American Reacts to Amazing Ambulance Driver Response in Hungary 

Hungarian here, who lives in ireland but let me narrate this video with time stamps. First a bit about ambulances - They are usually Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, but are just normal vans without a big box on the back. There used to be a lot of VW T4 Transporters too and older early 2000s Toyota Hiace vans too for ambulances as well from my days anyway. Thing is, there are some narrow streets in Budapest, which this is based in. So some ambulances cannot be too big. Its not Italy type of tight streets but they do get narrow from time to time. All service vehicles have full permission to go on the tram tracks because they are filled in the middle so they can be driven on. Time stamps 1:28 As far as I know, only UK and Ireland drive on the left in Europe. (I stand corrected, they drive on the left in Malta and Cyprus as well) 1:34 The red bus is called a "Trolley Bus" They are fully electric and get power from built overhead lines. However, some new ones have batteries so they don't need to be hooked all the time. 2:26 This is one of the ring roads around budapest and its going towards the end of it. 3:05 He just turned off the ring road. To the left, you can see a roller coaster that is made fully from wood and it used to be this massive fun fair with a lot of cool rides but it got shut down because the zoo beside it needed more room for animals. Some of the rides are however protected contructions so they just operate as normal while being the part of a zoo. 3:20 Yes, its still the Pest side of the city still because there are two halves, split by the river Danube (or Duna for not english speakers lmao) so you have Buda and Pest but the big city itself is just called Budapest. Now the roads here are SO FUCKING BAD that if you are not careful and have low profile tyres, you easy could buckle the alloy or get a puncture 6:00 the close call was with an old Renault 5, which was the first car my dad had. It was an ex rally car apparantly. 6:15 They are now crossing over to the Buda side of the city, over the river Danube. 7:12 To the left, you are passing an old blue bus. Its an Ikarus 280 and it used to be made and manufactured in Hungary. The company I believe was established in 1895 by this one guy who had a blacksmith workshop. 7:57 This to the left is a more modern Volvo bus. Since Ikarus is not around anymore, most buses are from Volvo, MAN or Mercedes. Some of the cars that we've seen in this video are but not limited to - - Late 90s Suzuki Swift hatch and saloon and also the next generation from around 2006. Very popular, cheap and reliable cars, especially the older ones. -Opel Astra F hatch and estate and Astra G hatch and estae. Opel was very popular in Hungary because it wasa reliable, cheap and German. -Renault twingo from the late 90s -Suzuki Vitara from mid 2010s -Old Toyota Hiace Van from early 2000s or late 90s -SEAT Ibiza 6L very popular. Also came in Cupra trim which gave you either a PD 1.9tdi 160bhp diesel engine or a 1.8T 20V 180bhp petrol engine. I think it was nicknamed the hitman from Spain because it was an absolutely unreal litte hatch. -Basically most vans from Ford, Opel, Renault and Peugeot. -Renault Clio from early 2000s -Toyota RAV4 from around 2008 -Alfa Romeo 147 and 156 -Opel Corsa B -Multiple generation from Toyota Avensis -Multiple Generation of Skoda Superb and Octavia -Multiple Generation of VW Passat, Golf and Polo (usually older ones because well Hungarian people arent wealthy) -Renult 5 and Megane Estate from early 2000s -VW Lupo -Porsch Panamera -Audi A7 -BMW 3 series 1990 -Mercedes C-Calss 1994 -Renault Scenic RX4 -Skoda Fabia 6Y Now I just cherry picked cars I think are not seen in america much or evn ehard of but anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed :)

Hungarian ambulance drivers do this while being on the bottom of the wage chart. True heroes. I do hope they will be respected with decent wages soon.

The ambulance was responding from Zugló Budapest (probably from Uzsoki hospital) to Szépvölgyi road via Rónai street, Nagy Lajos király way, M3 highway, Róbert Károly ring avenue, Árpád bridge, Pacsirtamező street, Lajos street, and Szépvölgyi road. That's 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles), which would take 20 minutes normally and it took place at the beginning of the afternoon rush hour. The reason the ambulance was flooring it because it was responding to a 10-year-old with a skull injury presumed in critical condition.

Both in Hungary and in the UK (can't speak for any other places, but probably around the whole of Europe) people in general treat the ambulace like if it was their own child/parent/family in it. If you hear it coming, you do everything you can to accomodate it passing by as swiftly as possible. A life may depend on it

Gratulálunk a sofőrnek! Igazi profi, köszönjük a munkáját!

I've learnt to drive almost 2 decades ago in the same city, Budapest, Hungary (beautiful city indeed). I can't forget what my driving instructor said one day: "I can't check if you'll follow the traffic rules after getting your license and drive on your own, it'll be your responsibility, but no matter what traffic situation you're in, you ALWAYS give way to ambulance and firefighters!"

Én csak magyarul,mert felszínes az angolom,soha nem tanultam. Amikor meghallom a mentőszirénát azonnal a hangforrást keresem és mikor beazonosítom már azt keresem hogyan tudjak utat adni az életmentőknek.Minden tiszteletem a mentősöknek és a többi egészségügyi dolgozóknak!

I am a hungarian paramedic in germany. I drive in germany same as the guy in the video. But this is very difficult because the people in germany dont react so like in hungary. The trafic in hungary is quickly and safety, but in germany... Slow and dangerous :D Some time they treating us in the trafic because they dont care about the other persons. Is realy sad :(

As an american living in Hungary this video was fascinating to say the least.

A few months ago my father had a heart attack (or I’m not sure what it is in english) and they were here in a few minutes from the other side of the city. So thanks to them my father can be here with us for many more happy years to come. They are incredible people. All my respect to them.

Here in Europe, roads are smaller than in the USA. Everyone has to learn how to react when sirens approach from anywhere, sometimes you just have to stop where you are, and sometimes it is important to not stop and go on, so the ambulance can keep up its speed and pass you later on. I think this driver is a bit braver than average, nevertheless it is more common for emergency services to drive fast like this, than it is in the US. Ambulance drives have to pass numerous tests and have to be on the road a lot to keep their licence to drive like this.

Our ambulance drivers are fearless even in the worst trafic jams. Im proud of them! 🇭🇺🚑

2nd Gen Hungarian living in Canada here. Every time I see ambulances here in Canada responding to a call (And emergancy services in general), I can’t help but think how slow the response times are. I love watching these Hungarian ambulance videos because as you say they are quite intense and the drivers in my opinion are some of the best in the world. I’ll also admit having grown up in Canada, the sirens are a bit nostalgic for me as they alway remind me of being in Hungary. Weird, I know but it’s one of the many associations I have with being there. They’re just part of the sights and sounds.

Hi there hungarian here with a bit of a help for the title: OMSZ is a shorthand for Országos Mentőszolgálat or National Ambulance Service in english The rest can be translated as Ambulance response to Pesthidekút 141(the address where he was going) (From district 14) Also the ride was in Budapest the capital of Hungary.

Respect to all the ambulance drivers from all around the world.

a proud Hungarian here. thank you for sharing :) the driving culture here in Budapest has got some rooms for improve but somehow when I meet similar cases on the roads people acts like angels :) (Oh, I almost forget it. There is an F1 track close to this place and there are F1 GPs since 1986.)

Damn i didn't know that people from america would react to a hungarian ambulance video/dashcam

Minden elismerésem az ilyen és hasonló munkakörben dolgozó Mentős,Rendőr,Tűzoltó-nak. Köszönjük a munkátokat..!!

At 5:56 he is overtaking a yellow van - this is actually another ambulance (maybe the same type), and at 6:09 the white van in front of him is another ambulance. And yes, this is a real street race, this guys skills is amazing. Thanks for the reaction video (Hungarian here).

so far, I had to be taken to the hospital twice with emergency car (fainting and giving birth). both were incredible experiences. I knew I was safe with them and they even had the energy to calm me down and make me laugh. real heroes. last week they came out one night within minutes for my child (fortunately he didn't have to be taken to the hospital in the end). awesome people! and yes. here in Hungary, we immediately let them go and help their way if we hear them. ❤️ God bless them!

I was a volunteer Ambulance Officer in thailand and now a Fire Rescue volunteer in new zealand. Its nice to see people take interest into our day-to-day and see the world through our eyes, it helps people gauge and understand how tough it can be for us and spreads respect towards first responders.

I have a friend here in Budapest who is an Ambulance driver. He has an MK3 Ford Focus ST for daily driving with 300+ HP. So that's how he improves driving skills :)

Here in Hungary people usually respond in quite good time when they hear an ambulance car coming, from the traffic I'd say it's a weekday early in the afternoon, but the route he takes can get really crowded. He knows all the lights, that I can tell. Hats off! Minden elismerésem a sofőrnek!

I can remember reading an article about this video (or perhaps something similar, but surely another speed run in Budapest) that it was going to be used in some Western European countries for ambulance drivers as training material, how to drive in tight situations, how to use the movement, the direction of the vehicle (stressed by the syren) to indicate the intended path to split the traffic. Basically it means to communicate, to show your decisions to the other vehicles. That's what you said seems to be brave driving (and yes, it is at the same time🙂) and still must be careful (this is also absolutely true). Of course good decision making ability is required as well.

I love my country. God bless Hungary!

Shortly after this video (and its many reuploads/copies) had gone viral the driver (Mr Tibor Cs.) was interviewed by the national TV. He was asked what made him special, better than his colleagues. His response was "nothing, they are all on the same skill level as I am, the only difference is that I have permission from the Service to upload dashcam recordings to RU-vid for educational purposes". A TV crew drove the same route at the same time of the day as in the video to see what it would normally be like, it took them 17-18 minutes. As you can see the video is just under 6 minutes. PS.: At the end when he turns right was the video a few seconds longer you would see a fantastic bakery on the right side, best in town! ;)

That's the kind of driver you want if you're ever in trouble. Wow!

Hi. Here in Hungary, ambulance drivers receive a special exam. What you saw in your video, Extreme traffic situations! Thank you for introducing our little country :)

Next time you have to give way to an emergency vehicle, just imagine they might have just been through this level of chaos! Respect for the emergency service people and the pressure they face.

He knows the size of his car and where it can fit trough 😅👍

yea i thought what i've seen in germany is a lot but this driver takes it to another level. great to see that all the other drivers somewhat know how to react and just move over

Yepp, I also recommended you this video here 9 days ago. It's in downtown of Budapest, Hungary, Europe (EU). The ride took less than 6 minutes and the distance was 7,6 km (in heavy traffic). Greetings from Budapest, Hungary.😉

Graduated ambulance driver and paramedic from France here, it’s basically what’s happening in any big city in Europe. I’ve been working in Paris/greater Paris for years, not in the SMUR (Service Mobile d’Urgence et Réanimation, can be translated by public hospitals emergency mobile service) but in an ambulance company. When the company is under prefctoral emergency service (there’s a rotation between the companies) you’ve got the green lights to drive like this. We are of course trained at the IFA to drive for specific emergency issue: how to avoid traffic, how to drive in traffic, how to drive with colleagues doing a CPR at the back. The SMUR colleagues are… freaking pilots for sure, when doing joint emergencies they open the road in front of you with a station wagon emergency car with the driver, an emergency nurse and a doctor inside, you have to keep track and stay close to them, not always easy, specially at 5 PM in Paris.

Damn that was nerve racking!! Amazing skills! I’m really impressed as well by the other motorists on the road. They overall did great at getting out of the way.

My brother was in the force and he showed me the original video years ago. He saved so many people, I hope he rests in peace now...

Also from Hungary. Many times I pull away as early as I can, the emergency driver waves me to appreciate my movement. Not to mention my childhood friend is an emergency driver.

Cool video, and 1 of the biggest reason he can floor it, is that he trust the fellow people on the road to get out of the way. And thats amazing. And how it should be

Hello from Hungary! The city is Budapest ( capital of hungary) ,and yes it is a mercedes spriter... Btw i love your videos! Keep it up!

I live next to a hospital in Germany, and I can tell you that those ambulances are not like normal Sprinter vans, despite being based on Mercedes Sprinters. You can hear that they have a hefty inline 6 cylinder petrol engine, probably a 3,5l or so with 300 +bhp, not the usual Diesel engine Spinter vans have. And they have a automatic transmission as well. So these things go when you put your foot down, even if they are rather heavy.

God forbid, but if I ever will be in need of emergency services, my wish is, that driver like that will come to save me.

Szép munka volt srácok ✌️✌️✌️🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺

As a Hungarian, im very proud!

My beautiful country and City, Budapest! Regards from Hungary

The quality of city is not decided by how many skyscrapers, but depends on how many cars give their ways to ambulance

Here in Germany, there are special rights (e.g. higher speeds than permitted, running red lights) and rights of way. These are laid down in the road traffic regulations. Nevertheless, the special right is also limited, because it is also said: "The special rights may only be exercised with due regard to public safety and order" (§35 point 8 StVO).

I think Ambulance Drivers are underrated. Whenever you see one. Remember they drive like that because there is someone who is most likely dead within under one hour. If you would be that guy you would want to pass the ambulance as clean as possible. - Always make space for the medic.

This was filmed in Budapest, Hungary. The guy is amaizing. He drove thrue the Árpád bridge across the Danube. Come and visit sometime! The vehicle is a volkswagen crafter.

IWrocker I recommend the videos of the Hungarian blood knights.Köszönjük az életmentők munkáját.

man I cant even process how wholesome you and your channel are! Man i wish you billions of subscribers, you never disrespect anyone, you always speak about advantages, good things things you like, instead of hating everything, you are a great dude! Also you put a little flag in the thumbnail. Also, its a mercedes sprinter 4x4 as all the ambulances here, they also have special rights (just like in germany) as @Karsten Doerr mentioned "Here in Germany, there are special rights (e.g. higher speeds than permitted, running red lights) and rights of way. These are laid down in the road traffic regulations. Nevertheless, the special right is also limited, because it is also said: "The special rights may only be exercised with due regard to public safety and order" (§35 point 8 StVO).".

You should react to some paramedics on bikes, also i'm from Hungary so this was a very pleasant video to watch!

Restpect for the ambulance driver, but respect for the other drivers as well for giving way for the ambulance so quickly and so disciplined.

I’ve been in an ambulance in an emergency dash to hospital and despite the wild ride, the driver was speaking to me in a perfectly calm airline captain voice. Dunno how they do it.

Here in Hungary, when you hear an ambulance siren wailing like crazy, you'd better to get the hell out of its way. Ambulance drivers have special skills, they must be able to pass lots of tough exams and be hell of a driver.

A flying tour of downtown Budapest .. I drove across that bridge twice today. In Hungary they don’t really have full ER departments .. rather er docs travel in the ambulances and triage on scene and on the way to hospital and call ahead to the services that will be required when the patient is delivered to the hospital, so they’ll go straight to orthopaedics or neurology and will have bloods etc ready to go.

As a proud half hungarian ambulances here are angels on earth and are treated as so!!

Last time I checked the US had the most inefficient and most expensive Ambulance service in the world.

I live in Budapest. My mother-in-law had a heart attack. After the announcement, the paramedics arrived and immediately started resuscitation.

Got few scratches to my second car (SAAB 99) making way for ER to the left, right was already full. But Swedish steel was a-okay after few kicks from inside an light coat of paint ;)

As an ER tech, I've met a lot of ambulance drivers/nurses/doctors, and they are the real heroes, and deserve all the credit. Keep up the good work people, and I hope one day you will get the recognition you deserve!

The video is from Hungary where I live. Last year I needed ambulance service. Let me tell you first, that by car the hospital is about 25 minutes away from my home. With the ambulance we arrived in about 10 minutes! Yes, less than half the time. I was scared to death and at the same impressed, how skillful and fast ambulance drivers are here.

Hello, I'm Hungarian too. / Hello, Én is magyar vagyok. Yes, It was in Hungary but in Budapest in the 14. District. / Igen, Magyarországon van csak Budapesten a 14. kerületben. And thanks for the good words that you said for Hungary! 😀/ És köszönöm (köszönjük) a szép szavakat amiket Magyarországra mondtál! 😀

It was a bit like the Group B rally race when crowd are all over the road and just jump away from the race car in time. Anyway, as many fellow Hungarians say we do care to let passage to ambulance/firetrucks/police cars when it is an emergency. Thank you for sharing!

Yes, it's in Budapest, Hungary. I saw a tones of people wrote to you, plus how awesome the emergency drivers are. But the people on the road are also do great. Everybody knows, "what if my mother is in the EMS car?". So usually everybody just pull over as fast as they can. Thanks for the video! PS: That was a Mercedes.

7:35 - left side, primary school - I used to go here for boxing training! The driver is doing a great job.

Yep, thats in Hungary, and we do have a law for traffic to slow down and pull over if an ambulance is coming.

It was a good video. I'm Hungarian, I see the ambulances marching every day, they have a lot of titles a day and their salary is unfortunately not the best. Hungarian paramedics travel mostly between Budapest and Buda "mainly with blood products" Unfortunately, in many places around the world, many people still do not pay attention to the distinguishing lights and signals of police, ambulance, and fire trucks, including my country, Hungary. But every year, thanks to heaven, more and more people pay attention to the vehicles with the distinctive Horn. " Hungaryan ambulance drivers =good :)"

Give that driver a Sigar, respect, respect, respect

Yes, you are right, this is the Hungarian ambulance. So much for the traffic: this is the capital city, Budapest, and it's a completely normal everyday life. About the vehicle: at 5:56 you can see another identical ambulance on the right (yellow minibus). Interesting fact: at 6:09, you can see the older ambulance in front of it. It helps vehicles using distinctive markings to move, and you can even drive through a red light (see: Audi and VW). Distinctive signals: light and sound signal together.

Yes, this is definitely a Hungarian ambulance car. Usuali in Hungary in city speed limit 50km/h ~ 31 mph max. And the average speed when the trafic is light around 30km/h or 18.5 mph But the emergency cars run twice faster, averege around 60 km/h or 37 mph in bussy city. One thing the driver does not look at is the speedometer :-)

You should check out LightBarMarci, he is also a Hungarian emergency driver(Emergency Blood transporter to be exact) he has some really great videos.

A BIG RESPECT for life safe services

Hello from Hungary. This city was Budapest, our capital city, check it when you're in Europe. This is really a beautiful city ;)

Thank you for watching a video about Hungary!

"So... first observation: they drive on the right." WTF, Ian??? I wasn't expecting that from you! 😮

I live in Budapest (the city showcased) and if you hear an ambulance you just know you have to turn, run or in any way leave the road because these things go fast

This is Hungary and the city is Budapest. This guy has some skills. But the traffic is quite light. On the three lanes road where the tram runs in the middle in rush hour literally grid locked. Ive seen them only using the tram line only. Well done to all of them

The craziest emergency drivers are probably blood and organ transport drivers. In Poland we have specifically assigned emergency vehicles (usually those are Sedans and Combis) for this and only this purpose. You can see them drive with up to 130 km/h (+80 mph) thru the city and rightfully so since if there is a blood request it means a patients situation is critical and in the case of organs also every minute counts since every second saved means a higher probability that the patients body will accept the organ.

i am a volunteer firefighter in hungary, and the worst call sometimes is on the higway, sometimes truck fire or car crash :(

I drive along this route 2-3 times during the week en route to the office - usually traffic is much heavier this must have been during the summe.

Thanks for the recognitions! Yes, sometimes life is like that in hospitals and especially in the ambulance service. We run for our lives. In such cases, any help comes in handy, of course. Seconds and minutes count, just as they do during the journey. Here, the driver (in Hungarian: "mechanic") almost made it from one end of the city to the other within the given time. of course, he has the right to run on the rail and whatever, as long as it does not endanger others. You have the option to do so with the signal. But unfortunately, in Hungary, just like running down the corridors of the hospital with the emergency car, even crossing the roads, we must not forget that we have priority when it is given. And the delay is measured in human lives. Unfortunately, our country is still learning how to help. In addition, thank you really, it is no coincidence that our ambulances, firefighters, and other bodies perform well in international competitions. It requires hard training and presence of mind.

Thank you I'm driving a ambulance for 30 years now in Belgium and Italy. Belgium you call 100/112. Italy it's 118. ONC 5202 it's my ambulance nr. Thank you again.

Check out the police bikes in the Netherlands escorting ambulances, its amazing the speed and coordination.

It was great to watch your video. Im driving sometimes on these roads, and it was great to hear how you are speaking about this (respect for all people who doing his job well - and he does in the car!!). Just 1 idea: you should watch this on a large TV, like as you are driving, mute the video and play a good prodigy song loud! Try it!! :) Thank you for this video!

also notice the multiple sirens, they are using the factory sirens and also some kind of manually added - those are doing great job together

You should take a look at the @VerlovagokBloodBikesHungary channel as well. They are a group of volunteers doing blood transportation in Hungary mostly on motorbikes. They have to deal with the most crazy traffic jams all the times.

This is in my hometown it is in Budapest, the capital of Hungary

It was surprising to see you react to this video after all the nascar fan reacts videos. I used to watch these videos, but the owner of the video stopped uploading long time ago. He was the first emergency service video channel in Hungary, and since him there's a lot of content. Mostly blood transplant cars cruising in many videos. I like these videos because are very educational.

normally there are bigger traffic jams here in the capital city - Budapest - so this driver was really lucky that there was barely any cars blocking his way

Tady v Česku už by byl totálně zasekaný po první minutě xDD Takže klobouk dolu Hungary

He did a good job....😊 We have Mercedes Sprinters Ambulances in NSW Sydney Australia

I don't expect a Hungarian video from you but here it is. Keep it up mate (as car wise we own 2 2006 Ford Focus Mk2 and a Peugeot 301 2015 as well a Renault Clio 2003 for spare

What you see at 6:20 is Árpád bridge (named after the pagan Hungarian chieftain who conquered the territory which is Hungary today), Árpád bridge is the northernmost free traffic bridge of Budapest. What you see at 6:36 in the distance ahead (and closer at 7:02), is the famous "Village house" the biggest individual residential building in Hungary with over 3000 residents living there.

this is not special, every emergency responder in europe (as far as i know) has this driving skill, in my eyes (as a belgian citizen) this is just an ordinary response, and this also shows a bit how we (with our mercedes sprinters) are much braver than most US EMS (in traffic)

If you want some polish rescue videos these are very good channels you can check and pick video that interests you: Maciej Rasiński OSP-Ożarów Maz. (firerighter POV helmet cam) Wally (ambulance responding in warsaw) Warsaw Rescue (another ambulance in warsaw) Borkoś (fast response ambulance based on SUV Nissan X-Trail, he uploads POVs from rescues)

Yes, this is a Hungarian ambulance in the capital. And now there's no morning rush hour. If necessary, ride the tram tracks, if possible. They're just as fast and cool in the country.

In 1954 - the first in Europe - an ambulance was put into service, which already carried a ventilator, a defibrillator and a pacemaker (heart rhythm regulator) to the scene.

Hungary!? Oh... Boy... I'm just watching your videos and I found something Hungarian? That's so nice to see. I'm Hungarian. Btw yeah, it's a bit scary when an ambulance is coming expesolly when you're driving and don't know what to do.

the video's title practically says (with basic translation) Ambulance response - Pesthidegkút 141 - this is the unit's name - (from Discrit 14) Also, Unit 141 is an older Mercedes Sprinter Here an outside record of the 141 and 142 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I9u3eMlmmIc.html The city is Budapest btw. and at 7:05...that was a Seat, not a BMW ;)

The camera Angle make IT Look real narrow! I was ambulance Driver in Austria! The peaple in this Video react realy great! Aso ambulance Driver youre responsible for your Life, the Life of your medic and the Personen you have to Take Care in your Car. You should geht fast but Safe to the Hospital and have to think for the other drivers in the Road to!

Okay, but my question is, where on earth was he going ? That must've been the longest drive I ever saw !