move out of the way for blue lights

[Shox Dr]

Ambulances have to pass a Junior school to get on the A614 its pandemonium if it coincides with the kids going/leaving school, as they [parents] blanket park both sides of the road, with only drives to pull into.

 

[Robotstar5]

they either turn up late or don't bother calling at all even on a 999 call mention you are getting burgled though and going to shoot them and there there like sh...t of a stick not just one but a whole bunch of them specialy after they tell u theres no one available as there all busy

We had similar at the shooting club some years ago. We had caught a lad breaking into one of the cars and were holding him outside while I phoned the police, they said they would get there when they could, by now word had got around and group of friends & family of the lad were gathering outside and it started to get ugly, I told the police what was going on and reminded them we had a lot of firearms on the premises, didn't take long for a couple of cars, a van and a dog unit to turn up

 

[brightspark]

the wife worked for the police for over 20 years and knows what goes on . having said that there are a good few of them that are good lads and try there best but there hands are tied

 

[Robotstar5]

Unless it changed, Police & Fire vehicles are classed as emergency vehicles where as Ambulances are classed as essential vehicles which is why they have a solid blue light ("gatso lamp") on the back in case the red light or speed cameras don't catch the roof strobes and they get a ticket.

 

[kcchan]

Unless it changed, Police & Fire vehicles are classed as emergency vehicles where as Ambulances are classed as essential vehicles which is why they have a solid blue light ("gatso lamp") on the back in case the red light or speed cameras don't catch the roof strobes and they get a ticket.

I'm not saying you're wrong or calling you out, but if thats true, what's the difference? And what a crock of .... a fire engine trying to put out a fire which could potentially destroy multiple lives, is less important than an ambulance which can only take a single patient?

 

[Robotstar5]

I'm not saying you're wrong or calling you out, but if thats true, what's the difference? And what a crock of .... a fire engine trying to put out a fire which could potentially destroy multiple lives, is less important than an ambulance which can only take a single patient?

A bit of info here

 

[gaz1]

i personally have moved over the white line and moved to the far left as i could do but never crossed the junction

though i believe its being 2 faced by the regs emergency service it is, if they have blues and two's going I will move out of the way as soon as it is safe to do so giving the emergency vehicle a clear and safe way past me, even if that means creeping forward through the lights enough to create a gap, or parking on a grass verge.

so heres the truth to it

As an emergency services driver... we never push people through red lights.... it is the drivers own decision to go through a red... which you shouldn't do. If possible an ambulance will "wrong side" to go through traffic lights rather than push people through. So yes you can be fined for doing so... we have the exemptions, you do not. Just wait for the light to go green then pull out of our way. When driving normally just pull to the left and stop. Indications would be appreciated. Please do not stop dead in front of us or stop on the right side of the road otherwise you are Increasing ur chances of being rear ended by a 5 n half ton ambulance... whilst we are very highly trained drivers it is sometimes difficult to predict the stupid things that the public do. Also please don't stop on a blind bend

it's not about the points and fines... if you go through a red light and get hit by an oncoming car.. we would have to stop to help you.. not only would if create more work for the already overstretched ambulance service we would be putting a large delay on going to the original caller. Just pull to the left when safe to do so. Yes it's important for us to reach patients quickly... but we view "sick" people differently to the general public in a large number of cases the jobs we attend, whilst the patient might be poorly... they are not what we as clinicians class as time critical. A large number of patients we attend, once we have actually seen them, if we decide they need to go to hospital they are driven at normal road speed. It is only those time critical or "big sick" patients that then get blue'd into hospital and it is only those small amount of patients where minutes really count.... but that's for us to worry about, not you. Even if we are running to a cardiac arrest... chances of survival are very slim if bystander cpr is not already in progress. We do what we can... but reality is people die, even when you have sweated ur ass off for an hour trying to resuscitate them... we don't let it bother us and being delayed by 10seconds because a car can't move due to a red light really will make hardly any difference to the outcome. 10minutes maybe Sorry if I went off in one. And sorry for any harsh truths about our job

 

[brightspark]

A bit of info here

well put and true a bit off topic but police and firemen get well paid and recon they deserve it because of the trauma they suffer at accidents poor ambulance drivers never complain and have the worst job to do and pay

 

[kcchan]

A bit of info here

Ahh I mis-understood what you said before. I thought it was the other way round but now I realise it may have made me sound like I don't think ambulances deserve the emergency services status. I actually think they should be treated the same.

i personally have moved over the white line and moved to the far left as i could do but never crossed the junction

though i believe its being 2 faced by the regs emergency service it is, if they have blues and two's going I will move out of the way as soon as it is safe to do so giving the emergency vehicle a clear and safe way past me, even if that means creeping forward through the lights enough to create a gap, or parking on a grass verge.

so heres the truth to it

As an emergency services driver... we never push people through red lights.... it is the drivers own decision to go through a red... which you shouldn't do. If possible an ambulance will "wrong side" to go through traffic lights rather than push people through. So yes you can be fined for doing so... we have the exemptions, you do not. Just wait for the light to go green then pull out of our way. When driving normally just pull to the left and stop. Indications would be appreciated. Please do not stop dead in front of us or stop on the right side of the road otherwise you are Increasing ur chances of being rear ended by a 5 n half ton ambulance... whilst we are very highly trained drivers it is sometimes difficult to predict the stupid things that the public do. Also please don't stop on a blind bend

it's not about the points and fines... if you go through a red light and get hit by an oncoming car.. we would have to stop to help you.. not only would if create more work for the already overstretched ambulance service we would be putting a large delay on going to the original caller. Just pull to the left when safe to do so. Yes it's important for us to reach patients quickly... but we view "sick" people differently to the general public in a large number of cases the jobs we attend, whilst the patient might be poorly... they are not what we as clinicians class as time critical. A large number of patients we attend, once we have actually seen them, if we decide they need to go to hospital they are driven at normal road speed. It is only those time critical or "big sick" patients that then get blue'd into hospital and it is only those small amount of patients where minutes really count.... but that's for us to worry about, not you. Even if we are running to a cardiac arrest... chances of survival are very slim if bystander cpr is not already in progress. We do what we can... but reality is people die, even when you have sweated ur ass off for an hour trying to resuscitate them... we don't let it bother us and being delayed by 10seconds because a car can't move due to a red light really will make hardly any difference to the outcome. 10minutes maybe Sorry if I went off in one. And sorry for any harsh truths about our job

It's quite interesting to hear it from an emergency services drivers point of view. Are there any other "no-nos"? I'd like to think that I make fairly decent judgements but if I could improve then I'd love to hear/share them.

 

[brightspark]

yea move over when safe to do so without over reacting and indicate to let them know your intentions

 

[fizzy]

I will do whatever is needed. I have often jumped a red light or even blocked a junction to help them get through. People are so stupid though. I often see people on a 2 lane road slam on when they are being passed by the emergency services even though it is 2 lanes each way!
I usually go so fast I end up losing the blue flashing lights...........

 

[Revs1972]

I have had several incidents of part time fire fighters sat behind me at lights, horns blasting with their FIRE signs lit up in the window of their own cars. Yes mate, I can see you, and yes I will move over to let you pass at the first opportunity, but NO, I won't pull through this red light just so you can get to the station , even if that means my house burns down as you were 30 seconds later than you wanted to be

 

[fizzy]

I almost got hit at a set of traffic lights one night. I had a green but I still ALWAYS check it is clear first. There was a car stationary so I thought yes it's safe. I was just driving through the junction and a car decided to just overtake the stationary car and jump the lights. Yes the traffic car!!! No siren no blue flashing lights! I swerved to avoid him. He put his lights on a few seconds afterwards but then turned them off again further on.
I should have let him hit me - think of the compensation and the trouble the idiot would have been in!
I have to be honest the standard of police traffic driving isn't what it used to be. A mate was an instructor for the Police and he had plenty of stories to tell.

 

[zzr1200]

What if the coppers are on the way to deal with an in progress break in at your house?

Or, your significant other has called for police assistance?

The stuff in the house is replaceable, the lathe and milling machine aren't likely to be nicked by the normal scrote making a house call.

And there's a baseball bat under the stairs to slow down unwanted guests...just in case.

 

[Maker]

Often wondered; if an emergency services driver is over the speed limit/runs a red light and causes an accident, could they be charged with dangerous driving?

 

[Pete.]

Yes of course.

 

[skotl]

I'm not intentionally setting out to upset anyone who has posted here, but some of these posts are complete nonsense.
I will always pull out of the way, as safely as I can, to let an emergency vehicle through. I'm definitely not going to second guess what their reasons are for having the blue lights on - I'm going to assume that their controllers and the folks that passed their licence application know more about the situation and the driver's skill than I do.

As far as crossing a stop line or going through a red light then yes, if it's safe to do so, then I'll do it (and have done). I'm not one to assume that The Man is out to get us and I expect that the emergency vehicle's on-board cam will corroborate my going through a red light (for example).

Worst case is that I get three points and a £120 fine but I honestly have sufficient faith in the system that this won't happen that it doesn't even enter my head - blue lights coming mean that I get out of the way as quickly and safely as possible.

 

[fizzy]

The Police and other emergency services can and do abuse the system! They used to make a habit of turning on blue lights just to jump a red light or drive in a bus lane until people in our area got fed up of it. They stopped after people had had enough and reported them enough. They don't seem to do it so much now - CCTV!

 

[anjum]

What I hate, It happened again this pm, is when you move over for an emergency vehicle and the twonk in the car that was behind you, Merc in this case, tries to cut you up as you try to move back to the lane you were in!!

 

[skotl]

The Police and other emergency services can and do abuse the system! They used to make a habit of turning on blue lights just to jump a red light or drive in a bus lane until people in our area got fed up of it. They stopped after people had had enough and reported them enough. They don't seem to do it so much now - CCTV!

With the greatest of respect, though, why should that pass the onus of deciding whether the blue light journey is worthy over to you? Just get out of the way and let the judiciary, or karma, figure out the rest?
I'm going to bow out of this thread now because I think it's a pretty pointless debate and I've had my say. No issue with anyone arguing against my opinion but I'm done on this one.
Peace, harmony and no blue-lights from me