FabSwingers.com mobile

Join us FREE, we're FREE to use

Web's largest swingers site since 2006.

Already registered?
Login here

Back to forum list
Back to The Lounge

emergency service vehicles

Jump to newest
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract

now as we all know we the motorist must give way to these when their sirens are going ,but if they are jumping red lights and end up in your way who is the wrong you for not giving way or them for jumping red lights ,

just happened to me sat at T jct ,car in front turns left i follows and turns right straight into the path of an ambulance that had jumped the queue at the lights and was on my side of the road

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *ee VianteWoman
over a year ago

Somewhere in North Norfolk

They don't have an actual right to jump lights even if the siren is on.

They are supposed to drive safely, not expect people will give way.

I'll give way usually but if they cause an accident by breaking road laws, they'll be accountable.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex


"now as we all know we the motorist must give way to these when their sirens are going ,but if they are jumping red lights and end up in your way who is the wrong you for not giving way or them for jumping red lights ,

just happened to me sat at T jct ,car in front turns left i follows and turns right straight into the path of an ambulance that had jumped the queue at the lights and was on my side of the road "

scary! Did it have sirens and lights?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Only the police are allowed to jump lights and only if they are on their way to an emergency with blues and twos going.

There have been cases of ambulance drivers losing their licences because of this

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Only the police are allowed to jump lights and only if they are on their way to an emergency with blues and twos going.

There have been cases of ambulance drivers losing their licences because of this"

So an ambulance responding to a cardiac arrest or similar has to wait at a red light even if its 'safe' for them to proceed? Doesnt seem right?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract

yes it shook me up i heard the siren but not realise it was directly in front of me

on my side of the road ,i must have turned the corner the same time as he jumped lights so i had to slam all on for him to get past me

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"yes it shook me up i heard the siren but not realise it was directly in front of me

on my side of the road ,i must have turned the corner the same time as he jumped lights so i had to slam all on for him to get past me "

I often find it difficult to tell what direction a siren is coming from

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex


"yes it shook me up i heard the siren but not realise it was directly in front of me

on my side of the road ,i must have turned the corner the same time as he jumped lights so i had to slam all on for him to get past me "

I find the sirens are a bit distorted and it is difficult to tell where they're coming from. Thank goodness it wasn't the cause of you needing an ambulance

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex


"yes it shook me up i heard the siren but not realise it was directly in front of me

on my side of the road ,i must have turned the corner the same time as he jumped lights so i had to slam all on for him to get past me

I often find it difficult to tell what direction a siren is coming from "

snap! Is that deliberate do you think?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"now as we all know we the motorist must give way to these when their sirens are going ,but if they are jumping red lights and end up in your way who is the wrong you for not giving way or them for jumping red lights ,

just happened to me sat at T jct ,car in front turns left i follows and turns right straight into the path of an ambulance that had jumped the queue at the lights and was on my side of the road "

I'm struggling to seehow you and the car in front nevet spotted an ambulance with lights and sirens on?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"yes it shook me up i heard the siren but not realise it was directly in front of me

on my side of the road ,i must have turned the corner the same time as he jumped lights so i had to slam all on for him to get past me

I often find it difficult to tell what direction a siren is coming from

snap! Is that deliberate do you think?"

Emergency services have tried for years to find a siren that that is "direction detectable". London tried one a few years ago called a "localiser" but it just didn't work due to echoes off buildings. Emergency service vehicles have exemptions to certain road-traffic laws - red traffic lights should be treated as a "give way" and the vehicle should stop at the lights before carefully proceeding. As with everything like this, some drivers are better than others and some will take risks that they shouldn't.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? "
no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

This should help a bit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btRHvQEIkcU

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path "

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path "

Yes that is the scenario I pictured and can easily understand how you didnt see it til the last minute

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?"

I would have thought it quite dangerous to suddenly brake at a green light and come to a stop to look around for an emergency vehicle ?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?"

In my opinion to have carried on regardless having heard sirens is driving without due care and attention

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?"
it was in front of me before i had time to think ,you not expect to turn a corner and find and ambulance on your side of the road to you

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

They in the wrong im afraid its an hazard of the job and a risk they take

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?

I would have thought it quite dangerous to suddenly brake at a green light and come to a stop to look around for an emergency vehicle ?"

From the first post, was the OP not stationery prior to the lights changing?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path "

If you heard the siren and found that it wasn't behind you (by checking the mirrors) then it's logical to assume it's either on your left or right. You were at a junction and even if the junction is traffic light controlled it is still good practice to check both directions before commencing your manoeuvre. Even more so if you can hear sirens and don't know where they're coming from.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?

In my opinion to have carried on regardless having heard sirens is driving without due care and attention"

I believe it would have been the responsibility of the ambulance driver to have ensured it was safe to proceed through the red light, which in this case it obivously wasnt.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?

In my opinion to have carried on regardless having heard sirens is driving without due care and attention"

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?it was in front of me before i had time to think ,you not expect to turn a corner and find and ambulance on your side of the road to you "

You should expect things like this when you hear sirens close to you. Driving is full of hazards that can cause death or serious injury - you should be prepared for any situation when you get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I guess the main thing is a collision was avoided but if it had occurred it would have been the ambulance driver at fault not the o.p.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *he Queen of TartsWoman
Forum Mod
over a year ago

My Own Little World


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren and found that it wasn't behind you (by checking the mirrors) then it's logical to assume it's either on your left or right. You were at a junction and even if the junction is traffic light controlled it is still good practice to check both directions before commencing your manoeuvre. Even more so if you can hear sirens and don't know where they're coming from."

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?it was in front of me before i had time to think ,you not expect to turn a corner and find and ambulance on your side of the road to you "

Like someone else has said, if you heard a siren but wasn't sure where it was, maybe make sure you knew where it was before moving further. I have driven an emergency vehicle for 20 years and many people are blissfully unaware of our presence through lack of observation, mirror checks etc (not aimed at you btw, just talking through experience). When you turn into any road you should have a quick look into it if possible as any obstruction could reasonably be there.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Blue light runs must be done safely if they cause any type of problem the driver is treat as a normal driver as that is what he or she is

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *orthLincsIronCouple
over a year ago

Scunthorpe


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren, why didn't you stop until you had visually confirmed its location and direction?

In my opinion to have carried on regardless having heard sirens is driving without due care and attention

I believe it would have been the responsibility of the ambulance driver to have ensured it was safe to proceed through the red light, which in this case it obivously wasnt."

It was safe up to the point of her ignoring the sirens and pulling out in front of the ambulance, thankfully no one was hurt

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Wit ambulances, it also depends on the category of call they're on. A "Category A" call, is where the patient is in immediate danger of death and the crew will respond accordingly. They would also drive more dominantly if they had a patient on board who was near death. It's a fine balance sometimes, and the decision is made by the crew - risk losing the patient or risk having an accident.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Im assuming the ambulance was approaching from their right? Hence she wouldnt have noticed it til she looked that direction to turn? Or have i misunderstood? no not misunderstood ,im at a TJCT car in front turns left and i turn right ,like people have said i heard the siren was thinking where is it when its directly in front of me ,so yes he had pulled over to the right past the traffic past the island in the road into my path

If you heard the siren and found that it wasn't behind you (by checking the mirrors) then it's logical to assume it's either on your left or right. You were at a junction and even if the junction is traffic light controlled it is still good practice to check both directions before commencing your manoeuvre. Even more so if you can hear sirens and don't know where they're coming from."

agree with everything about this. To proceed when you can hear sirens and kniw the vehicle is behind you is ridiculous poor judgement. It's a t-junction. It's not behind you. It can only be coming from 2 other directions. It's hardly rocket science to work out that by moving forward you are likely to be straight into it's path

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract

the junction i was at is one where you cant see whats round the corner ,so by the time i had heard the sirens it was too late so in that respect the ambulance driver should be more careful as he was jumping the lights at a junction where you cant see whats on your left ,going past a line of vehicles and a traffic isalnd narrows the road so it wasnt SAFE for him to do the manouvre

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"the junction i was at is one where you cant see whats round the corner ,so by the time i had heard the sirens it was too late so in that respect the ambulance driver should be more careful as he was jumping the lights at a junction where you cant see whats on your left ,going past a line of vehicles and a traffic isalnd narrows the road so it wasnt SAFE for him to do the manouvre "

Emergency service drivers are highly trained to drive in such situations, had they have been doing excessive speed in this situation then it would have been very dangerous but they obviously considered the risks and thought it was safe. Many drivers jump red lights, most don't have blue lights or sirens and aren't exempt so even on green, you have to still have your wits about you and look both ways as a car who jumps a red light won't make their presence known.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We treat all red lights as give ways and no car actually has to give way to an emergency vehicle it's just courtesy that they do

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I do think that emergency service vehicles have a hard time on the road when responding to emergency calls. My ex once pulled over (safely i might add) for an ambulance that was coming towards us (the ambulance was on the correct side of the road but needed a little bit more space to get by due to parked cars on there side), the car behind us clearly wasn't paying attention and decided to overtake us directly into the line of the oncoming ambulance. luckily an accident was avoided.

I guess it's a difficult one really, do they jump the red light and risk causing an accident or is the risk of causing an accident worth it to save someone's life?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

In this situation I would first try and find the emergency vehicle after hearing the siren.

Especially before pulling out of a junction

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"the junction i was at is one where you cant see whats round the corner ,so by the time i had heard the sirens it was too late so in that respect the ambulance driver should be more careful as he was jumping the lights at a junction where you cant see whats on your left ,going past a line of vehicles and a traffic isalnd narrows the road so it wasnt SAFE for him to do the manouvre "

So it's a blind junction then, your weren't clear in you initial post. surely that means you should have been even more vigilant before turning right. How is it that you didn't hear the siren in time yet it almost hit you? Those things are designed to be audible from considerable distance to give people plenty of warning that they're coming if you can't see the lights.

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *inaTitzTV/TS
over a year ago

Titz Towers, North Notts

Would an ice cream van fitted with a siren be ethical?

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *alandNitaCouple
over a year ago

Scunthorpe

It must always be the responsibility of the emergency driver to proceed safely. You can't assume that people will hear the siren, they could have their radio loud or even be deaf..

Whilst in Newcastle a few weeks ago, I witnessed the nearest of misses... An ambulance came across a junction at speed, through a red light. There was no way he could see what was coming. He was so close to hitting a bus, that he had to swerve whilst the bus driver slammed his brakes on. They were no more than a couple of inches from contact.... The bus driver's life must have flashed in front of his eyes

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Would an ice cream van fitted with a siren be ethical? "
only if it serves 999 flakes

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract


"It must always be the responsibility of the emergency driver to proceed safely. You can't assume that people will hear the siren, they could have their radio loud or even be deaf..

Whilst in Newcastle a few weeks ago, I witnessed the nearest of misses... An ambulance came across a junction at speed, through a red light. There was no way he could see what was coming. He was so close to hitting a bus, that he had to swerve whilst the bus driver slammed his brakes on. They were no more than a couple of inches from contact.... The bus driver's life must have flashed in front of his eyes "
exactly you he will have been coming at speed as was upon me before i saw him by the time i heard his siren it was too late to see him ,if i had stopped in the middle of the road anyone behind me could have run into the back of me ,as i turned the corner which i do every day coming home from work sometimes twice a day i not expect to see a bloody ambulance in my path ,i go thru several t jcts and most of then you can see clearly into the road you are joining except this one ,cos ffs sake if i go round the corner slowly some tossser behind will be blaring their horn at me

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire

its common sense that if you can hear the 2 tones but cant see the vehicle and your about to move into an area you cant see fully even if you have done so several times before then slow down..

they're called an audible warning device to audibly warn people..

not rocket science..

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *icked weaselCouple
over a year ago

Near Edinburgh..

[Removed by poster at 20/08/14 22:15:12]

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 

By *layfullsamMan
over a year ago

Solihull

on the other hand ive seen emergency vehicles with flashing lights and sirens in the outside lane of the motorway while mr or mrs magoo somehow fail to notice it sat on there arse wanting them to shift over

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
 
 

By *exycleaner OP   Woman
over a year ago

pontefract

yep everytime i post on here i get slated sometimes dont know why i bother ,i didnt have time to move out of his way as i didnt hear it until it was on top of me

Reply privatelyReply in forumReply +quote
Post new Message to Thread
back to top