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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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Vanillalime · 07/12/2025 21:19

You are 100% correct but I can imagine this feeling a bit intimidating. I’m sure the beep must have been another driver as surely an ambulance driver would know not to pressure you to drive through a red light?!

Hoppinggreen · 07/12/2025 21:19

You are not supposed to go through red lights for emergency vehicles, apart from it being dangerous you could get prosecuted for it

Sesma · 07/12/2025 21:19

you shouldn't cross a red light, you did right.

Soony · 07/12/2025 21:19

It's not your responsibility to do anything dangerous to allow an ambulance to pass. The drivers are trained to manoeuvre round traffic.
Drivers who panic and swerve are more likely to cause an accident.

sittingonabeach · 07/12/2025 21:18

@travailtotravel you don’t go through a red light

Treylime · 07/12/2025 21:18

YANBU. It would have been unsafe and illegal to drive through the red light. It probably wasn't the ambulance that beeped you, I hope not anyway

LaurieFairyCake · 07/12/2025 21:17

No, you’d have got fined and points. Ambulance in the wrong, same with police - no one can compel you to break the law to your detriment

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.

Goldpanther · 07/12/2025 21:16

Don't go through a red light for an emergency vehicle. They want to get where they are going safely and quickly. They don't want to have to deal with a collision if people drive through red lights.

You definitely did the right thing.

Talltreesbythelake · 07/12/2025 21:15

You did the right thing. The ambulance should not have beeped at you, as they don't have the authority to let you go through the red light.

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.