pulling into bus lane to let police car pass

prowla

I have to say that until reading this thread i would have pulled over into the bus lane, and in the past I have crossed the white line at lights.

As far as the bus lane goes, is it really more important to have a path available for a bus to drive along if it needed to, or for the emergency vehicle to be able to get to where it needs to be to help somebody who is in extreme distress?

I think there should be an automatic dismissal of such penalties, if the incident can be shown to be because of an emergency vehicle.

(Naturally, the maneouvre should have been competed safely.)

Of course, that wouldn't come into law because it would interrupt the revenue stream.

prowla

neilmcl wrote: »

What a stupid statement to make. Most emergency drivers will have had extensive driving training before being allowed behind the wheel.

My brother in law was a police officer and he crashed a police car.

Jamie_Carter

neilmcl wrote: »

It's more likely that they'd expect some numpty to move into the bus lane on hearing the sirens without checking their mirrors and crashing into the emergency vehicle, which is why they'll always plot the safest route.

They would use the clearest route. Other drivers should take this into account, and leave the clearest route clear. In many cases this would be the bus lane on a busy road.

It is actually very common for an emergency vehicle to be making good progress down the hard shoulder or a bus lane, only to have to slam on the brakes due to one idiot who doesn't use his mirrors. And it is due to emergency vehicle drivers having to be prepared for this, that they can't travel in these lanes as quickly as they would like to.

Jamie_Carter

neilmcl wrote: »

That's the last thing you should do. The drivers would/should have worked out a suitable route past you and if one didn't exist will, as they did in your case, direct you. Trying to "anticipate" what an emergency vehicle will do can be just as dangerous as panicking.

I have to agree with you. There is a set of traffic lights on a dual carriageway that also has a filter lane on the left. If the lights are red then I will usually use the filter lane to by pass the traffic stopped at the red lights. But you wouldn't believe how often some numpty tries to anticipate my route, and blocks the filter lane.

Jamie_Carter

neilmcl wrote: »

Or in the case of a police officer, give directions to the driver to move.

Not just the police. Although technically only they can instruct you to break the law. But in the case where someone just had to cross a double white line, then you should take instruction from any emergency vehicle driver. You are allowed to cross double white lines in an emergency (if safe to do so) anyway.

missile

neilmcl wrote: »

What a stupid statement to make. Most emergency drivers will have had extensive driving training before being allowed behind the wheel.

It seems your "opinion" is based on ignorance.
Do you know what training police officers receive before being allowed to drive a panda? Those of us who do, call it barely adequate not "extensive"
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/public-are-being-let-down-over-899164

Jamie_Carter

prowla wrote: »

I have to say that until reading this thread i would have pulled over into the bus lane, and in the past I have crossed the white line at lights.

As far as the bus lane goes, is it really more important to have a path available for a bus to drive along if it needed to, or for the emergency vehicle to be able to get to where it needs to be to help somebody who is in extreme distress?

I think there should be an automatic dismissal of such penalties, if the incident can be shown to be because of an emergency vehicle.

(Naturally, the maneouvre should have been competed safely.)

Of course, that wouldn't come into law because it would interrupt the revenue stream.

I think you are missing the point. It is usually safer for emergency vehicles to use the bus lane.

Road laws are usually there for safety reasons. So if there was an exemption from them, then people could cause accidents when moving out of the way of emergency vehicles.

Jamie_Carter

prowla wrote: »

My brother in law was a police officer and he crashed a police car.

To be fair, anyone driving at much higher speeds than other cars on the road is more likely to be involved in an RTC. This is why blue lights, sirens, and a high level of driver training are used to minimise the risk. But accidents will still happen.

spacey2012

Bus lane cameras dont flash as a rule.
You will find out in 14 days, if anything arrives after 14 days, the envelope it came in is worth more than the paper in it and can help get you off.
With moving for an emergency vehicle, unless given an instruction by a police officer, it is a courtesy and most councils don't care, you cross the line, you pay up, try an appeal, but dont expect any sympathy.

Jamie_Carter

missile wrote: »

It seems your "opinion" is based on ignorance.
Do you know what training police officers receive before being allowed to drive a panda? Those of us who do, call it barely adequate not "extensive"
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/public-are-being-let-down-over-899164

The article is talking about refresher training, and keeping standards up.

The standard to drive a panda car isn't as high as it is for a traffic police car, but it is still far higher than the average road user.

I don't have the exact figures, but the article was from 2010. Very stringent refresher training has been introduced since then in most counties (if not all), by all emergency services.