Ambulance Etiquette

[FWDRacer]

Get of the f*cking way you retarded subconcious commuting to$$ers. Some poor bd is either on there way to meet their maker, or at best is in a really poorly condition and needs getting to and subsequently to a place of care.

Blues & 2's. Wailing sirens - Great big Red and Yellow stripes. Make a gap - move a lane, part like the red sea, mount the kerb if need be. Get of the f*cking way. Don't just sit there you f*cking lemons. Next time the traffic screws up an ambulance run, pray to god your not the poor bd that is inside the van needing the care.

FFS.

etc.

This morning was a masterclass in windscreenlickers. We weren't even in heavy city centre traffic.



Rant over

P.s OP Mounted kerb and made gap for the poor bugga.

[Finlandia]

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

[andy400]

I, too, am amazed by the number of 'drivers' who just freeze when an emergency vehicle is trying to make it's way through traffic. I can only assume that these people have very small brains, and shouldn't really be driving.

[mouseymousey]

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

[rhinochopig]

The nee-naws and flashers seldon get used on our Mountain Rescue ambulance as it actually tends to impede progress rather than speed things up. People tend to panic, pull over and cause a road block.

Like in everything, some people just turn dumb when they get behind the wheel of a car.

[Finlandia]

mouseymousey said:

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

Even if that meant you getting 12 points and a ban? Losing your job and house?

I wouldn't, sorry.

[Puff Puff]

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

If you got flashed, so would the ambulance have been. Shouldn't be impossible to look at the times of each photo to determine you'd moved to let it through.

[Monki]

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

I thought that would have been dropped? Surely they don't believe it dangerous to make way for an ambulance?

[kambites]

mouseymousey said:

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

Assuming the ambulance is directly behind you, it'll be visible in the photo and you wouldn't get prosecuted. I would happily take 3 points and a 50 quid fine if there was no other way to let an ambulance get to where it's going though.

[FWDRacer]

Finlandia said:

mouseymousey said:

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

Even if that meant you getting 12 points and a ban? Losing your job and house?

I wouldn't, sorry.

You'll probably be just as ignorant as to whether the person inside made it or not. Have some backbone and some balls. You should have contested your case (3-points) under extenuating circumstances.

Sorry - I'll be calm in minute.

[Don]

Round our way people are very good. They get out of the way really rather well.

I've had the "do I go through a red light" issue myself...funnily enough shortly after a thread on the subject.

My choice was to get as far out of the way as possible and to remain stationary for the ambulance to get past - without going over the line. The ambulance was able to get through the moment the lights went green and other cars could also get out of the way....which was only a second or two later.

I considered that if I caused an additional accident by running a red I wasn't actually helping.

On the other hand if I could absolutely safely get out of the way without the chance of creating another accident but going through a red? I would consider it.

In general, though, the emergency services do not expect you to break the law...

[james_tigerwoods]

I'm sure I've read somewhere of someone who went through a red light to let an ambulance past and received 3 points despite going to court to argue the case...

And I'm sure that I heard that it's not a legal requirement to let one through.

I would let one through regardless, because they could be off to get a friend/family member....

ETA:

http://www.radar-detectors.co.uk/news_passed_a_red...

http://htdig.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm...

http://www.saabscene.com/forum/index.php?showtopic...

[Finlandia]

There are plenty of threads about this, and drivers getting "done" for letting emergency service vehicles pass in the SP&L.

Basically, you have to prove innocence and have the ambulance number and operator, then go to court, suffer loss of earnings and inconvenience of all sorts.

Sorry, but the law is an arse, and it must be changed!

[missy-a-k]

I saw this happen last night, it astounds me how stubborn people can be. Two lanes, one guy sat in a nirvana would only inch slightly forwards onto the junction so ambulance couldn't get past, driver in the lane to turn right pulled right up onto the island so his wing mirror was next to the traffic light stand. Nirvana guy wouldn't move forward even with ambulance just nudging up, driver mounted on island, de-mounted the curb and drove near enough on to what would of been oncoming traffic to compensate from the other driver...ambulance driver registerd his thanks with a thumbs up.

Edited by missy-a-k on Thursday 30th October 10:08

[Beefmeister]

A few years ago I was sitting stationary in my RX-7 when an ambulance came up in my rear-view. On this particular section of road its two lanes, but with slightly high kerbs on both sides.

I moved as far as i could to the side of the road, but everyone else in front and behind drove up onto the verge.

If i'd done that i'd have ripped off my (standard) front spoiler, so i sat there. People to the left and behind were hurling abuse at me, but i just had to sit there, blocking the path of the ambulance.

Felt bloody awful.

So yes, it boils my piss when i see people who just don't move for no good reason...

[Finlandia]

FWDRacer said:

Finlandia said:

mouseymousey said:

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

Even if that meant you getting 12 points and a ban? Losing your job and house?

I wouldn't, sorry.

You'll probably be just as ignorant as to whether the person inside made it or not. Have some backbone and some balls. You should have contested your case (3-points) under extenuating circumstances.

Sorry - I'll be calm in minute.

I have both, thank you very much.
Why should I suffer for doing what is right? Who takes care of my family if I can no longer provide for them?

[stuttgartmetal]

If 20 seconds made that much difference, tha patients had it anyway.

[kambites]

stuttgartmetal said:

If 20 seconds made that much difference, tha patients had it anyway.

Probably true, but 20 seconds can easily turn into 20 minutes if every drive the ambulance has to pass is an idiot and doesn't get out of the way.

[Beefmeister]

Finlandia said:

FWDRacer said:

Finlandia said:

mouseymousey said:

Finlandia said:

Sat at red lights, ambulance behind, I move just over the line to let ambulance pass, I get flashed, I receive pointa and fines!

Why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

So, would you move over the line knowing that you might get flashed?

I would.

Even if that meant you getting 12 points and a ban? Losing your job and house?

I wouldn't, sorry.

You'll probably be just as ignorant as to whether the person inside made it or not. Have some backbone and some balls. You should have contested your case (3-points) under extenuating circumstances.

Sorry - I'll be calm in minute.

I have both, thank you very much.
Why should I suffer for doing what is right? Who takes care of my family if I can no longer provide for them?

Finlandia - there's no reason why you had to keep those points. If the ambulance went through the same red lights there is a log of every single traffic violation they do on every run.

You contest, explain your circumstances, and bingo, no points or fine.

Simple.

If you left the points on and paid the fine, more the fool you.

[TedMaul]

The ones that amaze me are the ones that just freeze like rabbits caught in a cars headlights!

There is an ambulance station a mile or two down the road from me and sometimes they@ll come up the twisty B roads that I use. As there are many blind bends and few overtaking opportunities, I will actually speed up and head to the next village to get out of their way and pull over there rather than stop straight away. Never ceases to amaze me the number of people that come to a standstill on the outside of a blind bend on an NSL B road.... ambulance drivers must just love that!!