As Chinese roads get more congested, frustrated commuters are getting more creative in reducing their travel times. And according to NetEase, one commuter from Xi’an has tried to get into the fast lane by buying a van and converting it into an ambulance.
The ruse worked well enough until the morning rush hour on February 24 when he used his siren to run a red light at a busy intersection. Police happened to be nearby and as his ambulance passed they noticed there were no patients or attending medical staff inside. Suspicious, they stopped the vehicle to check it out. Inside they found a stretcher but nothing else that would suggest the van was likely to be used for medical emergencies. Under questioning the driver admitted he’d modified the vehicle and installed his own siren.
The cops were unimpressed by his ingenuity. The man was fined Rmb4,000 ($630.55) and told the ‘ambulance’ would be destroyed, as he had contravened the Road Traffic Safety Law.
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