Ambulance and a red light

[KTF]

Randomthoughts said:

It's a fine line, but it's the difference between jumping into a river to save a child/pet/loved one/stranger and jumping into a vat of boiling acid to do the same.

Every year there are stories of people who have jumped into the river to save the dog and have ended up drowning whilst the dog clambers to saftey on the bank shortly after.

[Randomthoughts]

KTF said:

Every year there are stories of people who have jumped into the river to save the dog and have ended up drowning whilst the dog clambers to saftey on the bank shortly after.

Exactly. There are also stories of people succeeding. It's a risk that someone chooses to take.

Jumping into a vat of boiling acid isn't a risk. It's certain doom.

An extreme of the situation, but it's a similar logic. One you figure you can take the risk with acceptable odds that you'll be alright. Sat there next to the yellow box whilst the ambulance pushes you through the junction, you know the outcome already.

[stuttgartmetal]

Why is it always ambulance drivers, and red lights, and moving out of the way.
Ive never seen that situation with a police car.

[M3DGE]

EDIT - why doesn't some bright spark invent a device for emergency services to change the lights on demand. Some sort of clever ANPR, that reads the plate, sees the blues and then changes them as they approach?
[/quote]

I think this exists and is used by buses in some places - or did I dream it?

[KTF]

M3DGE said:

EDIT - why doesn't some bright spark invent a device for emergency services to change the lights on demand. Some sort of clever ANPR, that reads the plate, sees the blues and then changes them as they approach?

I think this exists and is used by buses in some places - or did I dream it?

Think how much it would cost to install that on every traffic light for an event that (I assume) has a very low percentage of happening anyway.

Or, if you decide that they should be put on the key routes only, then it would take forever for the government to decide what is a key route and they would spend some crazy amount on consultations to attempt to work this out in the process.

All for something that (potentially) makes no difference to the outcome anyway.

[Martin4x4]

Obstructing an emergency vehicle is a crime with a maximum fine of £1,000 to £5,000.

Going through a red light is highway code violation a fixed penalty which few coppers would pursue.

[KTF]

Martin4x4 said:

Obstructing an emergency vehicle is a crime with a maximum fine of £1,000 to £5,000.

Not by sitting at a red light.

Martin4x4 said:

Going through a red light is highway code violation a fixed penalty which few coppers would pursue.

A Police Officer may not but a camera and a court will. Plenty of examples have been provided in this thread.

[Impasse]

Can you be guilty of obstruction if you're operating within the law?

[Martin4x4]

KTF said:

Plenty of examples have been provided in this thread.

So why bother with a pointless repetition? Especially when it in no away address the comparison being made?

[surveyor]

M3DGE said:

EDIT - why doesn't some bright spark invent a device for emergency services to change the lights on demand. Some sort of clever ANPR, that reads the plate, sees the blues and then changes them as they approach?

I think this exists and is used by buses in some places - or did I dream it?

http://www.signalcontrol.com/products_preemption.asp

[KTF]

Martin4x4 said:

So why bother with a pointless repetition? Especially when it in no away address the comparison being made?

How does your point about the fine relate to waiting at a red light? The fine doesn't apply in that situation.

[Baryonyx]

KTF said:

A Police Officer may not but a camera and a court will. Plenty of examples have been provided in this thread.

What is needed is more police officers and fewer cameras, and a return to sensible road policing. Less 'easy scores', more effort on targeting the real menaces who seem to have been largely ignored over the past few years. A good mate of mine is a copper, and has worked on a response shift for seven years. He's atypical, mainly because he has the inclination to pursue traffic offenders but has only prosecuted for one speeding offence in seven years (50mph in a 30 zone at rush hour) but has given a few tellings off. As I say though, that's atypical as the rest of his colleagues have next to no interest in traffic work, there is neither time nor reward for that sort of thing.

[skeggysteve]

A few years ago my son was blue lighted to hospital and any delay could have cost him his life so I guess I may be biased!

I would move out of the way for an ambulance but I would do it safely, move over but not use it as an excuse to cross the junction.

What I find difficult to believe is that people have actually been prosecuted for 'jumping' a red light to let an ambulance passed. The law need changing and changing quickly.

I once blocked a roundabout with my van to allow an ambulance an easy passage I got a lot of abuse from car drivers until they saw the ambulance then I got a few thumbs up!

[red_slr]

You sit and wait. Its that simple. Both of you.

Any "blue light user" who has been trained in the last 20 years will know to hang back, turn off the siren and wait - don't put pressure on for the motorists to contravene the red light.

[SMcP114]

EnthusiastOwned said:

I've said my 2p, so I'm out. But I'll just leave this here before I go - Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.

Edited by EnthusiastOwned on Wednesday 26th November 16:56

Embarrassing.

[bottledatsource]

Impasse said:

I'm disappointed. You haven't mentioned children, the disabled or mentally unwell people in your question. How can anyone give a true reply unless you really, properly lean on their conscience? Oh, the horror, the huge manatee.

Yeah but the crews go mental over children, they may be dealing with 10 calls a day to adults 9 of which don't actually need an ambulance.

They get a call for a 2 year old with breathing difficulties, after it's been through the 999 call handlers filters, and are rushing to scene. Then they can make mistakes getting there and try to make progress and someone is sat in a lane with a red light who won't move.

I'd say don't go through a red light unless it's safe , the crews write off enough ambulances as it is.

Edited by bottledatsource on Wednesday 26th November 20:28

[rambo19]

OP did the right thing, to many people have gotten points for moving out of the way.

[KTF]

bottledatsource said:

the crews write off enough ambulances as it is.

Out of interest, when that happens, does the 'box' (the ones down here are mini motorhome style rather than converted vans) on the back get moved to a new chassis cab or does the whole thing get written off?

[Snollygoster]

Wouldn't have gone over for them either. I believe that the only unprosecutable offence for going over red lights is when instructed by a uniformed police officer.

They are the trained drivers, and should be the ones mounting curbs, running red lights, speeding etc.

[bottledatsource]

KTF said:

Out of interest, when that happens, does the 'box' (the ones down here are mini motorhome style rather than converted vans) on the back get moved to a new chassis cab or does the whole thing get written off?

I only know about SECAMB down south and also nothing about what they do with bodies, it goes to Rossets Mercedes and comes back brand new. Control freeze the handsets and radio and the Entonox comes off so they can't mess about with it but apart from that, no idea.