emergency services not using their siren....

[rich85uk]

Afternoon all

i have noticed recently that alot of police and ambulance drivers (mainly ambulance) on an emergency call with the blue lights on the go dont have the siren going and its quite clear that half the road users who need to notice it havnt, slowing said police/ambulance down. one case i remember a police car with its blue lights on at traffic lights trying to get through and rather than put his siren on he beeps his horn?

worse though was the other day coming back from the gym around 3pm with my brother on saturday, it was perfect driving conditions (20ish degrees, clear, no wind and sunny) on a major NSL a road, doing around 50-60 mph when i approach the smallest of bends/kink that has a house with a big garden wall which restricts your view. its a big of an accident black spot as there is a hidden junction(coming opposite way to me) and a perfect straight bit of road before and after the 'bend' and just as i pass the blind spot i am greeted by am ambulance desperate to overtake a car and half on my side of the road, blue lights on but NO SIREN!!. to be honest it did sh!t me and my brother up abit and due to the road i cant pullover much at all, just slow right down. rather annoying as i just passed a layby i could have pulled into had i heard it...

is there some sort of law that now restricts when a siren can be used in daytime hours? is this people with nothing better to do moaning about the sound of sirens?

[davidjpowell]

IIRC that the siren increases stress, and that with some sort of patients they will try not to use it.

Do all Police cars have them? I know years ago they did not.

[OMNIO]

I think if they are held up - say like in a queue of traffic at a gridlocked junction- for any length of time they are supposed to turn off the siren so members of the public don't get stressed out about not being able to move.

Could be that the ambulance was stuck behind the car - you say its not suitable to pull over on that road- so rather than sit behind the driver with sirens wailing and an ever more stressed person being unable to move over they just turned off the siren.

Also if its clear they dont use it i've noticed. On a quiet road they will switch it off and leave the lights flashing then put the siren back on as they apporoach junctions / roundabouts

[B'stard Child]

Locally to me it appears that all of the emergency services using the siren all of the time - even late evening when no traffic.

[rich85uk]

OK fair point guys, not knocking the emergency services but knowing where i live (rural bucks) you get some right snooty nosed who moan about anything and was concerned that maybe sirens had been banned in certain areas just to keep them happy!