I’ve never know the definitive answer to this question:
If I’m sat at a red light and an emergency vehicle is needing to come through, if i move forward and get flashed by a camera will I get a fine etc?
I’ve seen on another forum ppl say that they’ve moved and still got a fine etc. regardless. I’ve also seen ppl say that they won’t move until the lights are green. I moved once in my car and there was a camera, never heard anything but I don’t think it flashed me anyway…
I asked the question to one of the driver examiners at my place of work this week. His reply was that if I move and get flashed the camera would have also seen the emergency vehicle. He also said that I should set off the SmartDrive dash cam for further evidence. This is just his opinion.
I know for a fact that in the above situation the emergency vehicle should turn its two-tones off so no one is forced in a position to cross the white line at the traffic lights. If traffic is stopped on a red light, then the emergency vehicle could offer it self in the middle of the road to encourage the opposite carriageway to halt then carefully go through the traffic lights on the wrong side of the road.(with two tones of course)
I have done a blue light course, and it was in something a little faster than a Green Goddess
Although this doesn’t answer the OPs question fully.
On our blue light training we was always logged when we were on a run as we also used to get flashed by speed cameras, but we never questioned what happened after. So in my opinion if you we’re to cross a line and get flashed then the date/time/etc would be logged somewhere to validate any claim.
I read a story in the national press a bit since where some bloke had been given a ticket for jumping a red light. He’d argued that he’d moved out of the way to allow emergency servises through. He appealed but was unsuccessful, it made tv news as well. He’d asked for the pictures and it clearly showed ambulance leaving at speed at the edge of the frame.
Lesson learnt from me I remember thinking.
Do not go through unless directed to do so by a Police officer, as doing so is illegal and you will get a ticket if you set off the camera. Emergency vehicles are trained to deal with this situation and it is up to them as to how they get through traffic.
It IS still an offense to go through a red light, the problem now is cameras, if it was a copper that saw you move over the white line and to 1 side to allow an emergency vehicle through - as long as you didn’t endanger anyone - you’d be fine, but with a camera, you’ve broken the law, you will get done.
I’ve heard most appeals actually succeed in this instance, but you only need a jobsworth and you have still broken the law, so can get done.
