I didn’t know St Johns’ Ambulance used blue lights on the road. Why are they in such a rush, taking Doris to get her bunions sorted or rushing to staff a church fete?
Wardaddy:
I didn’t know St Johns’ Ambulance used blue lights on the road. Why are they in such a rush, taking Doris to get her bunions sorted or rushing to staff a church fete?
A St Johns ambulance blue lighted me to Camarthen general when I punctured a lung ( and several other injuries). Not that I cared as I was attempting to get my brand new Alpinestar leathers off before the docs took their scissors to them!
Wardaddy:
I didn’t know St Johns’ Ambulance used blue lights on the road. Why are they in such a rush, taking Doris to get her bunions sorted or rushing to staff a church fete?
What a ■■■■
Not a lot you can really do at a red light in an artic.
One thing you do see is people driving up kerbs/onto grass verges etc to to let blue light vehicles through. I personally don’t do this - know and me I’d get stuck or bowl someone over on the pavement, so I stay on the carriageway. I have been given the “WTF?” hand gestures by police for doing this whilst moving as far as possible to the left - what else are you meant to do? 
I also frequently see police cars in heavy traffic with the lights and horn blaring even though it’s obvious no one can go anywhere - far from switching them off to stop people panicking.
Stagedriver what vehicle do you drive?
By the way St John do transport people to A&E with serious trauma injuries from public events such as motocross and horse races etc etc for which they provide first aid cover - a fair proportion of their volunteers are doctors, paramedics and experienced A&E nurses.
In fact for major events like the London Marathon they will have hundreds of volunteers on duty with command vehicles, radio network and extensive first aid facilities set up. They also had a team go down in the tunnels to the casualties on 7/7. Hardly bunions is it?
AlltypeArocs:
Im sure this has popped up before, but, if you are sitting first in the queue at a red traffic light and have an emergency vehicle approaching from behind, ( with blues and twos ), what should you do? Will the courts etc really lift any penalty given if you end up having your photo taken for jumping it ?But then, to sit and wait is blocking an emergency vehicle. Again illegal.
Opinions folks
If you but stand up for yourself - the “civil” charge of “driving in a bus lane” or “running a red light” cannot stand up in court.
A robot sends the fine out - there are plenty of people who get it dropped the moment they “appeal” such a fine.
Use best judgement - common sense. 
Terry T:
merc0447:
What about when you pull in to let a ambulance/fire engine go by then nobody lets you back onto the road talk about bad cricketWorse than that, I saw a car a few months ago tailgating an ambulance as it blasted past everyone down the middle of the road
That old excuse “My wife is in the passenger seat having a baby” was always the reason that a police car or ambulance would “■■■■■■” said vehicle - by front-running through the red lights, sirens ablaze…
The days of “Roadside Delivery” by ambulance crews or police patrol car occupants? - Are they over? 
bazza123:
Stagedriver what vehicle do you drive?
I work for the NBTS (National Blood Transfusion Service).
Wardaddy:
I didn’t know St Johns’ Ambulance used blue lights on the road. Why are they in such a rush, taking Doris to get her bunions sorted or rushing to staff a church fete?
Our local NHS trust contract to the likes of St. John’s to provide 999 cover when their own crew are short staffed.
stagedriver:
bazza123:
Stagedriver what vehicle do you drive?I work for the NBTS (National Blood Transfusion Service).
Ok good for you 
Wasn’t there a story about a bloke carrying organs or blood getting a speeding ticket even tho he was on blue lights?
29 posts, over 1400 views reference what to do when an emergency vehicle comes up behind you on a red light.
This is a Professional drivers forum right?
Am I missing something?
waynedl:
if there’s a camera that I’m likely to trigger, then it’s going to have to wait.
WHY 
ROG:
waynedl:
if there’s a camera that I’m likely to trigger, then it’s going to have to wait.WHY
That’s what the emergency services say you should do…
bazza123:
stagedriver:
bazza123:
Stagedriver what vehicle do you drive?I work for the NBTS (National Blood Transfusion Service).
Ok good for you
Wasn’t there a story about a bloke carrying organs or blood getting a speeding ticket even tho he was on blue lights?
That one? More technicalitys than anything else
In all my months of driving I can only think of 2 occasions ive felt like I had to do something at traffic lights to help an emergency vehicle out. Whether ive done the right thing or not is another matter.
This is probably more down to the skill of the drivers navigating traffic hot spots than anything else.
I will if its safe to do so (again using my own judgement) totally ignore all the rules of the road to assist them, this can be just moving a few feet to actually going across a red light.
In this day and age where health and safety ties everyone up in knots theres a greater chance what I have done will help rather than hinder, yes theres a risk I make things worse but on both occasions I believe I saved the emergency vehicle a few seconds, even if it was a dinner going cold emergency.
In a no good deed goes unpunished stylee the risk of a fine is possible but when all traffic around you is stopped and blue lights are dazziling your mirrors I would have felt a bit of a lemon just sitting their.
What should happen is one thing what actually happens is another.
But like I said only 2 instances spring to mind, 1 I only pulled half way over the stopline to create space without blocking the junction, the other I went for it and pulled over after the lights on the other side.
Correction: There was one other occasion I crossed a red light with the rozzers up me chuff but it doesnt count as they where chasing me and I was only 15 at the time.
Ive been driving on blues for 23 years and we have a fantastic set of instructors who give great advice so I’ll quote them and tell you a couple of common issues that car drivers cause that I wish would change. I hope it is of use.
We are told that though we have exemptions from certain laws EVERY time we use one it must pass the test of being capable of being scrutinised as safe retrospectively. The rule of not making anyone change course, direction or speed still applies. Blues and twos are requesting that the other driver pull over when safe to do so. The blue light driver expects to do the negotiating and is looking for a positive reaction from other drivers before making the pass. Re red lights; blues and twos allow us to treat them as a give way and pass if safe to do so. I don’t think any driver who waits for green would be criticised by an emergency vehicle crew but nor do I believe that anyone who moved out of the way for an emergency vehicle would be prosecuted. Remember that there would be two consecutive camera pics, the first showing the blue light vehicle.
The two faults I would want to correct are first, those cars who pull out of a side street and immediately pull over (just stay in the side street) which I think may be a human response to the need to actively do something rather than sit still. The other is the tendency to slow down directly opposite an oncoming vehicle and create a bottleneck. Truck drivers create very few issues so in general keep doing what you do.
m1cks:
Our local NHS trust contract to the likes of St. John’s to provide 999 cover when their own crew are short staffed.
That’s a new one on me, all the St Johns vehicles here are the ones you see at village shows and granny buses.
What’s with these “private ambulances” fitted with blues? I thought a private ambulance was just a posh name for an undertakers van, however there was an accident around (I think) Oxford a few years ago where some woman used a “private” ambulance on blues and crashed. Turned out it was nothing more than a training companies’ vehicle and she had no blue light training. Had the book thrown at her apparently, as a passing police car thought her driving and the vehicle looked rather dodgy. That made the national news.
monster4282:
The other is the tendency to slow down directly opposite an oncoming vehicle and create a bottleneck.
I too drive emergency vehicles and it is incredible how often this happens, very frustrating, far better for them to keep rolling at normal speed, and keep as much to the kerbside as possible.
Wardaddy:
m1cks:
Our local NHS trust contract to the likes of St. John’s to provide 999 cover when their own crew are short staffed.That’s a new one on me, all the St Johns vehicles here are the ones you see at village shows and granny buses.
What’s with these “private ambulances” fitted with blues?
One thing that always amazes me is how cars going in opposite directions manage to stop opposite each other when allowing an emergency vehicle through. If they’d have only kept moving the emergency vehicle wouldn’t have to squeeze through or even stop. [emoji53]