Police car bullying its way through red light.

Outpost

For what it's worth if myself or a member of my family was in immediate danger I'd hope that the police would 'bully' their way through the lights to respond as quickly as possible even if in doing so they may offend the delicate sensibilities of certain road users.

Although it's an amusing image to some, all these police cars aren't just using the blues and twos to get back to the nick as quick as possible because dinner is ready.

bingy_burge

Outpost wrote: »

For what it's worth if myself or a member of my family was in immediate danger I'd hope that the police would 'bully' their way through the lights to respond as quickly as possible even if in doing so they may offend the delicate sensibilities of certain road users.

Contrary to what certain people believe all these police cars driving around with blues and twos aren't all doing so to get back to the nick for dinner...

Have you visited this site http://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/

Some of the most senior emergency service driver training managers have helped put this together and backed the content worth a watch.

As for rational you are of course entitled to your opinion.

So you think your in immediate danger and police sit behind a car with women and a 2 month old baby and bully her through a red light. She in the end panics and drives forward and bang she is t-boned by another vehicle. The baby and mother are killed you are still really chuffed the police put your safety before the other road users? This turns out to be your wife and child and your still completely sympathetic with the police driver?

Outpost

bingy_burge wrote: »

So you think your in immediate danger and police sit behind a car with women and a 2 month old baby and bully her through a red light. She in the end panics and drives forward and bang she is t-boned by another vehicle. The baby and mother are killed you are still really chuffed the police put your safety before the other road users? This turns out to be your wife and child and your still completely sympathetic with the police driver?

Yes we can all use our imagination to conjure up excessively emotive scenarios to support our argument that inevitably involve a mother and young baby.

So you think if a mother and two month old baby are facing a group of hostile youths in an inner-city council estate after dark that the police should wait patiently at traffic lights while the mother is kicked and punched on the floor trying to protect her baby instead of doing everything they can to get to the scene to save them.

Oh look, I can do it as well.

bingy_burge

Outpost wrote: »

Yes we can all use our imagination to conjure up excessively emotive scenarios to support our argument that inevitably involve a mother and young baby.

So you think if a mother and two month old baby are facing a group of hostile youths in an inner-city council estate after dark that the police should wait patiently at traffic lights while the mother is kicked and punched on the floor trying to protect her baby instead of doing everything they can to get to the scene to save them.
ss
Oh look, I can do it as well.

If there is no other way of getting through than yes.

If it causes a multiple car crash or anyone else is injured you have achieved pratically nothing. Then more emergency services resources are taken away dealing with that accident so its a vicious circle thats not helping.


Your arguement its ok risk to forcing someone through a redlight and causing a herendous accident as its a measured risk because the person in the emergency is important for the risk. Ok" Redlight is only red for decoration not for danger or anything.

Say you did jup the light and you weren't involved in the collision but you got 3 points ts10 £60 and your car insurance went up by £80 year for the next 5 years you wouldnt be on here moaning?

Its fairly accademic as people who infinatley better positoned and qualfied than you or me have decided and most emergency services have a policy in place so that drivers don't. The met is one and so are devon and cornwall police and devon and somerset fire rescue to name but a few.

So next time your at the scene of fire and fireperson says get in that burning building with no BA or training on and rescue that person your been there like a shot because you like to think that the fire bridgade would bully you into risking your life to safe life.

Okay dokey!

kizkiz

The two main issues i come across are the old car at front of queue pays attention, pulls over and stops. Car behind has no idea and pulls right out in front of me to overtake said car. Of course, we expect that every time
The most annoying one is long straight bits of road with occassional bollards in the centre. Sooo many cars will see you coming and keep driving until you catch them up, then stop directly opposite the bollards, the thinnest bit of the road, forcing me to slow right down and slalom around them. Why people can't see this coming and just stop before them i'll never know!

As for red lights. I never expect anyone to jump them for me and will turn the noise off and wait for them to change. We get trained this way anyway.

cyclonebri1

kizkiz wrote: »

The two main issues i come across are the old car at front of queue pays attention, pulls over and stops. Car behind has no idea and pulls right out in front of me to overtake said car. Of course, we expect that every time
The most annoying one is long straight bits of road with occassional bollards in the centre. Sooo many cars will see you coming and keep driving until you catch them up, then stop directly opposite the bollards, the thinnest bit of the road, forcing me to slow right down and slalom around them. Why people can't see this coming and just stop before them i'll never know!

As for red lights. I never expect anyone to jump them for me and will turn the noise off and wait for them to change. We get trained this way anyway.

That's like the point I was trying to make earlier the 1st car in a line in front of the emergency see's the blue light and pulls over, allmost rabbit in headlight fashion, leaving nowhere for the following traffic to go without causing an obstruction.

I must admit I've had this happen as a normal motorist and have passed the vehicle in front if it's the best and safest option for all concerned. Then pull over where the ES can actually pass safely;)

That's in general, at the lights I don't have any problem if I pull slightly out from the stop line provided I don't move into crossing traffic that should have stopped anyway. If that allows traffic a little more space to create a route through I don't see a problem.
Ok red light cameras, but I'm dam sure the pics would show the vehicle pulled over rather than speeding through.

I do of cause asume the blue lights are being used for what they were intended, ie, an emergency and not PC Plod just laste for his tea break.

bigjl

Plod and the Ambos don't use their lights except when respondin simply because their use is recorded and the control room is aware.

Not sure about trumpton though, however i do know that complulsory use of sirens all the time has been required in London for at least two years, but trumpton do so few calls that they need little convincing of this.

I can also confirm there is animosity between the ambos and tge brickheads in many areas of London but for some reason this isn't the case outside the big smoke.

I clearly remember going to a serious entrapment rtc when two trumpton wabbled their way to scene at 25mph but due to the way they were driving i couldn't pass, must have added 3 minutes to our response time which in this case was relevant, they the panicked and the white helmet didn't know what to do, only one firebod helped us with our rapid extrication, the fact they also parked their two trucks blocking all access by the ambos was just another issue, there has been animosity between the brigade and ambo in this part of east london ever since.

Not helped when a month later they refuswd to go up on a roof to help a young lad that had jumped but had his arm caught by the bloke trying to stop him and he was hanging by his arm with his leg tangled in the phone lines, the brigade said it wasn't their job!

Alter_ego

Dave101t wrote: »

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

Only if instructed by a person with the authority to tell you to

vax2002

Your own survival comes first, if you loose your job because you loose your licence, then they will have to wait or take the cameras down.

cord123

While I'll try to let emergency vehicles through, particularly ambulances, risking accident and fines to let a police car on the way to who knows what, does not seem prudent to me.[/QUOTE]

Can I just point out that Police drivers have more training that any other emergency service when it comes to responding on a blue light run... so if anything you are in more danger from an ambulance than a police car!!