Or was I driving like an idiot? (Diagrams included)

[Bridgeofpies]

Right, so fully expecting to be flamed and told I was driving like an idiot but something happened a couple of days ago which shook me up and I’m keen to get others perspectives on if I was an idiot and, if so, what I should have done.

Sorry it’s a bit long winded!

So here’s the scene: Rural fast road, single carriageway in each direction with no verges or hard shoulder of any kind. Traffic is heavy enough to be a continuous stream on both sides of the road but light enough that everyone is travelling at 50-60mph with decent gaps.

I was driving along with 2 small DC in the car. An ambulance appeared in the rear view - blue lights, sirens etc. There was nowhere to pull in and my car is a 7 seater so with oncoming traffic coming around the corner ahead it would be hard / dangerous for ambulance to get past. So I drove along for a few seconds with the ambulance behind me. Then, the road widened as we approached a right hand turn with a space in the middle of the road for those turning right and there was a gap in the oncoming traffic (we were past the corner and could actually see) so I pulled in as close as I could and slowed to allow the ambulance to overtake. The oncoming traffic also hung back. I think this was all ok. I allowed the ambulance to pass me as soon as it was safe to do so, a matter of maybe 5 seconds with them behind me.

Once the ambulance had passed me I sped up again and continued on my way. The ambulance was quicker than me so was swiftly a good distance ahead - probably about 50m which is where the car in front was.

Now, the car in front was looking for somewhere to allow the ambulance to pass. There was a little driveway on the left which led to a farm gate and this car pulled into that to let the ambulance past. So far, so good. BUT he immediately swung out onto the road again behind the ambulance, forcing me onto the other side of the road to avoid him. LUCKILY there was nothing coming but I was really shaken. I wasn’t all that close to the ambulance, as I have a thing about cars travelling too close together but I was travelling around 50mph so it didn’t take long for me to cover the distance and this car just pulled out immediately without looking!

So, should I have expected him to do this and stopped?! I would have done if he had just slowed but remained in the road. I guess it took me by surprise because he totally left the carriageway and then immediately rejoined it. I wasn’t intending to travel on the ambulance’s coat tails and sneak through but I feel like maybe I did... and if there had been oncoming traffic we could have all been killed!!

I guess I should have been travelling slower but AIBU to think he should have checked the road before pulling back out??

Either way I will be more cautious in the future when people are getting out the way for emergency services!

Crap diagrams below which I don’t think adds much... (NB distances not to scale! )

[Nicknacky]

Alcapas I’m cringing for you after reading your posts.

At no point has the op been speeding so how can you be certain she was?

And the op has clarified that the driver left the carriageway, entered a side road and then rejoined the carriageway without giving way to traffic on that road. It matters not why they left the road.

I would agree that the op was at fault if the other driver had pulled into the kerb as most people do but that’s not what happened.

And bollocks are you a police officer and spouting emotion about fatal road accidents doesn’t convince me.

[Stefoscope]

I think you're getting a hard time for this. Yes, it's nice to try to let people back in again, but this other driver had left the carriageway and stopped, so the onus was on him to check it was safe to rejoin the traffic. He could have been visiting that house, had a problem with his car etc. It's a different scenario to a line of cars moving aside momentarily to let an EV through then everyone having to move back to continue driving. What the other driver did was very dangerous, making sure it's safe to join a road is a basic common sense driving skill!

[Mookatron]

I mean, ultimately it's everyone's responsibility to avoid an accident. I don't want to bang on at the OP because she realises what she'd do differently next time anyway, but you need to be aware of people pulling out just as people pulling out need to look. Blame and Fault are only useful for insurance companies after an accident. As drivers we should be avoiding accidents by obviously not driving into people AND not doing things that cause us to be driven into. That applies in the presence of an emergency vehicle or not.

[UnspiritualHome]

The driver ahead gave way to an emergency vehicle and then resumed their position.

No, he didn't. He pulled off the road into a driveway, then pulled out again without looking. That's more than giving way, and it certainly isn't resuming the position in the line of traffic.

[Drogosnextwife]

No, he pulled back out into traffic having given way to an emergency vehicle.

No one should ever pull out into oncoming traffic. You talk utter shit.

[JazzerMcJazzer]

Bollocks you are a police officer Alpacas.
Look at the Police Wales link posted above. They contradict you completely as they say that you must check before pulling back out. Or is the law different in Wales?

[Arnoldthecat]

I know we are digressing a little but....

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/962613/police-chase-car-crashes-killed-road-accidents-collisions

[AlpacasAreLlamas]

No, he pulled back out into traffic having given way to an emergency vehicle.

[Drogosnextwife]

As a police officer on a dangerous driving case, I very much care.

Well then you cannot say the car Infront was not to blame, he didn't do proper checks before pulling out on to a main road , therefore he was in the wrong and what he did was more dangerous than the OP.

[Jimdandy]

You were in the wrong, it’s common sense he was just moving to let the ambulance passed and then would be rejoining to carry on. You should have immediately slowed down by just letting your foot off the accelarator when you saw him pull over and then he could have naturally drifted back out.

[Drogosnextwife]

The OP didn't see this happening as she was speeding

At what point was she speeding?

[Chloek1994]

If it was me I would have slowed down assuming the car would pull back onto the road after letting the ambulance past.

The other car should havr also checked for oncoming vehicles before pulling out.

We all mess up while driving. Thank god your all ok though xx

[AlpacasAreLlamas]

As a police officer at a fatal accident, I really don't care who was at fault. As a police officer on a dangerous driving case, I very much care.

[Bridgeofpies]

alpacas - I wasn’t speeding. It was 60mph speed limit and I was going about 50mph.

I should have been going slower given the circs and defiiitely should have been aware of what the car ahead was doing but whatever else my crimes I wouldn’t have been given a speeding ticket!

[ArfArfBarf]

If you saw him pull in then immediately pull out again it sounds like you know he was just giving way to the ambulance like you just had. I can’t imagine not letting him back on again, but obviously as some people are arseholes/not paying much attention he should have made sure it was clear.

[Drogosnextwife]

I am a police officer.

Sure you are

[AlpacasAreLlamas]

It's all right and wrong until we have to go out to a car crash.
No, it's not. She was not paying attention. The driver ahead gave way to an emergency vehicle and then resumed their position. The OP didn't see this happening as she was speeding.

[Drogosnextwife]

AlpacasAreLlamas

No you are wrong. The car Infront was completely off the road and didn't do his checks before pulling out. He would have been in the wrong and you are being an utter Dick to the OP, wind your neck in.

[Bridgeofpies]

Will do! Never more than 30mph!

[AlpacasAreLlamas]

Well drive slower in future.

[Bridgeofpies]

OK alpacas you have more than made your point. Thank you.

[Bridgeofpies]

alpacas - I know that was all in my OP. It describes what happened including the fact that I was NOT deliberately tail gating the ambulance - I just ended up feeling like maybe I had unwittingly been an idiot and done so. And I know that there could have been an awful accident. Your reiterating in the way you did was unhelpful.

The car in front turned into the farm track, turned and then immediately swung back out onto the road in front of me. That’s true. And I should have been going slower / anticipating his behaviour which I acknowledge.

[pianomumof2]

I think you were in the wrong. So annoying when you pull over to let an emergency vehicle past and the person behind overtakes you.

[AlpacasAreLlamas]

I am a police officer. We do advanced driving lessons as we need to drive at speed and in dangerous situations. You OP just need to learn how to drive normally.

[Bookworm4]

If you were travelling at a correct distance from vehicle in front you wouldn't have needed to take evasive action, poor observation and judgement on your behalf especially considering you have 2 small DC in car.