Ambulance driver called me a w****r
Discussion
ashleyman said:
I've been in a similar situation but it was a Police car that came up very quickly behind me...
I knew the road very well and there was traffic on the other side of the road so they couldn't overtake even if they wanted too, most of the road is double solid white lines as it's not very safe for overtaking but quite easy to make progress. You can always tell with response drivers if it's serious or the next level serious where they're on it 100% if you know what I mean..
Me pulling over and letting them overtake was impossible, I attempted to slow but just got more sirens, flash of the lights and the odd horn tone that indicates MOVE! Staying the speed limit was of no use as they were needing to get on. I put my hazards on and booted it for a mile or so with them following safely behind, I kept under 100 but was well over the posted 60. To people on the other side of the road that were in the traffic it probably looked like they were chasing me. I got to the next point where I could safely pull off the road and let them pass and did so. They drove past and I got a thumbs up out the window from the passenger officer and they carried on with their journey and I dropped back to driving the speed limit.
So a road with double white lines and no overtaking (even for a police car in a hurry) possibilities was OK do drive along at just under 100? :chinny:I knew the road very well and there was traffic on the other side of the road so they couldn't overtake even if they wanted too, most of the road is double solid white lines as it's not very safe for overtaking but quite easy to make progress. You can always tell with response drivers if it's serious or the next level serious where they're on it 100% if you know what I mean..
Me pulling over and letting them overtake was impossible, I attempted to slow but just got more sirens, flash of the lights and the odd horn tone that indicates MOVE! Staying the speed limit was of no use as they were needing to get on. I put my hazards on and booted it for a mile or so with them following safely behind, I kept under 100 but was well over the posted 60. To people on the other side of the road that were in the traffic it probably looked like they were chasing me. I got to the next point where I could safely pull off the road and let them pass and did so. They drove past and I got a thumbs up out the window from the passenger officer and they carried on with their journey and I dropped back to driving the speed limit.
NinjaPower said:
Bill said:
This. But could you really not find a lay-by or junction to pull into? It could well have looked like you hadn't seen him until the last minute. (And we all know you're an advanced driving god, but he may have felt your speed wasn't appropriate...)
There are no lay-bys on this road, and the junctions are just small country land road ends.I have not suggested that I am any kind of a driving god.
Sheepshanks said:
ashleyman said:
I've been in a similar situation but it was a Police car that came up very quickly behind me...
I knew the road very well and there was traffic on the other side of the road so they couldn't overtake even if they wanted too, most of the road is double solid white lines as it's not very safe for overtaking but quite easy to make progress. You can always tell with response drivers if it's serious or the next level serious where they're on it 100% if you know what I mean..
Me pulling over and letting them overtake was impossible, I attempted to slow but just got more sirens, flash of the lights and the odd horn tone that indicates MOVE! Staying the speed limit was of no use as they were needing to get on. I put my hazards on and booted it for a mile or so with them following safely behind, I kept under 100 but was well over the posted 60. To people on the other side of the road that were in the traffic it probably looked like they were chasing me. I got to the next point where I could safely pull off the road and let them pass and did so. They drove past and I got a thumbs up out the window from the passenger officer and they carried on with their journey and I dropped back to driving the speed limit.
So a road with double white lines and no overtaking (even for a police car in a hurry) possibilities was OK do drive along at just under 100? :chinny:I knew the road very well and there was traffic on the other side of the road so they couldn't overtake even if they wanted too, most of the road is double solid white lines as it's not very safe for overtaking but quite easy to make progress. You can always tell with response drivers if it's serious or the next level serious where they're on it 100% if you know what I mean..
Me pulling over and letting them overtake was impossible, I attempted to slow but just got more sirens, flash of the lights and the odd horn tone that indicates MOVE! Staying the speed limit was of no use as they were needing to get on. I put my hazards on and booted it for a mile or so with them following safely behind, I kept under 100 but was well over the posted 60. To people on the other side of the road that were in the traffic it probably looked like they were chasing me. I got to the next point where I could safely pull off the road and let them pass and did so. They drove past and I got a thumbs up out the window from the passenger officer and they carried on with their journey and I dropped back to driving the speed limit.
If you've got a car behind you what are you supposed to do? I tried to stop and was just bombarded with more noise so I decided to boot it. Was the right decision in the moment as there was 0 comeback on me apart from a thumbs up.
NinjaPower said:
So we decide to let him go past, which inevitable involves us stopping and him having to come to a stop also and then wait for oncoming traffic to stop before squeezing past. As he went past he was shouting, giving me the w
ker sign etc and 'are you blind'.
Don't get this. How did you see up into the other side of the cab as he passed? ker sign etc and 'are you blind'.PS...my money's on St John, late for doughnuts and pies.
Hello. Ambulance driving Paramedic here 
I can't really comment upon the OP's situation too much, as I wasn't there. However, for what it's worth - despite what you might think about me having to negotiate stationary vehicles - I would really rather that when you spot me coming up behind you, that you just stop, whatever the road and conditions. I've posted this before on here.
The problem is that, I cannot identify the 5% of decent drivers, who are members of PH (unless I see a smiley on the back of the car of course) so I have to assume everyone is either an idiot, hasn't seen me, or is playing with their phone...or all three, more usually!
So to that end, it is far more easy for me to predict what a stationary vehicle is going to do - hopefully the clue is in the word stationary - e.g. nothing! I can be 99% sure that if they have pulled over and stopped - especially if they're indicating - then they will stay stopped, and exactly where I can see them, until I have passed.
Whereas a moving target is a whole different can of worms. Have they actually seen me at all? That is not always clear from their driving manner. If I go to overtake and then they spear off to a right turn or lane in front of me and there's a disaster, then aside from the damage to the vehicles and injury to my crew and patients, the fault will certainly lie with me, driving wise - and there's a good chance I will lose my job if it is a biggie.
Finally, it is far more difficult to get a 6 tonne vehicle, that handles like a blancmange, past a moving vehicle, than a stopped one. Last of all, most overtakes involve me using the opposite carriageway with all the danger that involves - not just from oncoming traffic but hidden sideroads and driveways on the other side of the road as you can appreciate. Therefore my time exposed to danger is lessened greatly from a stopped vehicle.
I hope this makes sense?
Last comment of all - on any 12 hour shift, I OCCASIONALLY work with a few colleagues, who retain what I might describe as an inherent anger - and sometimes respond in the manner of the OP's experience. Let me say, that this kind of response, has no place at all in the ambulance service - 99% of us are proud to be professional drivers, and would never respond in such a manner.
Certainly I would never do so, and I would encourage any road user whom receives a similar 'road rage' response from an ambulance driver, to report that to the respective Trust. I do not want to be associated with such antics. If you do report it, then the person in question will be sent back to the driving school for a few days or a week, and probably then have an opportunity to re-learn a bit of calm professonalism to their driving.
I can't really comment upon the OP's situation too much, as I wasn't there. However, for what it's worth - despite what you might think about me having to negotiate stationary vehicles - I would really rather that when you spot me coming up behind you, that you just stop, whatever the road and conditions. I've posted this before on here.
The problem is that, I cannot identify the 5% of decent drivers, who are members of PH (unless I see a smiley on the back of the car of course) so I have to assume everyone is either an idiot, hasn't seen me, or is playing with their phone...or all three, more usually!
So to that end, it is far more easy for me to predict what a stationary vehicle is going to do - hopefully the clue is in the word stationary - e.g. nothing! I can be 99% sure that if they have pulled over and stopped - especially if they're indicating - then they will stay stopped, and exactly where I can see them, until I have passed.
Whereas a moving target is a whole different can of worms. Have they actually seen me at all? That is not always clear from their driving manner. If I go to overtake and then they spear off to a right turn or lane in front of me and there's a disaster, then aside from the damage to the vehicles and injury to my crew and patients, the fault will certainly lie with me, driving wise - and there's a good chance I will lose my job if it is a biggie.
Finally, it is far more difficult to get a 6 tonne vehicle, that handles like a blancmange, past a moving vehicle, than a stopped one. Last of all, most overtakes involve me using the opposite carriageway with all the danger that involves - not just from oncoming traffic but hidden sideroads and driveways on the other side of the road as you can appreciate. Therefore my time exposed to danger is lessened greatly from a stopped vehicle.
I hope this makes sense?
Last comment of all - on any 12 hour shift, I OCCASIONALLY work with a few colleagues, who retain what I might describe as an inherent anger - and sometimes respond in the manner of the OP's experience. Let me say, that this kind of response, has no place at all in the ambulance service - 99% of us are proud to be professional drivers, and would never respond in such a manner.
Certainly I would never do so, and I would encourage any road user whom receives a similar 'road rage' response from an ambulance driver, to report that to the respective Trust. I do not want to be associated with such antics. If you do report it, then the person in question will be sent back to the driving school for a few days or a week, and probably then have an opportunity to re-learn a bit of calm professonalism to their driving.
I would allow the ambulance through at the earliest opportunity, pulling off the road and coming to a halt if necessary. My reasoning is simple: I don't know the nature of the incident or its location, it might be a multiple traffic accident round the next bend in which case tanking it until the next straight stretch might not be a good idea.
Centurion07 said:
All of that^ makes sense, but is irrelevant if, as in the OP, you're not catching the car in front. Surely only then it becomes an issue?
Depends how far in front the car is... if the car is only a few seconds in front then it's going to be a distraction and a hindrance to the Ambulance driver, regardless of how fast it's going.Centurion07 said:
If a car 300m ahead is a hindrance and distraction to an ambulance driver then he might want to rethink his career choice.
@60mph that's 12 seconds in front. 75 meters is roughly 3 seconds in front. It's also the roughly the "emergency stop" distance for the ambulance if he has to slam on for any reason. At that distance I'd move out of the way asap rather than driving at 60mph down a road too narrow for 3 vehicles to be side by side.
NinjaPower said:
I
So we decide to let him go past, which inevitable involves us stopping and him having to come to a stop also and then wait for oncoming traffic to stop before squeezing past.
I think most of you have missed this bit of the OP.So we decide to let him go past, which inevitable involves us stopping and him having to come to a stop also and then wait for oncoming traffic to stop before squeezing past.
The ambulance driver sees you racing off in front of him, then when you eventually decide to let him pass he cannot because of oncoming traffic.
I am surprised he only called you a w****r.
Delay vs Risk here. Yes, the ambulance is undoubtedly in a hurry - but he also must make sure he makes SAFE progress.
Encouraging other road users/gods to bend the law and "press on" doesn't constitute a decrease in overall risk here. You are not helping the problem in the way that you think you are - in effect, by not making your intentions clear you're putting the ambulance driver in a more risky position. He doesn't want to second-guess that you've seen him, and would prefer you to just acknowledge him and GTFO his way.
The net benefit of your "pressing on" over pulling into one of the "road ends" you describe and letting him pass is probably a few seconds. Compared with any increase in risk, it's not worth it. Just get out of his way and let him get on with his job.
Encouraging other road users/gods to bend the law and "press on" doesn't constitute a decrease in overall risk here. You are not helping the problem in the way that you think you are - in effect, by not making your intentions clear you're putting the ambulance driver in a more risky position. He doesn't want to second-guess that you've seen him, and would prefer you to just acknowledge him and GTFO his way.
The net benefit of your "pressing on" over pulling into one of the "road ends" you describe and letting him pass is probably a few seconds. Compared with any increase in risk, it's not worth it. Just get out of his way and let him get on with his job.
KevinCamaroSS said:
NinjaPower said:
I
So we decide to let him go past, which inevitable involves us stopping and him having to come to a stop also and then wait for oncoming traffic to stop before squeezing past.
I think most of you have missed this bit of the OP.So we decide to let him go past, which inevitable involves us stopping and him having to come to a stop also and then wait for oncoming traffic to stop before squeezing past.
The ambulance driver sees you racing off in front of him, then when you eventually decide to let him pass he cannot because of oncoming traffic.
I am surprised he only called you a w****r.
If you don't stop and let the ambulance pass where he can without too much trouble, sooner or later you're bound to come across some slower-moving traffic, in which case you're going to have to stop.
Now you've just given the ambulance one extra car to get past (yours), under less-than-ideal conditions.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
I can't really comment upon the OP's situation too much, as I wasn't there. However, for what it's worth - despite what you might think about me having to negotiate stationary vehicles - I would really rather that when you spot me coming up behind you, that you just stop, whatever the road and conditions. I've posted this before on here.
Does 'whatever' include stamping on the anchors and coming to a standstill within 5 metres of a central traffic island like the dozy bint ahead of me a couple of months ago? She left the ambulance driver with nowhere to go. Going offside the other side of the island simply wasn't an option on that occasion. Countdown said:
Centurion07 said:
If a car 300m ahead is a hindrance and distraction to an ambulance driver then he might want to rethink his career choice.
@60mph that's 12 seconds in front. 75 meters is roughly 3 seconds in front. It's also the roughly the "emergency stop" distance for the ambulance if he has to slam on for any reason. At that distance I'd move out of the way asap rather than driving at 60mph down a road too narrow for 3 vehicles to be side by side.
Efbe said:
Countdown said:
Centurion07 said:
If a car 300m ahead is a hindrance and distraction to an ambulance driver then he might want to rethink his career choice.
@60mph that's 12 seconds in front. 75 meters is roughly 3 seconds in front. It's also the roughly the "emergency stop" distance for the ambulance if he has to slam on for any reason. At that distance I'd move out of the way asap rather than driving at 60mph down a road too narrow for 3 vehicles to be side by side.
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