Fresno, now it is getting ridiculous.

On my way to work Thursday morning, I was driving down Herndon Avenue, mentally convinced it was Friday. It was not. A small, disappointing realization.

Traffic was doing what traffic does, until I saw an ambulance coming up behind us, lights on, sirens loud enough that you could feel them more than hear them.

People started doing what they’re supposed to do.

We all began pulling over, easing out of the way, trying to create space. It wasn’t perfect, but it was working. A small moment of collective competence on a Fresno morning.

And then there was the white BMW.

Watching the Scene Like a Movie

I was in the far left lane, a few cars behind it, already moving right to clear the path. The BMW was ahead of me, sitting in that pocket of space where everyone else was actively trying to make room. Sirens were loud. Lights were visible. None of it seemed to matter.

The driver was looking down at what I assume was their phone.

No urgency. No awareness. Just parked in the shifting flow of traffic while an ambulance tried to move through it.

When the driver finally looked up, it was like a jump cut. Head snaps up, foot goes to the gas, car lurches forward. Not out of the way. Not into a better position. Just forward, still blocking the lane the ambulance needed to use to get around the congestion.

Because, of course, they had somewhere to be.

Is It on Us or the Ambulance?

I know what someone will say here. The ambulance could have gone around. Maybe in some situations, yes. But in this one, everything was locked. Middle and right lanes were jammed toward the turn lane. The only usable path required cooperation from the very car that refused to move. Seconds matter in those moments. Not as a slogan. As a reality.

This was not the only moment.

A little later, another emergency vehicle came through, lights flashing, moving fast. And again, another driver treated it like an inconvenience instead of a signal to get out of the way. A white coupe this time, pulling forward instead of yielding, cutting into space that was clearly not theirs to take. At one point it swerved back in front of the cruiser, as if urgency was optional and physics was negotiable.

I just sat there in disbelief.

Fresno, Are We Really This Bad?

There is a specific kind of Fresno frustration that comes from watching something like that unfold in real time. Not because it is shocking, but because it is familiar. You start to realize how often people are not actually driving, they are just occupying a lane while doing something else entirely.

I did a ride-along with Fresno Police Department once, and one thing stuck with me. People do not think in those moments. Not really. They are not considering what the sirens mean or where that ambulance might be headed. They are thinking about themselves, their timing, their destination, their day.

And I get it. Everyone is busy. Everyone is tired. Everyone is trying to get somewhere.

But an ambulance is not just another vehicle in traffic. It is a countdown.

Emergency Vehicles Have ASAP Destinations

That ride-along also changed something else for me. I used to get nervous when I saw a police officer behind me, assuming every second was a judgment call on my driving life. What I learned is a lot more mundane. They are usually not focused on you (all the time). They have somewhere to be too.

The irony is, most of us think we are the main character in traffic. We are not. We are just part of the system that only works when people actually pay attention.

And that is the part that is starting to feel a little ridiculous.

Fresno, if you see lights behind you, move. Safely, quickly, without debate. The cold brew can wait. The group chat can wait.

The five seconds you think you are saving by not moving over are not worth what someone else might be losing on the other end of that siren.

About the Author

Anthony W. Haddad is a Fresno-based reporter and columnist best known for the award-winning Millennial View column series. He covers a wide range of topics, from pressing local issues and community concerns to the everyday challenges and experiences facing millennials today.

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