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AIBU?

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Original poster

For not driving through red light with ambulance behind me

311 replies

User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:13

Stuck at red lights in 3 lanes of traffic. I was in right hand lane to turn right, at the front of white line and railings to my right so couldn't pull to the side. Middle lane for straight on. Left hand lane (towards hospital) is always allowed to filter through first via green light to the left, then after a while, the forward and right turn green lights come on. Ambulance comes up my lane whilst red traffic lights on. Blue lights and sirens on, all while the ambulance is indicating left (I am the only car in this lane, other lanes have several cars in). Ambulance leaves sirens on, and even beeps while lights are on red ( though i am not 100% sure this was the ambulance, but don't know who else it would have been?). From what I have read, you should not cross during a red light even for an emergency vehicle, I would have been entering a box junction? Was I BU to not cross the red light? And I think the Ambulance would have been quicker going in the left lane which filtered through first? Very confused. TIA

OP posts:
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6
PeonyBulb · 07/12/2025 21:50

That’s interesting

I always thought you had to pull out of the way no matter what

I’ve always worried about getting a ticket and points if I’m at a red light 🚦 and driving through it to let an ambulance pass

Talltreesbythelake · 07/12/2025 21:50

MasterBeth · 07/12/2025 21:48

Yes.

And letting an ambulance through.

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And maybe involved in a smash as a vehicle that has no idea about the ambulance comes through their green light at the usual speed and finds a car in the junction?

MasterBeth · 07/12/2025 21:48

User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:46

But you would still be going through a red light?

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Yes.

And letting an ambulance through.

ImthatBoleyngirl · 07/12/2025 21:47

travailtotravel · 07/12/2025 21:16

Omg you pull forward enough to let them through .... everyone can see the ambulance and gets pit of its/your way in letting it pass. When the blue lights are on get out of the way.

No you don't. The ambulance is supposed to turn off it's lights and wait. Or find an alternative route, on the other side of the road for e.g. They are trained for emergency driving, OP is not, and could get fined or in an accident.

Original poster
User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:46

MasterBeth · 07/12/2025 21:45

This is nonsense.

If you are at a red light in three lanes of traffic as described, there is almost definitely room to pull in front of the car to your left without putting anyone in danger.

It may be dangerous, in which case, don't do it. But there will definitely be circumstances where it is not.

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But you would still be going through a red light?

OP posts:
Dymaxion · 07/12/2025 21:46

I would probably accept the fine if it meant someone got a fighting chance of living and it didn't put anyone else in danger.

See so many people speed through red lights without any need to though so can understand your reticence.

Snakehips47 · 07/12/2025 21:45

I have seen them go the other side of bollards into on coming traffic to turn right & back across to go left.

MasterBeth · 07/12/2025 21:45

MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly · 07/12/2025 21:26

If you are at the front of the queue then there’s nowhere to go - it’s illegal and dangerous to go though a red light, even if an ambulance is behind. There could be multiple deaths caused by going through a red so don’t make the OP feel guilty for doing the correct thing.

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This is nonsense.

If you are at a red light in three lanes of traffic as described, there is almost definitely room to pull in front of the car to your left without putting anyone in danger.

It may be dangerous, in which case, don't do it. But there will definitely be circumstances where it is not.

Dollymylove · 07/12/2025 21:44

rwalker · 07/12/2025 21:21

There’s no need to to go all the way through you creep forward the bare minimum and manoeuvre so it can get past

fingers crossed it wasn’t someone in cardiac arrest arrest who ended up dying or brain damaged because you were pissing about at the lights
every single second counts

You must only move for an emergency vehicle if safe to do so. If not safe to do so it could cause another accident needing emergency help

Its not the fault of the driver in front if the patient deteriorates in transit

HangryBrickShark · 07/12/2025 21:43

Catcatcat111 · 07/12/2025 21:14

I thought ambulances weren’t allowed to drive up to red lights with lights and sirens for this very reason- if you’d have crossed the lights you could have caused an accident. I don’t think you were unreasonable.

We had someone who was a paramedic on here earlier this year say "if you have any questions about being a paramedic ask me" and that was the question I asked him as I was stopped at a pedestrian crossing although the people waiting to cross could see the situation and I signalled them to stop with my hands and not cross, before moving my car across the red light so the ambulance that only had lights and no sirens on could get past.

The paramedic on Mumsnet said I was in the wrong when I asked this very question about should i have moved out of the way. In all the years I've been driving (38yrs) I had never had this happen to me or to anyone i knew never knew so I genuinely didn't know the answer and i guess i did panic a bit. Luckily there was no camera on the pedestrian crossing so i didn't get a ticket.

Its one of those things you can go your whole driving life through and never have that happen to you.

herbalteabag · 07/12/2025 21:43

People have got fines for moving into the wrong places for ambulances so you correctly didn't go through the light.

Original poster
User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:40

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 07/12/2025 21:32

I'm a blue light trained driver.

Our siren system works off the horn, so they could have beeped the horn to change the siren tone, or double beeped to cancel the siren.
Sometimes a double beep doesn't register properly and you end up accidentally beeping at people.

They shouldn't have been beeping you to get through a red light but as others have said sometimes in a dire emergency it is so frustrating (but totally understandable!) when people don't move over, budge to the side, see us earlier on etc, and it feels as though they are just sitting there while you're watching valuable seconds tick past...!

Don't worry about it, you can't change anything now.

Thank you, I am generally very aware of ambulances because I drive that stretch of road often and its direct to the hospital and I'm constantly checking for blue lights and moving in good time. This time was unavoidable and I felt pretty awful after because I had done everything that I've been told to do by ambulance staff themselves! To not cross red. There was no where for me to go.

OP posts:
Hiptothisjive · 07/12/2025 21:39

Joeninety · 07/12/2025 21:23

Exactly. But don't forget this is 'modern' UK now. Common sense is out of the window ?!

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Completely agree. The ambulance may have also been beeping thr car in the middle lane to live over and make room for- it isn’t all about you OP it’s about the ambulance finding a way through to potentially save a life.

And just for reference you can hear and see an ambulance with light and sirens on from a way off so maybe you shoukd have prepared to move over before they were on you?

Dymaxion · 07/12/2025 21:37

In that situation, I can understand maneuvering your car to allow them to pass without putting anyone else in danger, so moving forward slowly and to the side if possible, usually if they are full on lights and sirens, most people at lights would be hesitant to move forward until they have passed by ?

Christmas2025 · 07/12/2025 21:37

I won't do it any more either OP. I used to, if safe, just get out of the way enough to let them through not go straight across. But in a world with cameras everywhere I'm not doing it. The monitoring people (police?) don't let you off if you drove through a red light for an emergency vehicle. They'll still fine you and put points on your license if a camera catches you doing it. So now I sit there until the lights turn green.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 07/12/2025 21:35

There is a European country (Denmark?) where as default, when there is heavy traffic the lanes keep to the sides creating a third 'lane' in the middle for emergency crews. Whenever traffic builds up everyone just shoves over. No one cuts down the middle.

It was excellent, such a good civic system.
I immediately thought it just wouldn't work in Britain, there are too many shits who would just push down the middle.

WellINeverYesYouDid · 07/12/2025 21:33

BadgernTheGarden · 07/12/2025 21:24

Do you know anyone who has?

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There was a thread on here not so long back by a poster who had been fined for going through a red light for an ambulance. IIRC she appealed it but it was upheld.

@User34445566677 You did the right thing. My step-dad was an EMT for 25 years in both a major city & a rural area & was always very clear that as professionals they are trained to get round vehicles & that people who try & manoeuvre out of the way often cause more hindrance than help. Ambulances are not supposed to have sirens on at lights & they certainly should never beep at other drivers to encourage them to break the law. He tells two stories of tricky manoeuvres in his career that he made to get two critically ill babies to hospital but has always been clear that he never broke the law or intimidated other drivers & never lost a patient due to traffic issues.

Yourlifeinyourhands · 07/12/2025 21:33

travailtotravel · 07/12/2025 21:16

Omg you pull forward enough to let them through .... everyone can see the ambulance and gets pit of its/your way in letting it pass. When the blue lights are on get out of the way.

No you don’t!

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 07/12/2025 21:32

I'm a blue light trained driver.

Our siren system works off the horn, so they could have beeped the horn to change the siren tone, or double beeped to cancel the siren.
Sometimes a double beep doesn't register properly and you end up accidentally beeping at people.

They shouldn't have been beeping you to get through a red light but as others have said sometimes in a dire emergency it is so frustrating (but totally understandable!) when people don't move over, budge to the side, see us earlier on etc, and it feels as though they are just sitting there while you're watching valuable seconds tick past...!

Don't worry about it, you can't change anything now.

NutButterOnToast · 07/12/2025 21:30

You did the right thing.

They shouldn't be beeping at you though to change the siren they beep the horn, which is what you might have heard.

Cars in the middle should have squeezed to one side enough to get them through.

There's enough room in 3 lanes of traffic to get an ambulance through. I was in a v similar situ the other day, the left most lane squeezed up against the barrier and the two lanes to the right jiggled around so the ambulance could slalom through.

HoppityBun · 07/12/2025 21:30

travailtotravel · 07/12/2025 21:16

Omg you pull forward enough to let them through .... everyone can see the ambulance and gets pit of its/your way in letting it pass. When the blue lights are on get out of the way.

Absolutely not. If you get caught by cameras you’ll have to pay the fine

Hoppinggreen · 07/12/2025 21:29

Notmyreality · 07/12/2025 21:26

But but.. the law!
MNetters are increased with the letter of the law especially when it comes to driving and incapable or rather terrified of making a personal judgement call.

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the roads would be a LOT safer if drivers stuck to the letter of the law than making personal judgement calls

Original poster
User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:29

rwalker · 07/12/2025 21:21

There’s no need to to go all the way through you creep forward the bare minimum and manoeuvre so it can get past

fingers crossed it wasn’t someone in cardiac arrest arrest who ended up dying or brain damaged because you were pissing about at the lights
every single second counts

Wow what an unfair comment! I'm a nurse I understand every minute counts, if I had moved forward enough I would have been right in the middle of a box junction with multiple lanes of traffic in multiple directions. I have had it drilled into me to never cross a red for an emergency vehicle.

OP posts: