Overtaking Emergency Vehicles

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Something that has popped up in the last six months now some of my younger friends have started driving, just wondered what your thoughts are on the following situations:
(all different people!)

Example one, Fire Engine in lane 1 of Motorway doing 60MPH, on blues and twos
I overtake in lane 2 at around 75-80mph
Passenger states "It's illegal to overtake an emergency vehicle with blue lights on"
Que a discussion about the legality of said manoeuvre, me deciding said passenger is talking bks, continuing on my way...


Example two, following a police van on a country lane doing 45-50MPH
I pull out and overtake (safely and legally @ 60MPH)
Passenger A states "you fking dick head, he's going to pull you and give you a ticket"
Me - Why would he pull me and/or give me a ticket?
Passenger A "cos your overtaking a police car you retard!"
me - but I'm not doing anything illegal
passenger B "well if he doesn't think its safe to do more than 50 then he is going to think your driving dangerously"
me - ok lets see if he stops me (proceeds at 60-70MPH down said road, no problems)
passengers both agree it must be a mechanic or something because he hasn't stopped me.

Example three,
driving down dual carriageway, see marked police car, pass it still doing 75-80mph (indicated, so really 71-76mph)
Passenger A - did you not notice that police car?
me - yes, what about it?
passenger A - he must be off duty cos he hasn't stopped you
me - why would he?
passenger A - for overtaking him
me - why? what am i doing wrong, remember the speedo reads lower anyway, but there not going to care about me doing 75mph are they?
Passenger A - it doesn't matter if your not doing the speed limit, you can't overtake a police car
me - ok then

[sday12]

1) Fine
2) Fine
3) Fine

(As in OK not penalty)

[Alfa numeric]

I asked the same question last year, apparently it's fine if you don't get in the way.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[gareth.e]

sday12 said:

1) Fine
2) Fine
3) Fine

(As in OK not penalty)

this

[FatPorker]

I don't think there is a rule on this per se (i used to respond to major accidents with blues and twos) - but I did think it a bit odd sometimes on dual carriageways / motorways on my way to a big pile up to find some people still overtaking me in the freezing fog / driving rain etc - when I can assure you i was driving as fast as was safe to do so in an audi with quattro and winter tyres - unfortunately I had on one occassion to deal with the consequences when an idiot who had overtaken me ploughed into the back of stationary traffic that was stuck behind the accident that I had been on the way to..

BUT I have also seen police see people do the same and they have nicked them for dangerous driving... so my take home was if conditions allow then yes you can do it - there may be a reason why the emergency vehicle is going slow - eg I could go faster in my audi than an ambulance, but you do you better be prepared to defend it if you are stopped as you could face a dangerous driving charge...

[Daniel1]

gareth.e said:

sday12 said:

1) Fine
2) Fine
3) Fine (just as long as youre not in a van )

(As in OK not penalty)

this

[P-Jay]

1 Seems reasonable; unless of course you’re overtaking it heading towards a massive tailback of traffic stuck behind whatever is on fire the brigade is heading too.

2 Yes, fine in my book. A lot of young drivers seem to think it's illegal or somehow 'naughty' to overtake; I blame the "avoid danger at all costs" style of new tests. Personally I think safe overtaking should be part of lessons / tests for new drivers, it certainly is part of taking a bike test.

3. They might care about you speeding even if it's only 5mph if they don't like the look of you pr your car. I got told by a copper once that they can use their digression for a few MPH if the vehicle looks to be well maintained and driven with care and attention. If you go past at 75mph busy looking worried at Plod instead of the road, in a 15 year old ratter lurching around on knackered shocks they might pull you if nothing else to check your tyres and tax disc. You can stick get a fixed penalty for 75mph if they want to give you one. .. But it’s not likely.

Edited by P-Jay on Friday 22 October 16:40

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Alfa numeric said:

I asked the same question last year, apparently it's fine if you don't get in the way.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Buggar I searched for this aswell, but looking for emergency vehicles, police and fire engines.

Right, well question answered, thanks!

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Just purely for your amusement, I found out 3 days after event 2 that my tax had run out on the car - oops!
(but i back dated it so all legal..)

Obviously BiB didn't bother doing any checks and therefore were not too concerned!

[Mr E Driver]

Quite often I see police cars on the motorway in L2 overtaking a few slow lorrys or driving in front of a lorry in L1 at +/- 60mph ish and the cars bunched up behind not daring to overtake.
I have passed the lot of them at around 75-80ish with them not coming after me.....yet!

A ret trafpol told me they don't like stopping cars on the motorway anyway as it tends to slow the traffic down while they are on the hard shoulder and also the h/s is a dangerous place to stop vehicles.

[Patrick Bateman]

In the third case I personally wouldn't pass a marked police car above 70mph in a 70mph NSL.

Most of the time they may not do anything but at the end of the day you are technically breaking the law and should you run into a moody/by the book etc. officer on that day he may just see it differently.

[Jakdaw]

Who are these muppets you're driving around? Are you a taxi driver?

[944fan]

Example 1 - Not illegal to overtake an emergency vehicle, providing you stay within other road laws (speed limits etc).

Example 2 - Again, unless you are doing something illegal (crossing a solid white line, breaking the speed limit) they are not going to pull you for overtaking them. Unless there are other factors which might make your maneuver dangerous, e.g. blind corner, car coming other way etc.

Example 3 - Again you can over take a police car. If the marked car wasn't a traffic car (or suitably equiped with recording devices) then it requires two police officers to corroborate and they have to follow you for a set distance. At 75 they are unlikely to bother pulling you.

Years ago I worked for the police (as a civilian), I was told that often police cars will slow down when some approaches from behind to see if you will overtake. If you don't then they will assume you are either drunk or have something else to hide and then will probably pull you over.

[Ben Hughes]

A couple of weeks ago I too great delight in watching a Honda Jazz being followed by a panda car in a 50, gradually slowing down to about 30 and being swiftly overtaken by the frustrated plod. I followed the police car's lead and marvelled in the confusion on the middle-aged lady driver's face

[cottonfoo]

944fan said:

Years ago I worked for the police (as a civilian), I was told that often police cars will slow down when some approaches from behind to see if you will overtake. If you don't then they will assume you are either drunk or have something else to hide and then will probably pull you over.

I read something along similar lines (here I expect) a little while back that said police on motorways generally sit at 60-65 so cars would overtake them, instead of sitting at 70mph and having a train of cars behind them all afraid to overtake at their 'normal' motorway speeds of 70-80+.

[Dunk76]

Don't the Police refer to it as the 'Idiot Shield'? The magical forcefield fitted to the back of all Police vehicles which prevents 99% of people overtaking them, no matter what.

[LongLiveTazio]

The only caution about point 1 to me is that he may be going to an accident further down the carriageway, so I would rather wait and see what it did than potentially have to brake heavily x hundred metres down the road.

[Jgtv]

Personally I wouldnt over take an emergancy vehicle with its blues and twos going, to make sure i am not in there way when they are needed other than that they are all fine to overtake in my book.

[davepoth]

LongLiveTazio said:

The only caution about point 1 to me is that he may be going to an accident further down the carriageway, so I would rather wait and see what it did than potentially have to brake heavily x hundred metres down the road.

If you can't see a few hundred metres down the motorway then either a) It's too foggy to be going that fast or b) you need your eyes tested. Fire Engines and Ambulances often can't go much quicker, the blues and twos are mainly for the benefit of people in lane one to make sure they don't pull out on them.

[tog]

Dunk76 said:

Don't the Police refer to it as the 'Idiot Shield'? The magical forcefield fitted to the back of all Police vehicles which prevents 99% of people overtaking them, no matter what.

I've heard them refer to the law abiding bubble they drive around in!