to have thought he was an entitled wanker and ask what you do? (driving)

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I was on a roundabout when a police car, siren and lights going, came along. The roundabout is wide enough for two cars side by side, but the exits are single-lane traffic with an arrow to tell you to move over from the right lane almost immediately. So, I pulled to the left side of the roundabout against the kerb and braked so the police car could get past without me being in the way. The bloke behind me honked and shook his head at me - I assume for braking or stopping on the roundabout?

It seemed like the practical thing to do but clearly he'd have kept going and expected the police car to move around him. I think he was a wanker, but what do you do in this situation? Would you always stop and pull in to the side or would you sometimes just keep going and try to get out of the way of a junction?

I would pull to the side too so YANBU!

i would let off emergency traffic obviously but you stopped on a roundabout the last place a driver would expect the car in front to do. he prob got a fright with a near fender bender and took it out on you. you have to use your head and remember safety at the same time of everyone else while letting off emergency traffic.

As long as you had signalled you were going to pull over then I think you were right -- he must have heard the police siren, he should have been expecting other cars to pull over and to pull over himself too.

I would always pull in when I see an emergency vehicle, unless the lane beside me is completely clear. To be honest getting out of the way is always a good idea, even if you dont actually need to so he was rude to honk at you and clearly thinks his journey is more important than the police car's.

Its difficult to say whether in this circumstance you were BU as its difficult to picture, was the police car going to the same exit as you? The car behind might have felt you would have been better off getting off the roundabout asap. I say probably YANBU.

scuzy - yes, that is what I am feeling guilty about! I think I did get it wrong too.

I did signal, but I think that's no help as I could have been signalling to turn off the roundabout anyway.

I was actually wondering if anyone has driven emergency vehicles and can say what is most helpful? I would really like to know.

well - yes, the police car was going off the same exit I was aiming at.

I see your point that maybe it'd have been better to just get off the roundabout.

When I did first aid training with St Johns, they said that the best thing to do in the vast majority of driving situations is to signal and stop out of the way of the ambulance.

I think you did the right thing.

Don't worry about the other guy, he was probably already in a bad mood about something completly different.

I think you were in the wrong, as you are supposed to stop where it is safe to do so, and I would say on a roundabout is unsafe,proceeding until you are off the roundabout and then pulling over would be best. I'd say that's why you were honked at, but he was bloody rude, at least you pulled over which is more than a lot seem to!

I would have exited the roundabout and then pulled over because I wouldn't be sure if the driver behind read my signal as me turning off instead of pulling over for the police car

Or I would have put my hazard lights on instead

Hmmm, tricky one. I hope someone comes and says what thr e right thing would be

Thanks, that's really helpful! I'm not really worried about the other guy, I was just irritated when it happened. It's good to know what the people driving emergency cars think, though, as they're the ones whose reactions I do really mind about.

Sorry, my last was to freddos.

cuntflat - yeah, that's what I wondered about, but then I couldn't pull over when I got off the roundabout as it is single lane, so I thought maybe it was the lesser of two evils?

I should have put on my hazard lights. I'm kicking myself now - of course, that would have been better. Oops.

There's no guarantee the other driver heard the police car.
On the A12, when there's an ambulance or police car trying to get through, there's usually at least one pillock motorist who has their music so flipping loud, they're oblivious.

There are a minority of people who are blind to emergency vehicles! They dont seem to feel, unlike the rest of us, that they should stop or give way to them.

Just the other week I was driving up the road, there was a van coming down, then an ambulance with lights flashing.
The van pulled in as far as he could- there were railings on his side of road, I indicated and pulled in as did most of the cars behind me. Bar one, who decides to overtake me, shaking head, then seemed astonished to be met by flashing lights and two tone siren in the middle of the road.

I actually don't know what your meant to do legally because I failed my first driving
Test for doing that on a roundabout

Well, as far as hearing goes, I think it's legal to drive if you're deaf? I can't actually hear sirens myself if they're from the wrong angle as I don't have complete hearing in both ears. But I do get out of the way fast when I see the lights and hear the sirens!

rat - oh, that's scary! You must have been fuming but the drivers must have had to break really sharp.

I would have taken my exit then pulled over, as soon as it was safe.

Can't picture the road layout but think you were right to just get out of the way. The driver behind you was driving without due care and attention if he didn't notice the police car and didn't himself immediately pull over. (and if he couldn't stop he was too fast/ too close)

I was driving a little while ago and an ambulance came hurtling up behind me. Pulled over, as did the people all around me, except one burk who overtook me. You feel like chasing them and saying what did you think everyone else was doing?

But if the road narrows into one lane after the roundabout exit but was two lanes wide ON the roundabout, then surely it's commonsense to signal, slow down, pull over (and quite often you don't need to actually STOP to let them get ahead) to the inside lane and let the emergency vehicle past as soon as possible, especially as you know that it's going to be a lot more difficult once you've exited the roundabout.

It's hard to say without knowing the road, but in general I would say stopping on a roundabout isn't safe and you should only pull over when it is safe to do so.

I have a feeling you are not supposed to stop on roundabouts but has been a very long time since I looked at the highway code, and even then I thought of it as a guide to etiquette - anyone learned to drive in more recent times?

ala - well, there is nowhere you can pull over for a couple of miles, but then I suppose the police car could have overtaken me on the wrong side of the road if people coming the other way stopped for him, and maybe that would have been safer. Again, I would really like to know what people who drive these cars would prefer? I guess I'm thinking like an ordinary driver and thinking that's a road where you can't overtake for a long way, but that might not be valid.

Was he elderly? My fil now seems to not hear sirens. I've been driving with him a twice when he has told me to overtake slowing traffic in front, I've assumed from him not hearing the siren. He doesn't have a hearing problem any other time just seems to tune out sirens.

ala - oh, I know the highway code says you never stop on a roundabout. I just don't know if a police car overrides that. I mean, I know you never drive in a bus lane, but if a police car comes up you can pull over into it. Is it like that, or not?

Sorry, I'm sure I should know this.

We were in a car crash when we stopped for an ambulance on an emergency callout to pass. The woman behind us didn't stop and ran into the back of us.

She told the police (who were called by the ambulance crew) that it was our fault for stopping so suddenly for the emergency vehicle. The policeman pointed out to her that she should keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front for just this type of scenario and therefore it was entirely her fault.

So you were right to do what you did, the bloke behind was being a nob!

oh no I did mean for emergency vehicles, does the highway code say? I have no idea and seems like something we should all know!