Ambulance drivers

madvixen

In some cases an ambulance cannot use it's siren due to the condition of the patient being carried.

Hugh_Jass

An ambulance tail gated me the other day at 1 in the morning. As I stopped at a set of traffic lights. He beeped me (god knows why because I was in the correct lane) and then overtook me doing at least 50 in a 30 zone. Should have reported the moron.

tanith

Hugh_Jass wrote: »

An ambulance tail gated me the other day at 1 in the morning. As I stopped at a set of traffic lights. He beeped me (god knows why because I was in the correct lane) and then overtook me doing at least 50 in a 30 zone. Should have reported the moron.

Maybe just maybe he had a sick patient on board and wished to get going to the hospital without making a hell of a racket.. unless you mean there was already room for him to pass you without going onto the wrong side of the road..

malkyh

Hugh_Jass wrote: »

An ambulance tail gated me the other day at 1 in the morning. As I stopped at a set of traffic lights. He beeped me (god knows why because I was in the correct lane) and then overtook me doing at least 50 in a 30 zone. Should have reported the moron.

Maybe beeped you as courtesy to let you know he was coming past?

Norman_Castle

An ambulance tail gated me the other day at 1 in the morning. As I stopped at a set of traffic lights. He beeped me (god knows why because I was in the correct lane) and then overtook me doing at least 50 in a 30 zone. Should have reported the moron.

Hmm, an ambulance in a hurry. That could confuse some people.

pmduk

My knowledge isn't up-to-date I admit, however it used to be that an ambulance used blues and twos on its way to a patient but was more likely to use lights only when a patient was in on board as the sound of sirens could exacerbate many conditions particularly shock.

Nilrem

IIRC all emergency service drivers are trained to avoid excessive use of the sirens these days.
It's something to do in part with the fact that people get upset if they keep hearing a siren every few minutes, instead I think they are meant to use them when approaching obstacles, and even then it's not mandatory as there can and are reasons not to (patient in the back in some cases, time of day, or in the case of police, they don't want to alert a burglary in progress etc).

IIRC they can ignore traffic lights but have to treat them as advisory - if they get in an accident they can still be done for dangerous/careless driving.

It's like the old chestnut that the police can't speed without their blues and twos on. or can only do it on a call, when the law allows it, but individual forces have their own guidelines (which is how police driver training can take place on public roads)..

coinxoperated

I personally just have a quick look left and right at lights anyway, just in case! It doesn't need to be a ambulance, it could be an undercover cop car or anything. Using common sense when your driving doesn't hurt anybody, and personally if you can't see a massive van in greens, yellows and garish colours because you insist on looking straight ahead, go to specsavers!

Nilrem

aye coinxoperated, I always look around fully at lights as well even when they are in my favour, due to a mix of idiot cyclists who think the traffic lights are some sort of christmas decoration that never gets taken down, and the idiots who either miss that it's changed, or don't care (fortunately not too many of the latter).

NBLondon

coinxoperated wrote: »

I personally just have a quick look left and right at lights anyway, just in case! It doesn't need to be a ambulance, it could be an undercover cop car or anything.

That was my dad's advice when I was first learning to drive - phrased as "Always double-check in case The Professionals are coming round the corner." Which shows my age a bit...