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 like to drive an emergency response vehicle. Not to an actual emergency though, I wouldn't like that at all.

what about at a crossroads, crossing a gruesome dual carriageway (but not a national speed limit one) for example vicar? I would have taken same view as roundabout, not to stop in there but to get across or turn first

it's bad how few of us knew whether or not it would be ok to stop on the roundabout

If you watch this you´ll see how stopping on the roundabout causes a problem.

Thanks, vicar, this has been really helpful. I think another time, I'd still stop, but I'd try to make it more obvious what I was doing.

its hard to answer specifics about specific roads without seeing them - and it obviously all depends on the time of day, flow of traffic, and above all safety.

if you cant stop safely then dont - but stop as soon as you feel you can. As long as there is a gap i can get through and i know you have seen me i will negotiate you - if you stop i can do that, if you keep going i cant.

but once again and i reiterate this - only stop where its safe. if you dont feel its safe then dont stop until it is.

right chums - am off to work now! listen out for me!

ok thanks vicar, will keep it all in mind and never crawl along indicating as IF am going to stop but without actually stopping (thinking this means 'ok, overtake me')

Thanks again vicar - hope your shift goes well!

and thanks LRD for starting the thread, it's important to know these things

glad you were right all along

Thanks!

Not sure I did it perfectly but I'm glad to know what I was meant to be doing.

I would have said it probably wasn't safe to stop on the roundabout because it would be virtually impossible to signal unequivocally to other road users that that was what you are doing -- brake lights and indicator could just mean you were turning off. Possibly the best thing would have been to carry on round the roundabout, not taking the exit you wanted, and then take that exit when you got back round? But it depends on the roundabout.

I'm with Vicar here. I drive an ambulance and would say the important thing to do is to indicate and stop when it's safe to do so. Don't just slow down as we're not mind readers and don't know what you're going to do next. If you stop then we will find a way round you although make sure it's not level with another car on the other side as the gap may be too small and the incredible shrinking ambulance has not yet been invented.

Sounds like you cut across him and stopped unsafely, don't see how that makes him an entitled wanker

Thanks NCIS.

mayor - I think cutting across usually means moving in front of someone from the side? I just slowed down and tucked in to the left, but he was behind me all the way.

I hope it wasn't unsafe.

I thought he was entitled because I thought he was angry with me for stopping for a police car. Police cars with sirens are trying to tell you they are going somewhere important, and that's why you slow down or get out of their way.

Ah right, thought from your description of the two lane roUndabout you'd pulled across to leave room for the ambulance and into the left lane from the right.

Well vicar, you've thoroughly confused me.
I had two policemen tell me about 12mths ago & I quote "don't ever, ever stop on a roundabout, it's very dangerous".
So in this case, I think the OP is in the wrong, I don't think people expect others to stop on a roundabout & I guess that's why the other driver reacted the way he did.
Drives me nuts at the 6th form college when turning right on the roundabout to be suddenly confronted with 2 cars stopped on the roundabout to let 18yr olds cross the road

mayor - yes, I moved from the inside to the outside lane, but he'd moved too, behind me - we were both moving over to take the same exit.

I can see it is confusing because as people have said, indicators and brakes don't help as you'd be showing those anyway.

I think another time I'll take the very sensible advice of going further on the roundabout to an exit I'd not meant to take, as that sounds the safest.

I can understand why the other driver got annoyed then. If you have a car behind you on a roundabout then its not going to be safe to stop.

Where did you think the other car was?

But yes, I do see what you're saying. I felt worried about it and I think I'm being overly harsh to him.

blow the wankers a kiss - they do like it :)

Tempting!

I don't think you did anything particularly wrong, LRD. I would have got off the roundabout before stopping, myself, but I reckon the other driver just wasn't as alert as you and didn't know the emergency vehicle was coming.

One thing I would say is don't ever go through a red light to let an emergency vehicle through - i.e. if you're at the front of a queue at the lights with a police car behind you.

novack

that video made copelling viewing though i don't think it quite made the point you're making - it showed a van getting in the way, but by stopping across an exit. the cars/lorry that stopped before there was space to get through were more of a problem....

the worst piece of driving on that one, was the guy in the whte car who braked sharply after passing a traffic island, forcing the emergency vehicle to swerve. (and the white van man, who overtook a car that had pulled over : tool)

to my mind it still showed the need to use judgement rather than have a set rule.

I regularly stop on one particular round about, as do most people. It's on the way into the town centre, one exit goes to ASDA and the other to the football ground.

The queue of traffic into town backs up tot he roundabout, but people coming out of ASDA can turn right if you stop.

Some people are dicks with emergency vehicles. I've pulled in and had people try to overtake.

Slightly off topic but everyone who has crossed a mumsnetter seems to be getting called "entitled" these days. It's getting old. This guy wasn't being "entitled", he was reacting to what he thought was bad driving.

This, from West Sussex County Council - and if you're still not sure, lots of police forces have videos on Youtube about what to do if you hear a siren...

"When an emergency vehicle approaches, do not panic. Try to consider the route of the emergency vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but do not endanger other road users."