Would you curb it/do you have to?

[anonymous-user]

Here is the situation.
Mild traffic on both side of the road and an ambulance comes up from behind with his light on obviously wanting to get past and near enough everyone drives up the curb regardless of tyre profile...and few others and I simply just pull in as close as we can get without potentially scratching the wheels.
Are you supposed to completely move out the way or just move over?

He still got through completely fine and didn't have to slow down for us drivers who didn't drive up the curb.


(Yes yes I know how selfish of me, what if that ambulance was for a relative etc etc but he didn't have to slow down any more than he previously was anyway)

[The Moose]

I'd do as you did. To be honest, if they can't squeeze by whilst you're on the carriage way, you're probably best off to keep moving until there's a junction or similar to turn into, but you have to take each case on its own merits.

[Doofus]

Kerb

[anonymous-user]

Doofus said:

Kerb

Browser has autocorrect...just noticed it is set to US English.

[Snowboy]

If you have moved enough to let the ambulance through it's fine.

If the ambulance can't get past you at all and traffic is stationary then you might need to risk a wheel.

[SteBrown91]

I never go up curbs unless there is a drop down.

Damage risk on my car is:

Wheel
Tyre
Bumper
Mudflap
Sill

The ambulance service would not pay it so therefore I will not bounce up curbs for them.

[TimLambert7]

Sounds completely reasonable - I'd avoid going up a kerb at all costs and if you managed it without slowing the ambulance at all then it's fine.

[With these feet]

Not in the TT with 18"s! We live near the Conquest in Hastings so ambulances (or in PH land should that be ambiwlans?) are always flying along the main roads.
Most recently when I had to pull over there was a lowered kerb so drove up that, otherwise I move over as far as possible. It might sound harsh but Im not potentially damaging a tyre, rim or suspension.

Ive not read the highway code for ages, I do recall you dont have to stop, just pull over as far as possible to let them pass?
Feel free to put me right on that one though!

[deltashad]

Depends on what I'm driving, in the hilux I'll take the curb, I do it regularly for fun when parking.
In the lotus it's a no.
Give them as much room as possible but if I really had no choice I would be very careful and the curb would have to be little not big.

[Snowboy]

SteBrown91 said:

-snip-

The ambulance service would not pay it so therefore I will not bounce up curbs for them.

Um.. You're not going up the kerb for the ambulance though.
You're going up the kerb for the poor bleeding bd who's just been crashed into a mile up the road which is why there's a tailback.


Of course there's no point in sacrificing your car for no reason.
But if there's no other option then surely you'd do the right thing?

[jimbop1]

Snowboy said:

Um.. You're not going up the kerb for the ambulance though.
You're going up the kerb for the poor bleeding bd who's just been crashed into a mile up the road which is why there's a tailback.


Of course there's no point in sacrificing your car for no reason.
But if there's no other option then surely you'd do the right thing?

Was just about to say exactly the same as this.

[Chicane-UK]

I'd cringe, but I'd get out of the way - up the kerb if I had to. Indeed I have had to do this once in the past after I turned right at a junction only to see a fire engine barrelling down the road, full tilt towards me with the sirens blaring, on the wrong side of the road (to jump a large queue of cars) - all I could do was drive up a steep kerb. I was pissed off at the time, but understood it's my duty to get the hell out of the way.

At the end of the day, if it was for me or a relative and their life was in danger, I'm not quite sure I could understand the mindset that said they held an emergency vehicle up (and maybe made the difference between life and death) because they didn't want to kerb an alloy.

[anonymous-user]

SteBrown91 said:

I never go up curbs unless there is a drop down.

Damage risk on my car is:

Wheel
Tyre
Bumper
Mudflap
Sill

The ambulance service would not pay it so therefore I will not bounce up curbs for them.

Me me me me me me me

[Blib]

SteBrown91 said:

I never go up curbs unless there is a drop down.

Damage risk on my car is:

Wheel
Tyre
Bumper
Mudflap
Sill

The ambulance service would not pay it so therefore I will not bounce up curbs for them.

Mudflap? Jeez.

You're not bouncing up a kerb for the ambulance, you're doing so for the poor, benighted soul in the back of the ambulance. You twonk.

[kambites]

I'd always get out of the way, if it was possible (and safe) to do so. Someone else's life is worth more than my car.

[LOW4LYFE]

I can't physically climb a high curb without doing untold amounts of damage to the wheel, tyre, wing, arch trim, sideskirt trim, and the front bumper and lip. Not to mention the havoc it could cause on the under side of the car.

Always makes me cringe when I see people riding up onto a high curb.

[conkerman]

Cosidering your user name, don't drive a stupidly modified car.

Not that hard is it?

[Birdster]

Same as traffic light cameras. Do what you can, but I won't run the red light and won't mount the kerb if it's busy. Same as a red light without a camera. All it takes is someone who has right of way on a green light to panic and move into you (Seen a few near misses like this). You're liable for running the red light and if you hit a pedestrian, or someone skates, runs, cycles into you when you mount the kerb , you'll be liable as you're not meant to be mounting the footpath/kerb. I know that is worst case, but considering how many pedestrians walk around texting, not paying attention and still cross the road when they hear emergency sirens you have to accomodate for these people.

Before anyone jumps on the band wagon. I stop short of the line at traffic lights, so I have room to move over and with kerbs I judge it by how busy/wide the pavement is.

[LOW4LYFE]

conkerman said:

Cosidering your user name, don't drive a stupidly modified car.

Not that hard is it?

[4a4]

LOW4LYFE said:

Haha - how do you know he hasn't got a Cup Exige? Or a Noble etc? Why is it necessarily modified?! Even if it is, it's his choice to modify surely? Haha

I've had to stick a very low car (with stretched tyres) up a kerb. Ruined my splitter and N/S front wheel, but it was only a car, and hopefully it meant that somebody didn't die...