Family Emergency. How fast would you go? Be honest.

Family Emergency. How fast would you go? Be honest.

Author
Discussion

RMK87

Original Poster:

37 posts

97 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Long story short, partner rings me to say 6 month old is seriously ill. Lets say I got home asap.

Question is, how fast would you go? Would you hurry or not hurry? Speed/ Drive faster than ever before?

Woke up thinking maybe I drove too fast. But it was a heat of the moment thing.

30 mile drive, 99% motorway journey, 10PM.

How fast would you go?

70/80+
90+
100+
120+

Just curious to know everybody's opinion as to what they would do.

KingNothing

3,168 posts

153 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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I do 100 on the motorway when not in a hurry anyways. So, maybe 160.

Jonno02

2,246 posts

109 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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If the tone of her voice was pure panic, minimum of 90 on the motorway. Absolute minimum.

Impasse

15,099 posts

241 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
"Phone for an ambulance, love. I'll wait for you at the hospital."

Blanchimont

4,076 posts

122 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Depends on scale of incident.
6 month old is ill, but ultimately not life threatening circa 90.
if it would be life threatening, and was on way to hospital, as quick as I could get away wit, whether it's traffic restaints, or road layout whatever. I, personally would have no issue doing 150+ to get to my little one if they were life-threatening ill.

Liquid Tuna

1,400 posts

156 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
I think the determining factors would be traffic and the vehicules top speed. In a proper emergency you'll be doing the fastest those two conditions will allow.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

233 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
As fast as the road conditions and the vehicle at my disposal would allow.

The only time in my life when i have had a blue light escort i happened to be driving a freeking motorhome...

standardman

424 posts

168 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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As fast as I felt I could go safely in the conditions and my state of mind (Probably 80-85).

I am not a doctor, so the best support I can give my partner is not adding to her issues with a fatality or a ban.

s4tronic

245 posts

126 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Blanchimont said:
Depends on scale of incident.
6 month old is ill, but ultimately not life threatening circa 90.
if it would be life threatening, and was on way to hospital, as quick as I could get away wit, whether it's traffic restaints, or road layout whatever. I, personally would have no issue doing 150+ to get to my little one if they were life-threatening ill.
same - life threatening - as quickly as I dare and car allows and I would run red lights as well (making sure first I don't crash into anyone obviously - what good help would I be if I crash out on my way).

however if it was serious but not matter of life or death I'd drive a little bit faster (under a tonne) on a motorway and 50-60 around town again conditions permitting.

to be honest speed limits are blanket restriction and 9/10 times its safe to drive slightly faster than speed limit whilst being careful and mindful of the other road users/hazards and conditions.

Black_S3

2,669 posts

188 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Impasse said:
"Phone for an ambulance, love. I'll wait for you at the hospital."
Exactly. The police, paramedics or fire brigade will be there faster than you and better equipped to deal with the problem on arrival.

X5TUU

11,939 posts

187 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Happened to me recently with my 18mth old (suspected viral meningitis, likely life threatening - which I suffered with some 2yrs ago and was t deaths door and 16wks off work) ... 14miles from the office to home, 13 of which are dual carriageway

I managed to touch 140 due to it being just outside of rush hour, im not ashamed to admit it at all, there was definite panic in the Mrs' voice and I would have let the police chase me all the way home

Edited by X5TUU on Tuesday 3rd May 15:55

Magictrousers

268 posts

174 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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When it happened to me, fast enough to boil the brakes on an A road, deep into ban territory on the motorway. Wife was uncontrollably bleeding, I was told to get to the hospital she'd been taken to.

All good in the end, but 4th September 2007. A day I'll never forget!


tankplanker

2,479 posts

279 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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To get to the hospital to see the ill relative I would not speed above license losing levels unless they were going to die in a short period of time. If they were in the car and I would be the quickest way to the hospital then as fast as I possibly could.

However when the wife was pregnant she was rushed from one hospital to another by ambulance as she needed an emergency C section due to preeclampsia, proper life and death stuff for her and our unborn kids. I didn't know which hospital they were going to as they were still sorting it out as they left the hospital and there was no room in the ambulance as it was twins they had extra people in the ambulance. I had to follow along in my car up the M6 with roadworks on it. I followed the ambulance with my hazards on up the hard shoulder for most of that; this was long before they put in the variable limit.

lostkiwi

4,584 posts

124 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
As fast as was safe for me to do.
No point in adding to the number of people in A&E.

jke11y

3,181 posts

237 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Two occasions in recent times for me and both cases were as fast as possible; following an ambulance with my terminally ill son inside from London to Glasgow - I drove however fast required to keep up with it (as I occasionally lost it in traffic). When you are in a black G wagon doing 100+ traffic moves out the way really, really quickly.

And then getting my wife to labour ward when baby no2 was on his way out and I got stopped by the cops for speeding, same again - as fast as safely possible. Which may or may not have been well into 3 figures between chiswick roundabout and hammersmith (was in an e55k).

tejr

3,105 posts

164 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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If it were a true emergency, and something 100% reliant on me being there, I would drive like a fecking loony tbh.. I would avoid anything truly dangerous, but all courtesy's would be out the window. If it was a case of getting to hospital quick, I would dial down the loonyness a couple notches.

After all, the first thing a police officer does when pulling you over is determine if there is a legitimate emergency.

Gary29

4,154 posts

99 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
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My dumb labrador decided to eat a jelly fish on a trip to the beach once, emergency vets was 20 miles away, I made decent progress getting him there. I like to think I'm a fairly decent driver, so didn't take any massive risks, but speed limits were exceeded it's fair to say.

For a spouse or child in an emergency that I could resolve, I would drive in qualifying mode, no problem, so as fast as the car would go.

RMK87

Original Poster:

37 posts

97 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Some really interesting opinions on here.

Kinda glad that am not alone/ crazy. But seriously I wouldn't wish this on anybody. This panic/mist sets over you fearing the worst.

Police/Ban/Fine/Court didn't matter for them 20 mins. It would have had huge implications if caught but it would have led to a police chase surely, (no internet macho, just honest truth)

But also some very valid points as the ambulance was there before me. If somebody else was asking me this question I would probably answer the same - see you at the hospital call ambulance etc.

In the end all was ok but wife was seriously panicked as kid wouldn't wake up. .

I ended up v maxing and am kinda glad I didn't have a fast car in this instance otherwise no doubt I would have gone even faster.

anonymous-user

54 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
RMK87 said:
Long story short, partner rings me to say 6 month old is seriously ill. Lets say I got home asap.

Question is, how fast would you go? Would you hurry or not hurry? Speed/ Drive faster than ever before?

Woke up thinking maybe I drove too fast. But it was a heat of the moment thing.

30 mile drive, 99% motorway journey, 10PM.

How fast would you go?

70/80+
90+
100+
120+

Just curious to know everybody's opinion as to what they would do.
Seriously? If it was that serious then very quickly.

SirSquidalot

4,041 posts

165 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2016
quotequote all
Fast, if its a motorway at that time of night there is no issue in holding many leptons. I've managed to sit at 1.10 leptons for hours on end without seeing any cars.