Help. Went through red light to let police car through..

[Thingymajigii]

Two lanes of traffic waiting at a red light. Police car comes through the traffic, blue lights on, all cars parting behind me to let it through, gets to me and car next to me won't budge an inch so it was down to me to move out of the way and the only way was to go through the light. I did stop very shortly after going through in a safe place, not obstructing any other traffic.
I think the lights had a camera on it.
I don't have any cameras on my car so I cannot prove that I was letting a police car through.
Any advice or previous experience with this one?

"Unless directed by a uniformed police officer, you may not pass a red traffic light to allow an emergency vehicle to pass."

https://www.driving.co.uk/car-clinic/driving-advice-dealing-emergency-vehicle-avoiding-penalty-fines/

The coppers in the car were uniformed and one of them gave you a clear gesture pointing you forward, right?

I’d have done the same OP, as I’m sure many would.

If they had sirens on and were moving forward I’d say they were directing you to move and I’d certainly appeal any points / fine that came your way on those basis.

I was given a ticket for moving into lane to get out of the way of an ambulance. You can even see it in the photo! I contested the ticket and they cancelled it.

Yep this happened to me in a bus lane as I moved over for an ambulance. I appealed it and it was fine

DH had this a few years ago, same situation but letting an ambulance with blue light and siren on go through.
He was landed with a hefty fine, and when he tried to explain the situation, was told by police that nowhere in the highway code does it say you can ever go through a red light.

So that's all OK then & Op has nothing to worry about as she was directed to go through the red light by a police officer?

Unfortunately I think this is exactly right

Happened to my oh, over the white line for an ambulance but still enough space to be no hindrance to other traffic, he got a £100 fine.

Could have contested it and gone to court but he was advised that the fact remained that he went over the white line at a red light so would have been unlikely to win it.

DH spent a long time at the wheel of a vehicle with blue lights on the top. I'm not going to do the Mumsnet thing of going to ask him just so I can post "I asked my DH and he said..." because I already know the answer.

If a police car driver on a call wants you to get the fuck out of their way, you do as you are told.

@slightlydistrac op doesn’t say anyone was directing her to move?!

it is clear that you must follow the road signs and Highway Code ie don’t go through a red light.

sorry op, emergency vehicles can go round cars or drive on the other side of the road to get away from cars. Otherwise they expect us to get out of the way, if we can, but they don’t want us going through red lights (even though I appreciate you were trying to do the right thing)

you may get a ticket, you can appeal but I suspect you may have to pay.

The polis shouldnt have the siren on if behind you at a red light. Dont go through, simple as that.

Hopefully you’ll be ok but the police car should have held back. They are trained not to pressure people at lights and even hold back with lights/sirens off until it goes green. It stops people panicking and going through red into oncoming traffic.

I suppose the problem is that you could cause an accident by going through the red light and that would be on you so it's right that you must not do it.

Please do ask him as a lot of the replies here suggest otherwise!

As it says “…take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs…” I guess it hangs on whether traffic lights are a sign. As there is no other mention of lights I would assume they are. Because if you did drive through the red light and hit a car coming the other way I am sure your insurer would hold you 100% at fault!

I have done similar. In my case I was forced to drive onto and remain on the yellow hatching at a junction in order to make space for an ambulance. I didn't get a ticket and am sure I would have done otherwise. I'm sure you won't and if you do can appeal.

take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs.

Then your DH is incorrect, which is somewhat worrying!

You don't. Not unless you want to risk a fine.

If you get a ticket then 100 percent make a complaint to the police. An emergency vehicle on blues should never make you feel pressured to go through a red light. The police driver would actually fail a training course for that.

Oh I agree, if they get out and tell you to move, you should move. Because then they will have checked that the road is clear, and any collision that subsequently results will be down to them. But as they shouldn’t have their lights on in stationary traffic if the light is red then theres no automatic ‘get out of the way’ rule in the Highway Code. And indeed, if you have an accident as a result of driving through a red light you’ll be at fault. Personally, regardless of fault, I’m not risking a potentially serious injury from a collision after ignoring a red light. But, you do you as they say.

I did what you aren't supposed to do and asked my husband who has done a lot of blue light driving (but not as a police officer). He said the police car was at fault as they absolutely shouldn't be pressuring you with sirens if you'd stopped at a red light, however you are technically at fault for going through the red light.
Hopefully if you are fined, the photo will have taken a picture of the police car too so you can appeal the fine/ points.

I've done this before when an ambulance was behind me, there was definitely a camera on the traffic light, I never heard anything x

Agreed

Rubbish