Following emergency vehicles

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 11:34
Following emergency vehicles - PaulWest

A colleague (I have to call him that) at work was bragging this morning about how he managed to save several minutes getting to work this morning by tailgating an ambulance with its blue lights on and getting past all the traffice in its wake.

I'm pretty sure there will be something in Roadcraft or Driving about that, but I don't have a copy to hand. Can anyone out there quote the relevant paragraph

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 12:35
Following emergency vehicles - RT

Tailgating is wrong in all circumstances. Drivers who've given way to a blue light vehicle often won't be expecting a following vehicle without blue lights so the whole practice counts as dangerous driving in my book.

Fire engines on motorways are often physically incapable of reaching 70mph but I've seen drivers overtaking fire engines on blue lights which just means more cars in the way when the fire engine does reach the incident.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 12:45
Following emergency vehicles - Bobbin Threadbare

It'd be up to the police to decide if anyone's actions near an emergency vehicle constituted dangerous driving. The ambulance service reckon that as long as you don't cause an obstruction and you do nothing illegal then you're not going to get in trouble.

Personally, I get out of the way (up onto the kerb for example) and stay out of the way until the EV has passed me completely.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 15:14
Following emergency vehicles - 12345oncei

Does your colleague have small feet and a big car?

:p

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 15:47
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

I can't decide if it's wrong or not. I mean if there's nothing in the wake-does it hurt to sit in it?

I don't think I've ever pulled over for an emergency vehicle-it always strikes me as well meaning, but misguided to unnecesarily stop and crawl up onto the pavement rather than carry on whilst keeping as close to the curb as possible. I think the stopping impedes the progress of the ambulance more than the extra space helps. If any ambulance drivers wish to correct me, I shall amend my habits.

If it's a police car in a luxury SUV, I impede its progress as much as I can! Luxury police cars are a big bugbear of mine. Cheshire police has a 2010 BMW X5. In Cheshire. What possible need can they have for it? Funny, there's always money for Final salary pensions and luxury cars, but no money for plods on the beat...

[feel better for that]

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 15:58
Following emergency vehicles - Bobbin Threadbare

Yeah but come on unthrottled; this is Cheshire. I bet they never use it around Warrington though...!

I live by a hospital, so I always shift out the way, as I've seen the mess it can cause if you don't. Wouldn't on the motorway; you've got to keep going but shift over a lane so the EV can bezz past.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 16:00
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

How does it cause a mess?

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 16:12
Following emergency vehicles - Bobbin Threadbare

Hospital is on a narrow road, and if you don't pull out of the way the ambulance can't do a turn in. Supermarket over the road too, so you can imagine the traffic.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 16:19
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

But what if the ambulance is approaching from behind? How often are you driving along in a line of traffic doing a nice steady 30, and then the you hear a siren blaring, and everyone stops and starts dithering. I just don't see how that is helpful. Wouldn't the ambulance make better progress if people had just carried on. Clearly if the ambulance is coming towards you and needs space in the middle of the road, it makes more sense to pull over.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 16:46
Following emergency vehicles - bathtub tom

Nowadays they have CCTV fitted. I wonder if your 'colleague' followed the emergency vehicle through any red lights?

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 16:47
Following emergency vehicles - Bobbin Threadbare

Now THAT is illegal for sure!

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 19:54
Following emergency vehicles - Armstrong Sid
If the ambulance was on an emergency call using its blue lights and siren, then presumably at times it was exceeding the speed limit, as it is entitled to do in such circumstances.

If your "colleague" was tailgating the ambulance, then presumably he would also have been exceeding the speed limit at various times, which I believe he would not be entitled to do.
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Wed 22 Jun 2011 19:59
Following emergency vehicles - veryoldbear

Personally, I think that anybody doing this sort of thing should be removed from their vehicles and beaten with big sticks, and then left on the road side until the next ambulance comes along.

It's simply cocky and rude.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 20:05
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

It's simply cocky and rude.

But is it? It's perhaps opportunistic but it doesn't impede the ambulancce's progress. Nature abhors a vacuum...

Is it any worse than sitting in the slipstream of an HGV?

Edited by unthrottled on 22/06/2011 at 20:06

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 21:30
Following emergency vehicles - Ben 10

It's simply cocky and rude.

But is it? It's perhaps opportunistic but it doesn't impede the ambulancce's progress. Nature abhors a vacuum...

Is it any worse than sitting in the slipstream of an HGV?

Yes its wrong. Say for instance the following twit might get too close. The ambulance might brake quickly for whatever reason in front of it causing the tailgater to rear end the ambulance. Which means the ambulance HAS to stop, which means either it is off the run or another ambulance has to be sent in its place. Causing a massive delay in attending whatever it was being sent to. No-one can excuse this behaviour in any shape or form. Just think if you were waiting for that ambulance to arrive.

Should be made an offence, if it already isn't.

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 21:32
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

Good point. At this juncture I'm going to point out that I don't tailgate ambulances. After all, someone might think I was a personal injury lawyer...

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Wed 22 Jun 2011 20:27
Following emergency vehicles - Westpig

I don't think I've ever pulled over for an emergency vehicle-it always strikes me as well meaning, but misguided to unnecesarily stop and crawl up onto the pavement rather than carry on whilst keeping as close to the curb as possible. I think the stopping impedes the progress of the ambulance more than the extra space helps. If any ambulance drivers wish to correct me, I shall amend my habits.

It depends on the width of the road.

If it's a wide road with no pedestrian islands, slowing down and pulling left is the best option.

If it's a narrower road, by you keeping going, you are preventing the EV overtaking when you get to traffic islands or oncoming traffic...because they dare not 'go for the gap' in case you (islands) or the approaching traffic close it for them.

On the other hand, stopping on a blind bend/brow of hill isn't brilliant, because who wants to overtake there?

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Thu 23 Jun 2011 01:46
Following emergency vehicles - jamie745

God this thread is boring. Literally...nothing of any interest..at all. I feel ive wasted my time reading it, i feel its time i wont get back, im now feeling reminiscent of the times when i enjoyed threads as i hopped with gay abandon between insightful topics. Filled with nonsense physics and Bobbin's infuriating womanly ways (would still give her one though, oh yes) this used to be a magical place.

I feel that now we should rise up, grab the topic round the throat, this website built by the internet itself, against viruses and the hands of hackers, this happy group of drivers, this little world, this precious stone set in the silver sea which serves the purpose of us and all. Against the envy of the "other site", this blessed plot...this realm...this...FORUM!!!!!

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Thu 23 Jun 2011 03:27
Following emergency vehicles - unthrottled

I hope to God that you edit this post by tomorrow morning!

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Thu 23 Jun 2011 09:00
Following emergency vehicles - Bobbin Threadbare

Too late.

Get on the naughty step Jamie.

If anyone else has a problem with a woman being on here, they wisely kept their gobs shut.

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Thu 23 Jun 2011 10:43
Following emergency vehicles - TeeCee

Many years ago I lived in Crouch End and worked in Harrow. Tuesday mornings were the best commute as some sort of convoy used to run the North Circ. Two completely unmarked blue trucks and an escort. I used to follow that every week as you could set your watch by the time they went through Henley's Corner, so I'd time my arrival at the lights accordingly. No blue lights, no fuss, stopped at junctions. So many drivers see a set of Police motorcycle outriders behind them and move over anyway, regardless of the lack of lights 'n sirens, that there was a significant advantage to be had in tailing them.

To this day I have no idea what they were doing, although the logic in using unmarked vehicles and then running the thing like clockwork to attract attention escapes me.

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