Why is the word Ambulance written backwards on the front of the vehicle?

If you pay attention, the front of an ambulance must have the word “AMBULANCE” written in reverse. You might think that this is a writing mistake.

However, it turns out that this is intentional and has its own meaning. So, why is the word ambulance written in reverse on the front of the vehicle?

To Make It Easy to Read

According to Roviq Hidayat, the person in charge of the ambulance at RSUD Pasar Rebo, the writing on the ambulance is indeed intentional. It is made so that it can be read by other drivers in front of the ambulance.

Later, the reversed ambulance writing will be visible and read normally in their car mirrors. Car mirrors have a reflective quality like regular mirrors.

This allows the reversed ambulance writing to be read normally through the driver's rearview mirror. Eventually, the other driver will give way to the ambulance so it can pass smoothly.

The reversed writing of the word ambulance is not only applicable in Indonesia. It also applies to other countries out there. The purpose is roughly the same as that implemented in Indonesia.

Not only ambulances, reversed writing is also used for several other vehicles, such as fire trucks and rescue vehicles.

Including Prioritized Vehicles

According to the Traffic and Road Transportation Law Number 22 of 2009 Article 134, ambulances are vehicles classified as prioritized vehicles. In addition to fire trucks, vehicles escorting corpses, and vehicles of state agency leaders.

The purpose of prioritization here is that ambulances must be given precedence to pass on a road. So, if a driver is followed by an ambulance, the driver must allow the ambulance behind them to go first.

To help other drivers understand the priority rights of ambulances, ambulance vehicles also equip themselves with reversed writing on the front. This writing will later be read by the driver in front through the mirror, so that driver will give priority to the ambulance, just as we explained earlier.

As a prioritized vehicle, ambulances also have several other privileges. Starting from running red lights, going against traffic, and using bus lanes. All these privileges can be used by ambulances if they are in a truly urgent condition.

Useful When the Siren is Off

In addition to the reversed ambulance writing, ambulances actually have sirens as a warning signal to other drivers. In fact, sirens are generally more effective in making other drivers move aside compared to the reversed ambulance writing.

However, the reversed ambulance writing is still needed. Because this writing can replace the function of the siren as a warning signal, especially if the ambulance's siren is off.

Using the Mirror Writing Method

The writing of the word ambulance itself apparently uses the mirror writing method, a method of writing letters or sentences in reverse. In ancient times, Leonardo da Vinci commonly used this method to write his personal notes. Mirror writing is also commonly found in several calligraphy works from the Turkish Empire era.

As time goes on, mirror writing has started to be used for code writing. Codes written using this method can later be clearly read through a reflective mirror. The reversed writing of the word ambulance is one example of this.

That is the discussion regarding the reason why the word ambulance is written in reverse on the front of the vehicle. From this discussion, we also learn that this writing actually has its own meaning. So, if you later find reversed ambulance writing, you will know what you should do.

Author: Anggie Warsito