Ambulance whoopsie

[funkyrobot]

Just noticed this happened down the road from where I work yesterday:

http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/update-pinchbe...

I don't have any details about who was at fault or anything like that. Yes, I know it's a community response unit too. Worryingly, the Volvo looks like the one owned by a chap who is our neighbour's neighbour. Will ask if he's ok later.

Ironically, it's near a house that ended up with part of an ambulance in their garden a few years ago:

http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/police-investi...

Not a good stretch of road for the ambulance service.

[TooMany2cvs]

There's an obvious conclusion to draw from that photo - and that's the Volvo just pulled out from a drive or junction without looking. You'd think a sodding great big dayglo Vito - with blues? - would be somewhat visible.

[saaby93]

TooMany2cvs said:

There's an obvious conclusion to draw from that photo - and that's the Volvo just pulled out from a drive or junction without looking. You'd think a sodding great big dayglo Vito - with blues? - would be somewhat visible.

Well no people usually look, they dont see, it's the way the brain works
What are those cross hatches under the ambulance? do you think it flashed its headlights to let the volvo out?

[DoubleD]

How could you not see that?!

[TooMany2cvs]

saaby93 said:

do you think it flashed its headlights to let the volvo out?

Could have been on wig-wags, which numpty "misinterpreted"...

[Willy Nilly]

saaby93 said:

What are those cross hatches under the ambulance?

Ambwlans tried to move right onto the hatchings to avoid the Vulva?

[MrBarry123]

Oops.

But at least if there were any injuries they'd have been responded to quickly.

[TooLateForAName]

My guess - traffic backed up in the road and the ambulance going down the middle of the road - hatched area between the lanes.

Volvos view obscured and when traffic stopped (because thet could see the ambulance behind them), volvo though he was being let out.

[ging84]

TooLateForAName said:

My guess - traffic backed up in the road and the ambulance going down the middle of the road - hatched area between the lanes.

Volvos view obscured and when traffic stopped (because thet could see the ambulance behind them), volvo though he was being let out.

I was thinking exactly the same thing

I wonder how you apportion blame in that situation

[TooMany2cvs]

ging84 said:

I wonder how you apportion blame in that situation

Very easily. 100% Volvo fault. He pulled out when it wasn't clear.

Same as if he'd had a filtering biker off.

[njw1]

funkyrobot said:

Worryingly, the Volvo looks like the one owned by a chap who is our neighbour's neighbour.

So it's your Volvo then?

[exelero]

njw1 said:

So it's your Volvo then?

[coppice]

I once watched a fire engine , blues and twos on , trying to join a main road at a 90degree T junction at a pace which an Elise wouldn't have managed . Straight across main road , rolled down a bank and ended up on its side . Broken bones galore and a written off appliance. Ironically I was doing the legals on a PFI project for the local fire service at the time and I asked Fire Chief if this happened often. He rolled his eyes and said 'those f***rs from (a town in N Yorkshire); second bloody time this month They were only going to a farm anyway where some bales were smouldering.' Bless 'em .

[sooty61]

TooMany2cvs said:

ging84 said:

I wonder how you apportion blame in that situation

Very easily. 100% Volvo fault. He pulled out when it wasn't clear.

Same as if he'd had a filtering biker off.

Not that it is easy to generalise in the case of accidents but the biker scenario was discussed at a police bikesafe course I attended a few weeks ago after they showed a video of this happening. A filtering biker is overtaking so the outcome would usually be 50/50 apparently

[ChocolateFrog]

sooty61 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

ging84 said:

I wonder how you apportion blame in that situation

Very easily. 100% Volvo fault. He pulled out when it wasn't clear.

Same as if he'd had a filtering biker off.

Not that it is easy to generalise in the case of accidents but the biker scenario was discussed at a police bikesafe course I attended a few weeks ago after they showed a video of this happening. A filtering biker is overtaking so the outcome would usually be 50/50 apparently

Not in my case. Car pulled put of a minor side road turning right across a dual carriageway, I was filtering to the right of the outside lane and T-boned him square into the drivers door. Made him jump, and me hurt.

Day before court his insurance settled in my favour, including £6k of bike hire charges.

[SturdyHSV]

Street view helps

Volvo was pulling out of its driveway, car can be seen here:



Pulled out of its horseshoe driveway here in front of house visible in newspaper picture



Here's the markings under the ambulance where it happened:



Here's the run up to the location:



Looking at how the Volvo's wheel is turned, it was presumably turning right, so possibly assumed the stopped traffic was letting it out, pulled across and bazinga!

[funkyrobot]

That's only a few minutes from where I live.

The house on the right of the second picture is the one that features the ambulance in the second article.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I'd love to know how many accidents are caused as a result of being flashed out and not looking.
As a biker I see this all the time. Seriously, if you're going to flash someone out it might be worth checking they can actually get out safely rather than flashing them into oncoming traffic. In which case they either don't look and crash, or they cause an obstruction as a result of your need to be thanked...Grrrr.

[funkyrobot]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I'd love to know how many accidents are caused as a result of being flashed out and not looking.
As a biker I see this all the time. Seriously, if you're going to flash someone out it might be worth checking they can actually get out safely rather than flashing them into oncoming traffic. In which case they either don't look and crash, or they cause an obstruction as a result of your need to be thanked...Grrrr.

I remember my driving instructor specifically telling me not to do it.

I will only do it now if there is one lane of traffic that I'm helping. I.e., someone joining from the left on a junction.

I have noticed that if you get to a busy junction (people coming from the left and wanting to cross from the right) it can cause confusion.

[saaby93]

funkyrobot said:

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I'd love to know how many accidents are caused as a result of being flashed out and not looking.
As a biker I see this all the time. Seriously, if you're going to flash someone out it might be worth checking they can actually get out safely rather than flashing them into oncoming traffic. In which case they either don't look and crash, or they cause an obstruction as a result of your need to be thanked...Grrrr.

I remember my driving instructor specifically telling me not to do it.

I will only do it now if there is one lane of traffic that I'm helping. I.e., someone joining from the left on a junction.

I have noticed that if you get to a busy junction (people coming from the left and wanting to cross from the right) it can cause confusion.

Flashing says I'm letting you come out in front of me, you still have to check theres nothing coming the other way, or that because I'm stopped no-one is coming past me that you cant see - although for the latter whoever is coming past ought to check theres no-one coming out too.