Police car bullying its way through red light.

vax2002

Unfortunately, cameras on junctions and bus lanes have changed the game, self preservation comes in to play when you have a hunter on your back.
Someone may be in danger, but jump to many sets and you could loose your licence and your job and then your house, your wife and your kids go hungry.
It's a two way choice, help someone you have never met nor never will or help yourself.
I blame those who put is the position.

Paradigm

muckybutt wrote: »

Also interesting to get the views from a blue light run and how they have to react http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM3GBgNTZxw&feature=related

Totally off topic ( & of no interest at all) but I passed one of my HGV tests on that exact (ish) route.

Sorry, carry on

cyclonebri1

keystone wrote: »

I get seriously mad when I see people ducking, diving, weaving, speeding up, slowing down to "get out of the way" and creating all sorts of other hazards in the process. It actually makes their task more difficult because those doing it are being totally unpredictable. I've even recently seen someone drive right into the side of a police car he was "getting out of the way" for because he misjudged which way he should go to "get out of the way".

Its not our job to get out of their way. Its theirs to go round us when its safe to do so and thats what everyone should understand and be taught.

Cheers

Wrong wrong wrong, that is exactly our job.

Not to cause an obstruction, or a secondary accident, but to "not impeed the emergency vehicle"

That means;

Pulling futher to the right or left, slowing down and very often speeding up, and getting much closer to the traffic in front than we would normally do.

All the emergency services want us to do is make use of the normal clearances we allow in driving for their benifit, can't believe anyone has a problem with that Keystone?

My own advice would be to accelarate away to find a safe place to allow them to pass, don't see that as a problem do you,

bigjl

You can never imagine the stupidity displayed when a vehicle on lights comes up behind, wether it be driving in the right lane when all other lanes are clear and not looking in their mirror for a mile or more, or slamming their brakes on and pulling onto the central reservation.

All we ask is you maintain a steady speed and move to the left, if in slow traffic just look in the mirror and look for our indicators so you know what we are intending.

Though a lot of the younger ambulance staff do seem to drive like idiots, I will freely admit that, I have had to tell several newbies not to bully people out of the way, it is one thing to drive in an authoratitive way and command the road and some thing else to drive overly aggressively, there are for example a third of staff in London that could be considered newbies, and since the oldies are getting sacked and medicalled out at an alarming rate the driving standards will only get worst, these young-uns drive to the response catagory, not to the actual call as it is given, it seems they no longer train them to "drive to arrive".

However, I don't take any prisoners when driving to a "proper call", but we go to few of these now, I am looking forward to retirement, I feel sorry with those that have 20 or 30 years to go.

grayme-m

I can imagine the stupidity of people.

Two weeks ago I was following a van and a Citroen Picasso was behind, going along a straight single carriageway road out of town with a 40 mph limit, a very wide chevron strip between the two carriageway.

I note coming up behind the blues and twos of an ambulance so indicating left, slow down to enable the ambulance past which it does.

Van clearly doesn't see it as he merrily carries on and ends up holding up the ambulance as the road gets to a part with a raised central reservation.

The Picasso overtakes me as it follows the ambulance...

Encouraging these people through red lights does not appear to be a good idea, they are struggling with the concept of breathing and blinking at the same time.

DCFC79

Must be where I am but all the services drive quite well, only issue is when the blue lights are flashing and the siren is on people cant seem to grasp the concept of moving out the way to allow them to pass.

getmore4less

When are we going to integrate priority light into the emergency systems?

The tech is all available and multiple options for a lot of locations just needs some integration and coordination.

bigjl

The local authorities or government would never pay for it.

The number of accidents that the emergency services have has increased over recent years normally due to the number of newbies, but more to do with the increase of call numbers, on target for well over a million calls in London this year.

But i would think the number of accidents per thousand responces has reduced a lot over the last ten years.

It is normally the same old faces have RTC's anyway, and they get away with because they are either a brownnose or a johnny, 95% of my complex are accident free in their entire career.

And when you consider the traffic in East London that is no mean feat, especially when you consider the number on uninsured and unlicenced drivers in Eat London these days.

Premier_2

thelawnet wrote: »

...The police car, which was unmarked, then followed, having bullied its way through...

patman99 wrote: »

...all the emergency services crews know that if the lights are red, then they are not to force vehicles to jump the lights, ....

What's all this talk of bullying/forcing?
The only way someone could bully/force me over a stop line is to push me ... and the police won't do that if for no other reason than they will then have a Polac to deal with.

Dave101t wrote: »

your allowed through red lights to make way for emergency vehicles responding to a call.

As others have said, incorrect.
Emergency vehicles on a shout can, if they feel it safe and reasonable to do so, either go over the stop line themselves, or indeed go completely around it (e.g. on the other side of the road), but other drivers are not allowed to.
Naturally, if it is safe and legal for you to do so, you should make way for an emergency vehicle on a shout to make rapid progress ... who knows tomorrow they may be coming to help you? But ultimately it is up to the driver of the emergency vehicle, and that is what they are trained to do.

bingy_burge

Premier wrote: »

What's all this talk of bullying/forcing?
The only way someone could bully/force me over a stop line is to push me ... and the police won't do that if for no other reason than they will then have a Polac to deal with.


QUOTE]

Don't agree since most law abiding people have respect/fear of the police if there sat in vehicle behind the lights on, cycling through siren tones (most modern police cars you can press the horn to do this) and showing signs of impaitence. I would suggest alot of drivers would feel paniced presurised and make snap decision to go. You could get type of fight or flight reponse in some and so rational thought may go out the window (The type that when a someone finds an introoder in the home they may attack the and kill because fear or adrenalin has taken over and rational control has gone.

I have seen this done right in front of me and the car pulled out in front of traffic coming from the right.

I am police trained advanced driver and was also only last week faced with marked police car just week behind my private car who sat behind he at traffic lights twice changing his siren tone. It was two lanes stuck at red light and after 20 seconds sat doing this a light went off in the drivers head and he used the right hand turn lane to proceed through the series of lights as it was empty. I won't mention his lack of forward planning and poor application of system.

I posted the link for the vid yesterday and alot of the services have subscribed to that so follow its guidelines and you shouldnt go far wrong.