the road. It is for trams and busses and sometimes taxis (with the blue licence plates). Normal is yellow (with white on trailers or caravan)
The road is so clear (not shiny)in the rain thanks to "ZOAB", the rainwater runs through the tarmac. As a result: no aquaplaning, no spray, no "water mirror".
ZOAB means "zeer open asfalt beton" = very open asphalt concrete.
The main downside of ZOAB AFAIK is that it doesn't really do well with freezing temps, if water is stuck in ZOAB and it freezes the ZOAB cracks and it's much more expensive. So it works well for the Netherlands but probably less well in most other places. But the road in the NL are top 3 in the world for sure.
@@TheITWarrior Yeah, it won't do well in Scandinavia, Canada or other countries with a real winter.
@@TheITWarrior Yeah with drastic temperature differences it gets damaged. We get up to at worst -10C here but also when its 30+ in summer heavier vehicles crack the surface a bit
@@r.m.97I mean, we have real winters. but climate change has made them less harsh. we have cultural roots in ice skating over rivers
@@TheITWarrior top 2 actually :)
Here in The Netherlands they teach you in driving school how to get out of the way of priority vehicles. So you start doing it immediately. But I will never forget what my driving instructor said to me: _"You are not in a helicopter. If you can get out of the way, get out of the way. If you can't then just continue as you were"_
"Keep open lanes open". Don't stupidly pull over to the right lane if your left lane is blocked by you and other, and the right lane is clear. Hear the siren, check if there are open lanes left or right of your car, and if you might be the single person appearing in a TH-cam video of stupid drivers (i.e. you are the only car blocking the lane). Identify where the siren is coming from - you may not even have to move. And then be careful when moving out of the way.
That would be the textbook version, yes. 😬
@@hb-man It's find it funny that people call drivers stupid, yet cries when stupid drivers gets killed.
Don’t ly! En muil houwuh!
I love that, you're not in a helicopter lol zo Nederlands, zo droog :D
For the first time, someone made me proud to be Dutch❤
Situational awareness is key in traffic. Great to see so many motorists have, and act on it in this clip!
And the L on the roof is always a student driver with an official teacher or an examiner
As an American living in NL, the general disposition of drivers here compared to the US is a huge breath of fresh air. Most people driving are just not in a huge rush, are usually paying attention, and respect other road users. It's not totally uncommon for drivers to yield to peds and bikers outside of marked crossings - almost everyone bikes and walks sometimes as well, so most people understand what it's like to move around outside a car. Liability also a factor though - a driver who hits a ped or cyclist is liable by default. A driver who hits a child can basically never escape liability for such a crash.
The tolerance for what's considered "close" is also much tighter than the US, and most people tend to accelerate quite quickly, so that's a bit of an adjustment. There's also of course the occasional a**hat or inattentive person.
Everywhere you go, there will always be assholes. Even pedestrians do still face some assholes on the sidewalk.
if children appear alone on bicycles at an intersection, all traffic stops until they leave
@@tihomirraspericwell thats so not true, not all trafic stops.. to much children die on the road because of idiots looking at their phones and doing other shit.. also children bike around with their headphones in and they really don't give a crap about traffic, they think drivers just need to yield anyways so they can do whatever they want.
Biking with 5 people next to each other bloking busy roads and so on..
Technology, young age and traffic never goes together.
@@Limburg92 I'm sorry, I guess I'm in the zone where they pay more attention to children
***
as for wearing headphones while driving, i'm shocked it's not illegal
in Croatia, if you wear headphones while driving, the fine is higher than for a cell phone
@@tihomirrasperic yea I don't know if it's illegal over here but police don't do nothing about it over here.
im dutch and my father was a ambulance driver for like 8 years, the thing is they get alot of training when it comes to driving, even in snowy conditions they need to be able to slip through ice ways to get where they need to go. Also an extra respect, next to driving very good, they also help the doktors often with medical things where they also need training for. And aswell seeing awefull things aswell... my dad once came home crying at the table bc he saw a womon die in front of him that looked like my sister, never seen him like that. Its a though job and i have so much respect for people that do this work.!
edit: oh and one more thing, the Netherlands is very strict with lessons and everything, it costs around 1500 to 2000 euros (roughly 1700-2200 USD) to get ur drivers licence with roughyl 30-40 lessons with theoretical and practical exams in driving, parking, emergency things. It's really rough to pass and costs alot of money. so it makes sense that people are aware what to do when an ambulance drives past
I love how this guys eyes just lit up over a bunch of bicycles lmao
10:27 That’s the ring road around Amsterdam. This particular stretch is called the “Zuidas” (South axle) and is a concentrated district of finance and corporate powerhouses.
I think Zuidas probably translates to Southern Axis, rather than Axle..?
Its the same in England, duck.99.9 % give way way to our emergency vehicles, no mater if its the Ambulance service fire bragade or the police etc. Personally I've alwaysed thought ,it could be your family thar they're rushing to. This is also what I've taught my daughter ! 👍🏴
The real amazing part of the bycicle is when you actually find it back! Nice Video, thanks!
5:52 You'll notice the reflection in the big blue sign showing the white bright flashes. It's SO great for awareness. Blue lights in a mirror isn't enough to create awareness over long distances, but these bright white flashing lights are so great. Really noticeable in the mirrors.
Hey Ian! How nice to see you react to my country! :) You're right - there's plenty of cars in the Netherlands! Dutch infrastructure is known mostly for how bike-friendly it is, but really the point of Dutch infrastructure is to facilitate as many high-quality options of transportation as possible. So if you want to walk you should be able to, if you want to bike you should be able to, if you want to drive a car - same thing. I think sometimes there is a misunderstanding that our infrastructure is fixated on being "pro-cycling", but really it is pro-options. So the infrastructure and the culture is not car-unfriendly. There's also isnt a combative attitude between "cyclists" and "car drivers" as may exist in some other countries, because all car drivers are cyclists too so its easier to empathize. Anyway, I digress - loved the video! :) best from the netherlands! :)
Not only pro-options, but also pro-safety, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, so a lot of people take those options with as a very nice fringe benefit that those who for whatever reason take a car also have the necessary space. Imagine all those pedestrians and cyclists taking a car as well, usually with them as driver and only occupant.
And that unified response comes from it being drilled into your head when you are taking your lessons. A standardized drivers education really helps with this. And the fact that getting your license actually costs quite a bit of money and has to be taken rather seriously. From what I understand drivers ed in the US varies from state to state and is only a couple of hours before 16 year olds (still unfathomable for me) are unleashed upon humanity.
Yeah for some context getting your driving license can take quite a bit of time (6 months or longer is not strange). The average person getting their license in the NL last year spend 3,1K euro and spend more than 40 hours in the car with a professional instructor before attempting their theory and then their practical exam (which are taking at a government institution). And failing your practical is fairly easy, one minor correct can be enough to fail but most of the time they are a bit more lenient.
Really interesting the things you explain of the cars and roads in your region.
The thing at 1:59 is a bakfiets. Basically just a bike but with a large storage area, usually used to store children and take them to school, and the blue license plate is for taxi's
The yellow car at the start is a Peugeot 208, one of the best selling cars in Europe. In some markets that yellow paint, called Faro yellow metallic (metallic bright mustard yellow), is the free colour.
Its identical to the Opel Corsa and got as many smaller cars now 3 cylinder engines not 4 as it used to be.
Yes, i dont have one, but i've quite often passed one thinking "damned this looks nice".
@@flashback0994 thats just because Opel is part of the PSA group now. Citroen, Peugeot and Opel have a lot of same parts right now. Just check out their working vans range they re all the same model but with ad different badge. The 3 cylinder engine is used in Fiat 500s too i think.
My mom still has a 208, sadly at the end of it's life, but they sure knew how to make them!
As paramedic myself, I'm always happy to see people do whatever they can to clear the road. Sometimes we have so much problems to go thru. I heard so many people saying we have our lights and siren on because we just hurry to get our lunch 😄 I have so much respect for our drivers, I could not do it.
De meeste mensen respecteren julie ook, ondanks de idioten die lopen te rotzooien / rellen.
Once I was driving on a 1-lane road with barriers on both sides. I couldn't move anywhere, and there was a ambulance with sirens behind me.
I just floored it, 120km/h on an 80km/h road, and took the first exit hoping to let him pass.
He was right behind me the whole time, even when I took the exit where he still couldn't pass hah.
@@gamebuster800 had something similar with police, they basically gave me a hand sign to floor it. 120 on an 80 road wasn't too bad. Does give some adrenaline haha.
1:59 that is a "bakfiets". After school, kids can sit in there for after school daycare. It's also very handy when you need to get groceries, so yeah. This is from a Dutchie, btw.
2:05 that's called a bakfiets. It has a big storage place which is mostly used to put small kids in if you have multiple. Often they are electric too, because it would be heavy to cycle with that load with your own legs, so it helps you (you still peddle but it assists you).
The streets in many cities have now been adapted. Previously that street was probably a 4 or 5 lane road.
Please note that this video is about driving a so-called MICU: Mobile Intensive Car Unit. That is usually a small truck (Volvo FL) with an intensive care unit in the back. This is used to transport patients needing special care from one hospital to another. In this video, it sounds and looks like a Mercedes Sprinter van though.
See this video to get an impression: th-cam.com/video/trdTgaFUAuk/w-d-xo.html
Thank you that answers a lot
It’s a longer and bit bigger version of the mercedes sprinter box ambulance.
It used to be a Volvo FL6 but now it is a 519 sprinter with a box and a lift on the back
11:14 those green arrows are a rush hour indication. Very often on highways with more than two lanes, the leftmost lane will be closed for most of the day, and opened for the duration of rush hour. If it's closed it'll have a red x above it, and the other signs will either just be blank or display an altered speed limit depending on the amount of traffic. When it opens during rush hour though, all of the lanes will get a green arrow to show that they're all available. The rush hour-only lane also has a specific name in Dutch, that being 'spitsstrook', or 'rush hour lane' (spits is Dutch for rush hour)
As a dutch person I feel so proud looking at this and your comments😊 Love the Netherlands❤️
you havent seen the bike parking at each train station that will blow your mind
Stacks and stacks and stacks to the point we have a removal service hahaha
Oh yes. It's art.
I like how in the middle of all the "drama" you suddenly spot (figuratively) a brake light and wonder "what's that little car"(?) and pause the video to reflect on what I already know. Like it. Love the Netherlands/the people, but feel so small. Everyone, even most women, seem taller than me, one hundred and eighty centimeter Viking
14:50
it's a small hybrid-electric car that has a little motor (mower motor as a battery charger, I think)
it is registered as a car and as a moped (I don't know the exact category and it can even go on bike paths, I think)
Ngl i thought 185 centimeters tall was average height everywhere, i dont even live in the netherlands lol
Tallest country in the world. So yeah can take some getting used too.
183 cm is the avarage in the netherlands as a male but most males are closer to the 190 cm.
4:39 As a Dutchie i can explain some things. A) the blue license plate is a cab. Some have a little sign on the roof with the word "taxi" as well, but not all. The left lane in the Netherlands is basically the fast lane. Overtaking is only allowed from the left side, unless the white stripes separating the lanes are big, blocky and close together or during rush hours. The reason why the ambulance is on the most left lane is probably so he only needs to get people to the right, not both sides which can cause other dangerous situations.
Hi Ian, the bright blue license plates are for Taxi vehicles only.
Also, in the Northern province of Drenthe, you see a lot of people with Dodge RAM's or Ford Raptors, even the Volkswagen pickup trucks. But in the Randstad (The busy western cities), you don't see those often as it is not practical to drive a big truck there with the small narrow roads in the cities.
And the small cars with the small license plates are mostly 45 km/h cars. They can not drive fast, but they are cheap and ideal for big city traffic, as the speed limit is like 50 km/h anyways, or 30 in Amsterdam.
Cars with an L sign are a learner driver with an official teacher, as well as pedals (throttle, brake and clutch) on both sides.
And just to add; we cannot learn while driving with our parents. We have to do a minimum amount of lessons with a licensed instructor. This is why everyone knows what to do in these situations.
No throttle, just a clutch and brake pedal.
@@badboattail interesting. Mine definitely had 3 pedals on both sides. still have a picture of it.
@@badboattail it must also have a throttle pedal
because if the student "freezes", the instructor presses the throttle and moves the car out of danger
@@tihomirrasperic No.. most of the time learner cars only have 2 pedals. One for clutching and one for braking. The instructor doesn't need an accelerator.
@@tihomirrasperic Not true:
Het motorrijtuig waarmee rijonderricht in de zin van de Wet rijonderricht motorrijtuigen 1993 wordt gegeven in het kader van de opleiding voor het praktijk-examen voor rijbewijs B, dient te zijn voorzien van:
a. inrichtingen die zo zijn aangebracht dat degene die rijonderricht geeft, daarmee de bedrijfsrem en, indien het een motorrijtuig met handschakeling betreft, de koppeling vanaf zijn zitplaats doeltreffend kan bedienen;
On the subject of handling wet weather;
Tyres across most of Europe have to have more rubber and less PVC than U.S. spec. It really helps.
In the Netherlands most roads have draining asphalt. The water sinks through the asphalt and so there's no layer of water on top. It makes a HUGE difference. Not only do the tires have more grip, but also it improves visibility both because the road and markings are clearly visible but also because there is almost no spray.
@@AHBdV Ah, that stuff is great. The cathedral near me has paths made with the pretty version and it works really well.
thank you for your positive comment during the film.
I like this way of promting our way of live.
Have to subscribe to you mate, very chill and clear.
In the UK you are not allowed to go pass a red light, even if theres an ambulance behind you with blue lights. The only time you can pass a red light is when a police officer explicitly directs you to do so.
Crazy Englishmen :-)
Not being allowed to go pass a red light if there's an ambulance behind with blue lights is just stupid.
If there's an ambulance, fire truck and police car with lights on behind, I'm pretty sure running a red while moving over is allowed in all countries in continental Europe.
@@automation7295 Unfortunately in the UK it isnt, I agree its stupid but here you'll get fined for doing so.
@@CrazyInWeston in the Netherlands you can still get a fine when it is an automated red light camera, most of the time when there is an ambulance they get filtered out but of course it is not perfect... easy to fight though which is nice. Got one last week. 2 days later got another letter stating that I did not have to pay because of the ambulance.
Hmm, this comment made me look up the rules for where I live in Western Australia.
I found out it's illegal in Western Australia and Tasmania to cross a red light, even if an emergency vehicle is behind you. How ridiculous is that!
I would still move across a red light, if safe to do so and take the fine if I had to, to potentially save a life.
When I was 18ish I blocked an ambulance because I had my stereo on loud. Like really loud like an idiot. It would have only beeen less then a minute but I still remember it 20 years later.
And I’ve seen a young p player girl 17-18 blocking one at a busy intersection almost in tears because she didn’t know what to do. Looking around like crazy trying to work out how to let them through. I think most people want to get out of the way but you’re not always expecting an ambulance to come racing up behind you especially as a new driver.
1) You're the only youtuber I watch who comments other people's videos. 2) You are one of my favorite Americans: Proud but (refreshingly!) not chauvinistic, open minded and genuinely inquisitive. 3) Your comparisons and observations are educational 👍
The biggest difference is, we in the Netherlands go question why. We move if I really want to know why. I can look it up later. We are not going to discuss our rights at that point, we have judges for that. Like if a police ask my id. I don't even question myself if he has the right. I have nothing to hide. As you can see things go more smoothly
The ambulance is driving on roads around Amsterdam and there are many cars with blue plates, which is normal because Dutch taxi's have blue plates and there are a lot of them in and around Amsterdam/Schihol Airport. The "big" modern buildings along the highway are mostly companies , often near the exits of highways and/or trainstations.
In this case both (Amsterdam Zuid).
@@apveening You're probably right 🙂 (Yerseke, Zeeland) 170 km (about 105 miles)
@@MisterJ56 Worked about ten years at Amsterdam WTC, mostly used the train but about once a week I took the car to keep in practice.
"Like I could eat my lunch of this road", Well, we DO have the occasional roadkill. Hope you like hedgehogs? 😀
I think not enough people have pointed out that the reason the most right lan on the highway was empty is because it's the emergency lane, for when your car breaks down, for when the police signal you to stop, and for ambulances to have an easy way through.
Around 13:00, you're confused about the intersection, but as you mention that , we (the ambulance) are actually on a big roundabout. Relatively high speed roundabouts can only be done (reasonably) safe by making them big like this
Amsterdam is the city probably worldwide with most bikes. I myself have 7 bikes, my wife 5 and my son 3 and we live in south Germany.
Tokyo probably, that has >20 times more people of course but also quite a cycling culture.
@@DenUitvreter You can not compare Amsterdam with Tokyo. (As you said) Tokyo have about 30 million people more than Amsterdam has.
Sings : There are nine million bicycles in Beijing , thats a fact , its a thing we cant deny ....
I'm very curious why someone would have so many bikes. I know about some people who have a cargo bike, a race bicycle and a city bike, but that's about it.
@@carmenl163 I have 2 mountain bikes, 3 cruise bikes and 2 city bikes. My wife has 1 mountain bike, 2 cruise bikes and also 2 city bikes. My son has each for the mountains, cruise and for the city. Maybe he gets soon 1 or 2 bikes more.
The mindset shpuld always be to get let them pass because it can be someone you care about in that ambulance
4:25 The Dutch highways have something called ZOAB which means very open asphalt. This means the highways that are equipped with this have no standing water because it can pass right through, meaning hydroplaning is not really an issue.
Hello, me Levy, I am a 911 Photographer in the Netherlands and this Ambulance is a Mercedes Ambulance and those Blue License Plates that you see are indeed Taxi vehicles. And on the highway, the ambulance, but also the police and fire brigade, will drive in the left lane as much as possible so that people can go to the right and therefore have a free lane. And it is also mandatory to either move to the left or to the right. Only if this is not possible, then remain standing and the Ambulance Drivers or Police or Fire Department will look for a way out to their Location
Tbh theres massive traffic in the netherlands, lots of congestion every morning and night. I know people think we are this biking/walking nation but we have a LOT of cars. On 17 million people theres 9.1 million cars.
I always go by car to work and almost everything outside work is walking or cycling. Most weekends the car is staying idle on the porch.
The reason for the respect, courtesy and cooperation is easy: You don't know who they are trying to help. It might be a friend, family or loved one. And next time it might be you.
Making way for an ambulance won't cost you a thing or delay you. But those few seconds might save another persons life. A few seconds delay at each intersection can quickly add up to several minutes.
Also driving lessons probably help a lot. Most Dutch drivers have at least 30 hours of lessons with a certified instructor, and most likely during at least one of those lessons you have to deal with an ambulance, firetruck or police car. But also using your mirrors and being aware of your surroundings are a big part of the lessons and exam.
I never saw your videos before and the video started with the ambulance driving past my house. 😂
Here in holland a lot of drivers (at least I like to) use phone apps for navigation (of course hands-free) that alert the driver of an aproaching emergency vehicle no matter which direction you or the ambulance is going. It's an additional "notification system" to allow drivers to make make room for the emergency vehicle before they've spotted or heard it.
I'm proud of all us Dutchies watching this. Whether watching it here or experiencing it myself when behind the wheel, seeing everybody perk up their eyes and ears as soon as they hear a sirene to spot the emergency vehicle, check their options and sometimes even drive carefully through a red light when there is no space left or right gives me goosebumps every time.
The Dutch definition of "space" in traffic is quite different from other countries I've driven in. In big cities like Amsterdam it can be quite common to fit yourself through a gap while having 5-10cm (2-4") on either side of the sideview mirrors of a (for Dutch standards) normal sized car. It's one of the reasons why it's unlikely to see big (SUV) cars in the big cities
In the Netherlands, American pick-ups are unaffordable, expensive in fuel consumption and taxes. In addition, they are large and clumsy on the road. If it is already driven, it is often a status symbol.
The blue license plates are taxis. The blue color indicates that they are exempt from road tax. Green license plates are also available. These are for garages and car dealers. Trailers with a net weight plus loading capacity of up to 750 kg have white license plates.
Most ambulances are Mercedes, VW of MAN.
Also parking spaces are almost never big enough to fit a big pick-up truck, you are better off with a car with a smaller footprint.
Which also makes it harder for vans, but yeah it gives more spaces per square meter.
@@thelaurens1996 Yes, but even parking spaces makes it harder of vans, most vans are still slightly narrower than most American pickup.
There's lot of parking spaces usually reserved for vans at all times, or during certain hours.
Only way to qfford pick ups here is to make them work vehicles. Pay 1/3 of insurance and taxes. So called grey license, starts with a V on the license plates
In Utrecht Netherlands there is biggest underground parking for bicycles in the world.
Depending on the systems/year of the car, you can also get notified about oncoming emergency vehicles through radio and/or navigation systems. Depending on how they are situated you get an alarm on the dashboard and/or navigation software. So you know in what lane they are approaching.
After the entire country was switched to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) the radio-waves can carry additional data with them, one of them is for emergency transport, which modern cars can interpret and sound an alarm in your car. Thanks for the video and your enthusiasm :)
as someone that is from the netherlands i find it truly amazing how ya'll react to the bikes like that wasnt even that much bikes to be honest in the netherlands u see that every where u come every day all day
A trip around Amsterdam, looked like they brought someone from one hospital to another.
From OLVG West to OLVG Oost in this case, specifically.
@@RudyBleekerik dacht al, wat een lange rit voor een melding
Thank you for being open and full of praise for something not American. I am Britsh born, but now Dutch and live here in Nederland, and agree with your observations....
First time here, you have such a nice and calming voice!
One thing about the signal lights: If it's a round one it means that you might encounter traffic that needs to be given right of way. If it's an arrow, it means the situation is so arranged that you will not encounter traffic that you need to give right of way (unless it's an emergency vehicle with lights and/or sirens, of course).
With regards to the traffic moving out of the way, the only issue us Dutchies have, is that some people stress out and pull over too fast instead of *safely* finding a moment to get out of the way of the ambulance.
L on the roof is indeed a driving school. Blue license plates are taxis.
Emergency vehicles usually take the outermost fast lane, or when the traffic is really really bad, actual traffic jams, they take the shoulder.
I'm not surprised at people trying to get out of the way of sn emergency vehicle. What I'm surprised with, is that some people will try make it faster to their destination by staying in front of the ambulance. That happens a lot in Portugal. Those people only learn the lesson when it happens to someone in their family.
In the Netherlands you should see the line of cars behind the emergency vehicle 😅
Basically all the highways in the Netherlands are made of ‘zoab’ which stands for ‘zeer open asfalt beton’, basically translating to ‘very open asphalt concrete’. It allows water to pass through rather than it staying on top, which means very minimal spray and less risk of aquaplaning. Makes it very safe to drive in the rain at high speeds.
With this video you've earned yourself a honorary Dutch citizenship.
One of the positive effects of having traffic lights on the near side (maybe not a reason) is the traffic lights are right in front of you is so you can't roll up on a crosswalk (bike lane), since you won't be able to see the lights anymore. Also, you're focus is.. right in front of you, not 50 (or more) feet ahead of you.
Yes, personally I think it is safer. I have driven a car in Canada, where they also have the stoplights at the other side of the crossing, but I didn't like where the traffic lights were. Ofcourse you have to get used to it, but I still think the way we do it in the Netherlands is less confusing and distracting.
I believe one of the biggest reasons we have better drivers in the Netherlands is because we have the freedom to choose how we travel. In America it is often looked down upon to take public transport if it is available, but most of the times that isn't even an option. We have a pretty decent public transport network and we can choose to walk or use the bike for shorter distance trips without being terrified that it could very well be our last day. So a lot of bad drivers or people who don't like to drive just choose to travel in a different way. Most Americans don't have this freedom and are forced to drive, which is reflected in the amount of distracted drivers and bad drivers
Also a drivers license is a lot harder to obtain in the Netherlands. The bar is a lot higher and you need to be 18 years of age to drive without a chaperone.
On intersections a lot more is managed by priority rules. First come first served is not a thing in the Netherlands. Priority roads are marked using signs and road markings (haaientanden or "shark teeth"). Stop signs are reserved for unclear intersections.
Also because we don't need to drive 10 hours to see a family member
The siren sound also gets pushed over your radio of your car when an ambulance is close. So also the music is gone. And its part of getting your drivers license that you know how to respond.
2:10 A cargo bike of the Long John type, with the cargo hold between the driver and the front wheel.
In Sweden we learn (or we only just understand it as) to hold out as far to the right and slow down/stop. Preferably with the right blinker on so the emergency personnel can see my intention (when we hear sirens). If we are on a motorway, we know that one or more lanes turn left and the others right, and show intention with blinkers. It is not (under the law) allowed for a private motorist to exceed the speed limit to help. The police usually turn a blind eye, but not always, depending. Depends on whether the police/law enforcement think you were negligent. But even more so if some idiot thought it was fun to post on the Internet and you could be identified. The police/ambulance/fire department would never (themselves) put you there.
8:34 and be aware that it could be your loved one in that ambu..so, you want your loved one to as fast as possible helped, and moved to the hospital.
12:55 it's a signalized traffic circle. That's the most common way to deal with high traffic non-highway junctions in the Netherlands. It's "split" because it's a big circle. It's signalized just like a normal large intersection but the reason for the circle is that it makes it much safer, as nobody can speed through the middle and the conflict points are spread across the circle instead of all colliding in the middle. It also makes it possible for traffic that ran an orange light to get a red in the "middle" of the intersection so that they have a dedicated place to wait instead of having to cross oncoming traffic that just got a green light from the other side.
1:57 it's a bucket-bike. In the bucket up front about 4 small kids can sit, or a bunch of stuff. There are also electronic powered ones. Really useful in small streets
I am shocked that Americans don't get out of the way for ambulances. It's common sense. What is wrong with you people?
US driving test is too short and less strict, even their parents can teach their teenage kid to drive on the public roads.
@@automation7295, till somewhere in the 90s in Belgium parents could teach to drive too, but even then drivers got out of the way of an emergency vehicle. So it has nothing to do with driving school.
@@lorrefl7072 Then explain why 99.9% of US drivers are poorly trained and don't get out of the way for ambulances or any emergency vehicles?
Driving lessons in the US are much shorter, while driving lessons in Europe are far more expensive and stricter.
Americans are just allergic to common sense.
@@lorrefl7072Of course it has everything to do with that. If you're not properly trained how to drive, you can't properly train your kids how to drive and if the final test isn't very difficult either, you get bad drivers teaching the next drivers and the driving skills get worse with every generation.
Blue are for taxi's. Green is for garages. White is for trailers.
So which colour are your diplomatic plates?
@@ane-louisestampe7939 black
@@ane-louisestampe7939 there yellow I believe, but have CD on it for Corp Diplomatique if I'm not mistaken.
@@ane-louisestampe7939 They have yellow plates that start with AA (reserved for them)
@@gvisser5 No. AA = Royal family. CD = Corps Diplomatique. (KD used to be for military vehicles).
As a former paramedic and ambulance driver, I think the one thing that I love about the driving culture in Austria (kind of similar to NL in terms of how people drive only adding mountains and a shit ton of snow) is that the vast majority of people at least have the courtesy to slow down when they see lights or hear sirens. Although some slow down in places where it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to do so, generally it’s this type of reaction that makes safely threading the needle through dense traffic possible in the first place. And of course it makes it super satisfying 😂.
Love the content, greetings from Austria!
This so funny to see as a Dutch person living in The Netherlands. Its fun to see your reaction haha. The bikes are so normal so regular. Also yhe ambulance yh i dont have a driversliscence bit this what we even taught as a child from our parents to not be in the way of liturally someones life. Thats why people get out the way no one wants to be the reason someone else might die. So we understand how serious it is and im also proud this is how we do it.
I regularly have an argument with my best dutch friend:
- We're pretty much the same, aren't we?
- No! You're German, I'm Dutch, stop trying to fabricate these nonexistent similarities.
- Nonexistent similarities?
- Ok, all right...we do have similar cultural schemes going on...
- Except for winning important tournaments, aye?
💥☔🌋👺😡💥
At this point our women get involved and calm us down...oh i love my friend so much😂🇩🇪 ❤❤
As a Dutch who has driven in the USA I have to say that the way the traffic lights are placed in the USA is by far the better position; you never have to bend forward to look up through your windshield to see the traffic light almost above you.
That weird intersection is actually a roundabout (Prins Bernhardplein, Amsterdam); straight means following the roundabout in this case.
I agree with other commenters: Proper driving lessons and a proper teacher will teach you to be aware of traffic. The thing they really hammer into you is check your mirrors every few seconds; if you have to make a maneuver you already know what's there (and still look again) and if there's an emergency vehicle approaching you will know before they're on your tail.
In all fairness, it doesn't always goes this smooth even in the Netherlands, but it's generally okay.
As a dutchie, I love seeing how smooth this goes. I do want to give a shoutout to Austria and Switzerland (Germany somewhat as well) though because they have one of the best systems I have ever seen. Basically, if there's a traffic jam on a two-wide road, people in the left lane will pull over as far left as possible, and people in the right lane will pull over as far right as possible so the emergency vehicle can pass through the middle, which they call a 'rettungsgasse' (not sure how it works with roads that are wider than two lanes). And they don't do this when they KNOW an emergency vehicle has to pass. As soon as they see a traffic jam, they start moving over so they're already in position JUST IN CASE emergency vehicles need to pass. We always go on holiday by car and the first time I saw this happen I was flabbergasted at how normal this seemed to everyone. This probably developed as a result of these countries being mountainous and not having much space to make wider roads because of that but it seems very efficient to me. And yes, this is kind of what happens anyway in the Netherlands because people move over to make space, but in a way it seems more controlled in Austria and Switzerland than it does here.
So much fun to see this video, this video actually starts at my go-to hospital (OLVG Amsterdam)