Question for those of you with blue light

[yeti]

Before I go any further, I'll happily say I've got my advanced, but am aware of my civilian status, so it's not a question seeking any of your extra skills. What I want to know is if it'd have been you on the call. Could I have done anything to make the Ambulance drivers life easier in this situation?

I was driving down a single carriageway approaching a sweeping left when I saw there was an ambulance coming the other way on a blue light. I was in dad's car (Fiat saloon) so there's no question I was blocking line of sight for traffic behind me.

A car coming the other way slowed and stopped to give the ambulance the overtake. I stopped with a slight fend-off to make it clear to the ambulance driver that I was making the opening (ditch and hedge to my left, so it couldn't look like I was turning off through it.... surely?), and sat with brake lights on for the purposes of traffic behind me.

Then some muppet overtook me and damn near booked himself a seat in the back of the Ambulance.

Accepted, there's some thick bds in this world who can't see a big yellow truck with flashing blue lights, but if it was you on the call, is there anything I could have done better from your point of view?

My instinct is normally to go fend off if something's occurring due to my past life doing breakdowns (generally works out better if someone decides to play conkers with your van while you're laying under the car in front of it). Is that the best idea in the above situation, or better to stay sitting straight?

Much appreciated.

[SteveT63]

Text book ...I shouldn't worry too much about the fend off, you are just leaving your arse hanging out for the idiot who comes round the back of you to take it off on the way past!! Indicate left pull up to the kerb and Roberts your Fathers Brother!!..... I wouldn't advocate anyone bumping up the kerb in order to get out off the way either ( unless you are on a collision course!) it's your motor that ultimately gets damaged and no emergency run should force anyone to do that, or indeed pressure you through a red light to make room.

[martinws]

Originally Posted by SteveT63

or indeed pressure you through a red light to make room.

If there was an emergency vehicle trying to get through a red light and i moved forward through it to let them past and was flashed by a signal camera would i get done for it?

[4v6]

Theres so many things to catch you out on the roads its impossible to avoid them all, sooner or later youre bound to get caught out by a circumstance beyond your control, all you can do to try and mitigate the muppets is drive defensively, reactively and try and anticipate the situation as best you can.

A449 is well travelled and well known road for accidents at certain parts of it, the one night i was in a line of traffic heading towards kidderminste, theres a pub on the right called the whittington arms with a junction (staggered) and some clot in front decided to do a suicide swerve across the lane and make the junction off the main drag.
Everyone slammed on their brakes, cue the concertina effect and those behind got less and less of a warning as they wernt payng attention.
Dimwit behind me was oblivious as hell and didnt see anything, i knew what was coming, a rear ender from the quick glance in the rear view, so i popped out over the white line, got mine all stopped and dingwit behind was grateful for the space id created, he nearly whacked the guy in front of me tho, and if id not had gone out of lane (nothing coming the other way luckily so had the space/time and option to do so) he'd have parked it in the rear seat.....
So many ways to get nailed...

[yeti]

Cheers dude. No kerbs around here in rural Lincs, just loads of ditches for us to bathe our webbed feet in, else I'd have found a drop kerb and hopped up it. Other reason for doing the fend off was so the Ambulance driver could see beyond doubt I'd stopped (he was passing from a few cars back). Helpful from your point of view or not?

Other idea I had for being helpful was get a few of these made of and drop them round.

[Aeo3]

Originally Posted by martinws

If there was an emergency vehicle trying to get through a red light and i moved forward through it to let them past and was flashed by a signal camera would i get done for it?

There was an article in Manchester Evening News about something like this happening, the guy got fined and got points for moving through red light for police ...
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...ng_police_pass

[yeti]

I'd have gone to court and said obstructing the police is an offence, so I had no choice.

[rich.r]

Originally Posted by yeti

I'd have gone to court and said obstructing the police is an offence, so I had no choice.

I dont think obstructing the Police counts in a motor vehicle

I may be wrong (often am) but i think there is nothing in the road traffic act that makes you move over/out of the way for blues and twos

Obviously if its safe its coutesey to do so

[rtz62]

You can only legally go through a red light if instructed to do so by an officer in uniform; moving out if the way of an emergency services vehicle and thus passing through a red light will not hold any water as a defence despite being the common sense thing to do.

[SteveT63]

That's the reason that driver training suggest an offside overtake at ATS junctions. If you are sat at the lights and up comes a blue light behind you, unless you can make way in a safe manner without crossing the stop line and emerging into the junction, stay put, until the lights change, then move forward. And if you get a gob full from the driver as he goes past, practice a few swear words in a foreign language!!