Safe Speed Forums

We'll see those blue flashing lights in a mirrors and hear the wailing sirens and most always immediatly pull over to allow the ambulance for e.g. to pass, good stuff, but sometimes I think, a car approaching a tight blind bend pulls over and the emergency vehicle sometimes still has to cross onto the wrong side of the road to get by....can you see the danger hear? on a blind bend? would you overtake on a blind bend?
Most people I think "panic" or its an instamatic reaction and don't fully think of how a good willed gesture could go wrong.
If I'm in this situation I will procede around the corner at normal speed and then pull over as soon as the road has a sufficient straight or is wide enough for a safe overtake.
What are your opinions fellow forum users?

p.s. I've occasionally seen cars travelling one way (on a normal two way road) needlessly pull over when an ambulance travelling the other way (not actually following anything) approaches? It highlights how some drivers aren't fully aware of whats going on around them.

I will say THANK GOD for a driver like you

It's a case of looking ahead and judging the situation correctly. COAST comes into play as always and the behaviour at times does show up that too few really have mastered these skills adequately You simply behave as normal - assist our overtakes.


Observe - Anticipate - Plan --

Address the hazard we create for you and PLAN accordingly. It may be that our plan is not the same as your plan - but we plan to accommodate this :

(Now, from the above gobble-de-gook - you know why we ditched OAP in favour of COAST as "plan" means .. as it's way too wide. )

If you are approaching a tight bend - as in the above example - just continue at the same pace. We are not supposed to create a danger - we are supposed to deal with the existing traffic situation briskly and safely - yet not compromise the safety of others out there. Once we are out of the bend and into the straight - that' would be when to ease off .. change position and assist the overtake.



What you do not do though is follow us through a cleared passage as this uspets the other road users .. makes you look stupid .. and we would perhaps prosecute for inconsiderate behaviour

But to the LD-01 .. once again and

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Apparently it's illegal to go through a red traffic light to allow an emergency vehicle past, so I wouldn't do it

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Isn't it illegal for the EV to go through a red light as well?

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

We (police) can break a speed limit when on a genuine shout. We can go through a red light provided that is safe for us to do so.


We are not allowed to break the law on normal routine driving. We face the same penalties as everyone else if we do and I cetainly have not one problem with that.

But even when on police business which means we will be speeding and running red lights - we still have to do so safely and deal with the public at large (who feature pretty prominently in our risk assessments when deciding what to do .. at a fairly rapid thinking speed.


Skipping back a few years to being a youn trafpol - I was escorting an ambulance. Ahead a red light and a line of traffic in the queue.

I had the woos-woos on. Had to drive on the wring side of the road to reach the junction (On-comers moved over ) On reaching the junction - I stil had to stop have a darned long good look down each side and then plonked myself in the middle of the junction to allow the ambulance to follow me through and continue ahead and me follow on and overtake again later for the same process at the next lights.


I had the authority to do this and the authority to stop the traffic.


But to reassure if I can

1. If in any doubt - don't. We have been trained to cope

2. If instructed by a police officer to move through the red light - then you can

3. If a red light cam operates - and it pings you. It will have pinged the EV as well. The driver will have had to have filed a report and thus - all things considered - should a NIP arrive - your story will be corroborated and the NIP cancelled


And yep . the Mad Cats (MM and Wildy) usually clobber me on (3) as they are sceptical felines.

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

In Gear wrote If instructed by a police officer to move through the red light - then you can. OK so what constitutes an instruction? The highway code shows me a number of pictures of a constable in uniform directing traffic using hand signals which I know and recognise. An officer may also speak to me and instruct me to pass a red light or whatever but say officers in, or may be not in uniform eg CID? approach from behind in either a marked or un marked car, the latter with a roof mounted Kojak blue light and start waying their arms about in the car in jestures which a driver takes to mean go against a red light so we can get round you and I have seen this happen. Do you have to comply with such a seemingly unofficial instruction?

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[banter mode on]

wring side of the road


Claret?

Oh and consider yourself "clawed" on number 3 - IG

{tongue in cheek mode on]
That's just spoiling a right good Waily rant from Mr Outraged MoggieCat and Frau Wild Wenchycat of Rantyshire (I had some of the in-laws Schnaps on arriving home. I think it went straight to my head )

[size=50My name's Ted and I read the Waily for its anti-establishment middle class humour [/size]
[tongue in cheek and banter mode off]
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OK. Ahem. serious mode..after a bit of mild "bib banter'" (It's OK - he won't mind - he'll just "fine me for COAST" instead (It's to do with smileys - .. or rather abuse of 'em )


Yes - I think folk do tend to panic when seeing or hearing an EV. For one thing - many say they are not sure where the sound is coming from. I hear this loads of times - especially from the patients and visitors to the hospitals where there will be a higher volume of ambulances perhaps than elsewhere for rather obvious reasons .


How should one react?




I think it does depend on each individual situation. If a busy road ..dense traffic conditions - I would pull over to make a space to allow the traffic through.

If in free flow or some distance ahead - then I would probaby keep on going at a steady rate .. but maybe easing off a little to give me another margin for pulling over - but keep the EV in mirror view and an eye out ahead to allow a safe overtake.

If approaching a bend or curve - and an ambulance was closing in at say- for sake of discussion a 3 second distance when heard and noted in mirror .. I would be inclined to continue around the the curve at the same steady speed and ease steadily to assist the overtake in the straight. It would depend on each individual situation and you observe/..anticipate .. decide what to do by adjusting speed/position - allowing space and time .. Oh .. hells tits - it's COAST again How odd

This raises the question of whether my HYPOTHETICAL 3 seconds before noting this vehicle would be adequate observation on my part or not Should one note it earlier given the sirens or do the way the sirens sound - especially given folk will be listening to in-car radios/hands free kits and so on

And another thing - whilst we are on about "ambulance/EV behaviour"

I have been trained to drive on green lights in the past. SO if you saw me on green lights - what are my legal requirements and how should another driver react? (Yes I know the answer already. Did not need them for Wildy. Her father did drove her to hospital at some right daft speed in the end. I am asking you lot if you know )

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It depends what is coming.

If it's an ambulance or fire engine then I can safely assume I can put my foot down a bit (if it's safe to do so and I have clear road) and find a good spot to pull over. If it's a traffic car then he doesn't need so much space and I need to get out of the way that bit sooner.

I would be very wary of red lights though, especially in an area I don't know.

i typically see two equally disturbing responses....
1) completely unaware and either take by surprise when said wailing flashing vehicle ends up right behind them
2) sheer panic, sharp braking & diving onto/into any available space, whether its actually needed or not

i find its rare to be taken by surprise by an emergency vehicle on call, either its cropped up in mirror checks & observation or you can hear the siren at least a little in advance so you're on the look out for it already.
if i'm approaching a junction i try to establish if i can clear the junction before it gets to me, if it's not going the same way as me i can be safely out the way by the time it arrives, if not i try and pull up short of it as its often pretty hard to tell which way they want to go.
if it's a little way off i'll keep going until its pertinent to pull up, although often thwarted by the panickers leaving me with very few options where to go.

the last ambulance i encountered had the audacityt to beep at me ! having left a roundabout onto a residential SC & established he was coming this way too i was then trying to juggle the need to let them pass with gaps in the as yet uncooperative oncoming traffic, and didn't like the look of the huge kerb i had as an option for getting off the road. consequently i slowed (and indicated) earlier than i might have done to ensure my stopping matched an oncoming gap. ho hum.

I find the panickers cause much of the chaos. I think in a town centre - the sirens can distort somehow though. I not note it the same when out in the wilds around here.



I think we should treat as any other "hazard" as in risk assess it in accordance with the road condition. Then decide what to do accordingly. Make for the gap ahead .. continue at normal pace .. but be aware to assist overtake as soon as (my normal practice if clear road ahead (Mein Gott .. I miss driving .. this will make it 5 weeks of total "maternal confinement" by time it end...

It come back as always to the five little words of COAST though. How weird ist that?


Pah.. All for now. They start to demand Mama again.

Tschues.. for now

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UND OUR SMILEYS? Smile ... und the the world smiles with you.
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Greatest love & Greatest Achievements Require Greatest Risk
But if you lose the driving plan - don't lose the COAST lesson.
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Hi All

Long ago I was trained to drive in various strange ways by the Army, including with Blue lights....

I think the main thing I learnt is that nobody puts them on for fun.

Therefore these days if I see or hear them, I pull in INSTANTLY, or MOVE if needed....

I don't worry about red lights etc, I just move....and think about if they were on the way to save someone....like maybe my kids...

All the best Brett

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If they want me to do it they will have to give me that instruction in writing. It is too much of a risk otherwise.

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Andrew.

In London I have to break white lines on red lights to get out of the way of blue lights (on the cycle or in the car) a fair few times; never been prosecuted yet, often get a thank you wave though.

I imagine those that ARE prosecuted use the situation as an excuse to actually go through the light and carry on driving.

Allowing any part of the vehicle past the line is disobeying a traffic signal. You are a criminal. Serial offender, too.

It is a matter of principal, the police sometimes want me to break this law for them, and other times would happily steal from me if I do the same thing. Sorry but they can wait.

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Andrew.

Ah, be a criminal or block police, ambulances or fire engines getting where they want to go, I know which I'd choose.

Oh no, I would get out of the way for any ambulances, fire engines, coastguard, etc. Just not the police. Or if there were a red light camera or any police watching.

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Andrew.

So you're a criminal as well?

Yep, me too, there's no way I'm going to commit an offence on camera, and go to court and pay £60 get three points to assist an emergency vehicle to pass.

Perhaps if the law were applied sensibly I'd consider it, but since we live in a corrupt age where safety takes second place to revenue, no way. Perhaps this is another of the side effects of cameras that should be added to the list.

Yes; just like everybody else, especially everyone who drives a motor vehicle.
Today I have allegedly committed such crimes as: Murdering children. Oops, sorry, I mean exceeding speed limits by a small amount, disobeying a traffic sign (I allegedly tend to stop slightly over the white line for better visibility - technically illegal but hey.), driving over a footpath while nobody is about... Um, can't think of any others. Pretty dull day really. Maybe I should go out for a bike ride, then I can add cycling without lights at night, on a footpath, with a bald tire? I could even put down some food for the birds = littering.

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Andrew.

This came up last year LD-01 It bothered me personally because my work base is in a hospital complex, so I see it happening all the time, and sometimes get caught up in this dichotomy...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18855

Oh and

Tone/Tony/Oi you!

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.