What do you do if you see blue lights behind you ?

What do you do if you see blue lights behind you ?

Author
Discussion

lesstatt

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Busy traffic in leicester this morning, an ambulance comes up behind the slow moving queue I'm in, people just stopped. In effect blocking the road completely. Are people trained to do this these days or do they just panic and stop, surely it's far better to keep going till a suitable place appears to pull into, thus clearing the road. Or even put your foot down till you see somewhere suitable.

eybic

9,212 posts

173 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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It's panicking rather than training I think. I'm sure the current "advice" is let them "split" the lane so left lane moves left and right lane moves right, they go down the middle.

smithyithy

7,192 posts

117 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Some of the 'maneuvers' I've seen people pull at the sight of blue lights baffle me..

Saw an old woman once smash her old Micra up a kerb at 30mph, almost hitting a lamp column, just to let an ambulance past in light traffic..

Europa1

10,923 posts

187 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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eybic said:
It's panicking rather than training I think. I'm sure the current "advice" is let them "split" the lane so left lane moves left and right lane moves right, they go down the middle.
This.

It's because normally intelligent, competent people switch off behind the wheel, fail to pay attention/have zero spatial awareness, then s^%t themselves when something (the arrival of blue flashing lights/sirens) suddenly refocuses them on the road.

krisdelta

4,566 posts

200 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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If the road is wide enough, I indicate and slow / stop to allow safe and quick passing. If it's busy, I'll carry on until I can pull out of the way. Some people panic and grind to a halt I think.

john2443

6,325 posts

210 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Partly panic and stop but equally just not thinking, the same as MLMing, no idea what's going on around them.


Lozw86

871 posts

131 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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It very much depends on the layout and width of the carriageway you are on. Use common sense to get out of the way. That could mean pulling over, stopping or making progress until you reach a suitable place to pull in

I do however refuse to kerb my car in the way that I see some people mount it

ManOpener

12,467 posts

168 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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I had one of the fast response paramedic estates come up behind me just outside Malvern the other week. I was doing 60 in an NSL, the road was winding with no clear overtaking spots and nowhere to pull over really (fairly steep ditches and big hedges on either side of the road). Thankfully I passed the scene of the accident he was responding to after only about 45 seconds or so but had he been following me for a while I'm really not sure what I "should" have done in this case! Slow on one of the straighter bits and let him past or just keep doing 60?

IntriguedUser

988 posts

120 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Can't STAND people who pull-over and almost park their car, then pullout suddenly... wtfff

57Ford

3,937 posts

133 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Many do seem to panic and just freeze, but there again there does seem to be some strange emergency vehicle driving too these days. I was in L1 and stuck in a very slow jam (<5mph) on the M62 the other night when an ambulance appeared in my mirror about 1/2 mile back. He very slowly parted the waves between L2 & 3 and took around 3 or 4 minutes to get level with me. All this time though, the hard shoulder was entirely free so surely they could've gone down there at around 30mph perfectly safely?
I've seen police doing similar recently. Has there been some new directive?? It just seems mad.

Strawman

6,463 posts

206 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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What seems really stupid is people have been fined for edging through a red light to allow an emergency vehicle through, camera says you went through a red no quibbling, what they are supposed to do just sit there like a lemon until the light turns green? apparently yes.

Planter

410 posts

121 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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ManOpener said:
I had one of the fast response paramedic estates come up behind me just outside Malvern the other week. I was doing 60 in an NSL, the road was winding with no clear overtaking spots and nowhere to pull over really (fairly steep ditches and big hedges on either side of the road). Thankfully I passed the scene of the accident he was responding to after only about 45 seconds or so but had he been following me for a while I'm really not sure what I "should" have done in this case! Slow on one of the straighter bits and let him past or just keep doing 60?
You were in my neck of the woods there then. I am a Firefighter in Hereford and worcester (blue light trained) and its quite common in a fire engine that we can get behind cars on open roads that are travelling just as quick if not quicker than we are.

If that is the case we let them keep going. We will keep our blues on for visual warnings, but turn the sirens off unless required. The sirens seem to cause mass hysteria and everyone panics. But in the real world if the driver in front can see we arent really gaining or likely to take over, hopefully they keep going and we just follow. Doesnt cause any hazards, no one pulls over in dangerous places. With the aim of everyone going about their business as usual.

If we need to get past we make it known, positioned out in the middle or other side of the road (in dafe places obviously) should alert people that we are looking to pass, all bells and whistles etc.

vx220

2,689 posts

233 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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It never fails to amaze me how long after I've spotted blue lights that other people suddenly spot them and swerve or stop.

How can pride in our driving be restored to our roads?

Dyl

1,248 posts

209 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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A few times now I've been driving the van in lane 3 and have seen blue lights in my mirrors in the distance. As I am indicating into lane 2 I've given a few long flashes of main beam, in the hope that those in front will be attracted to their mirrors and see said blue lights, as they won't have been able to see much beyond me in their mirrors.

Cue 20-30 seconds passing and they are still none the wiser when the emergency vehicle is right up their chuff.

R6VED

1,365 posts

139 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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I am an ex copper and i always liked it when people let me know they had seen me, i was trained to look out for that and also approach at a speed that allows people to acknowledge and act accordingly.

The amount of idiots who were seemingly oblivious to three different tones and flashing blue lights, yet noticed when i used the normal car horn never failed to astound me.

Nothing comes close to the adrenaline rush of driving on a blue light run as not only do you have to be on top of your driving game, but also there is something "interesting" to deal with when you get there.

C. Grimsley

1,364 posts

194 months

Friday 31st October 2014
quotequote all
lesstatt said:
Busy traffic in leicester this morning, an ambulance comes up behind the slow moving queue I'm in, people just stopped. In effect blocking the road completely. Are people trained to do this these days or do they just panic and stop, surely it's far better to keep going till a suitable place appears to pull into, thus clearing the road. Or even put your foot down till you see somewhere suitable.
Narborough road by any chance?

Carl

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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R6VED said:
I am an ex copper and i always liked it when people let me know they had seen me...
So what's the best way to do this? A quick flash of the hazards or a wave out the window?

RWD cossie wil

4,295 posts

172 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Blue lights behind me? Normally hope they have not had time to get my plate & light the afterburners! whistle

Zoobeef

6,004 posts

157 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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I had an ambulance come through the centre of stationary traffic a few years ago. Left lane went up the kerb to the left and right lane to the right. I was in my Noble and had no chance of going anywhere near the kerb, so went straight down the centre for about 50m at which point it went into 3 lanes and there was room for me to get over. Not sure if I upset anyone with that one!

lesstatt

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Friday 31st October 2014
quotequote all


C. Grimsley said:
Narborough road by any chance?

Carl
Nope ring road a46 near the new sainsburys