For not driving through red light with ambulance behind me

It's not always about the exact legal rights and wrongs of a situation. Sometimes, an entirely "innocent" driver tootling along doing nothing wrong can help to reduce the risk of an accident by taking simple actions that don't detriment them. Of course, no "legal" requirement for them to do that, but it's called being a decent human being, regardless of the legal rights and wrongs.

When I used to give advanced motorist training, I always told the drivers to always try to reduce risks, not just to themselves, but to others too, wherever possible and not to be too obsessed with the legal rights and wrongs of driving. That meant allowing more space at junctions/slip roads, moving over to lane 2 approaching slip roads, etc., if safe and possible to do so without inconveniencing others.

Why wouldn't any normal/decent human being do simple things to reduce risks to others. I just don't get all this "I was in the right" crap at all.

Wow, so patronising !
I have no moral problem with the law breaking aspect in this circumstance. Nor am I terrified of making a judgement call.
The problem is that I simply cannot afford the fine. HTH.

And I would pay it, yes.

The Highway Code does not contain a section saying 'If stationary at traffic lights, you may go forward on a red light to allow an emergency vehicle', because that's dangerous.

Those saying that the OP could have crept forward weren't there - it might not even have been safe to do so.

When I went on a red light course (naughty me) they specifically told us that going through a red light for an emergency vehicle is against the law!

Not the point of this thread I know, but this isn't the same situation at all. He pulled over to let the ambulance past, and by the time he set off again, the green light had gone red but he continued. He wasn't stationary and edging forward to let an ambulance past.

OP, the law is in your side, and ambulance crews shouldn't intimidate, although as others have mentioned it may have been the little beep the horn does when changing sirens?

I do maintain that while the law says you can't, and I know ambulance services will say " don't run a red light for us", I would interpret that as not across the whole junction. I am yet to see a single junction where the lights aren't set back far enough that edging forward half a cars length or so to allow access for an emergency vehicle would in any way compromise the safety of a junction or any other road users. Admittedly, we have very few red light cameras round here and I might be more careful if we did, but I would hope that if appealed it would be considered appropriate, but that might be because I work in a job where we have autonomy to go against procedures in emergencies if we can justify and demonstrate why we took those actions and that they were considered and risk assessed rather than a blind panic, so it's food for thought for me, for sure!

Also, why are so many people citing tickets for moving into bus lanes to let an ambulance past... Surely if the bus lane is empty it's far easier and safer to let the ambulance use it!

Would you get a fine for doing it if a camera caught you? Also yes.

This is so funny, I’m assuming it has to be a pisstake.

A man stomping onto the thread to castigate people for talking with absolute authority about things they assume to be the case without actually checking…

and then talking with absolute authority about something he assumes to be the case without actually checking…

and being wrong.

As the t shirt says: God grant me the confidence of a mediocre man.

This isn’t new information to me. I’m still happy with my choice.

@AmateurDad The official advice given and the fact it's illegal are for a reason - to stop what you seem to think is OK. Your criticism and advice is wrong. Maybe do some actual checking?

Yes you will be fined automatically but a simple explanation will cancel the fine

Unfortunately, not in my experience.

Not sure why you feel you 'hit a nerve'? I was responding to your comment to me. I can assure you I could care less if you decide to do something that incurs a fine and/or puts points on your license. If I see a poster posting something I disagree with (especially about something illegal) - or alternatively agree with - I'll be responding again at some point - that's kind of how MN works.

Anyway, why do you care? It doesn't affect you in the slightest. Or do you just like telling people off on the internet?

That doesn't come across to me as 'clarifying' your position, it felt a tad snarky and not in the same vein as my comment.

But that's fine, very happy to leave it there, although there wouldn't really be any need for it to 'spiral' anyway. We just have different POV.

You forgot ‘man here!’ 😊

It doesn’t though. You can’t go through a red light and an ambulance won’t ask you to, they are trained to switch the siren off and wait
and yes points matter to me as I have to declare them to my work which can then affect my job

@AmateurDad so are you saying the London Ambulance Service are wrong?

This is the problem when people start to talk with absolute authority about things they assume to be the case without actually checking.

The law absolutely DOES allow you to break a light if not doing so would hold up an ambulance answering an emergency call - just as one would hope and indeed expect to be the case.

In any event, I find it genuinely alarming to learn that Munsnetters choose to sit stubbornly at red lights blocking ambulances on their way to cardiac arrests rather than exercising a little bit of common sense and seeking even to edge forward and out of the way. I suppose a clean licence is more important than a life.

This is what London Ambulance Service says

https://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/about-us/what-we-do/advice-on-what-to-do-as-a-motorist-if-you-encounter-an-ambulance/

@MasterBeth so if a policeman was standing there saying don’t move you would still plough your way through because you can’t see a hazard ahead? So if an ambulance came up behind you without blues and twos on would you go through a red light as that could still be an emergency but they have turned them off to stop a motorist going through a red light

It's really hard but you were absolutely right. You shouldn't pull through a red light.

Emergency vehicles are supposed to tone down/turn off the lights and sirens at junctions like that so as to not intimidate people into making poor driving choices.

Obviously everyone wants ambulances to get their vulnerable passengers to the hospital as quickly as possible but if a separate accident is caused then that's not a win for anyone.

Indeed.

Exactly. This is the part so many refuse to fathom.

Can you read?

I have very clearly said “if it was safe for me to do so”.

So, obviously not in all circumstances.

And I think I would know better because I could use my eyes and ears and brain to determine whether it was safe or not because I would be there.

@MasterBeth why? Why do you think you know better than someone trained? Is that in all circumstances?

Yes. I know.

I would disobey the advice of the emergency services if it was safe for me to do so.

@MasterBeth but the emergency services tell you not to do it