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! )

[Ffsnosexallowed]

I don't think you were driving like an idiot. If you'd managed to get back up to speed after the ambulance passed you then the other driver should have been looking and I wouldn't have expected you to slow or stop to let him back out. Different if you'd been driving slowly behind them both.

[EmmaC78]

I agree you should have let him back out. I think if there has been an accident and you had crashed into them the inurance company would find the other driver at fault as, regardless of the reason why, they were rejoining a carriageway without looking. I would be peeved if I were them as it is the unwritten rule that if you are pulling in to let emergency services pass then others cars should not overtake.

[Ali1cedowntherabbithole]

Nicky is right that it is hard to say - but I have seen people do incredibly daft things when getting out of the way of emergency vehicles in the past (including pulling onto the hard shoulder and stopping when an ambulance was travelling down the HS at speed).

My advice would be to assume that people who are getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle might be panicking and take extra care to protect yourself and your family.

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

I think as he was stationary and you were moving then technically you were within your rights to keep going as you were.
However, defensive driving would anticipate that he would be rejoining, and leave space, as would general courtesy. But we all make the odd (no harm done) minor error of judgement, and reflection on these makes us better drivers.

[Bridgeofpies]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment. It’s good to get other’s perspectives and definitely learn for next time! I think something about getting out of the way for emergency vehicles sends me into a bit of a panic so when it has passed I’m like “PHEW, done!” but of course traffic up the road still needs to move! Definitely a good lesson. And thank god nothing was coming the other way!!!!

[Jinglejanglefish]

I think YABU. Dick move to try and overtake someone who's pulled in to let an ambulance pass.

[ChorleyFMcominginyourears]

Personally I would have slowed down to let the car back out figuring that he had only pulled in to let the ambulance pass, granted he should have looked too, but to me it's common courtesy

[Bridgeofpies]

jinglejangle I wasn’t actually trying to overtake him.

[RedForShort]

If he had fully turned into the drive, like your drawings suggest, then this means in reality he is on a side road and needs to left turn onto a more major road. So should wait. (If he'd just pulled over into it I think that's a different matter.)

That said I'd probably have let him out, knowing he was only turned in to let the ambulance past

[Bridgeofpies]

He pulled fully off the road onto a farm track.

But like many of you have said, and I agree, I should have been more aware of what he was doing!

[NunoGoncalves]

Another thing to remember OP is that you should avoid swerving to avoid something if you don't have time to assess what you're swerving into. It's FAR safer for you to hit the brakes and crash into a car entering your lane than for you to swerve into oncoming traffic and hit a car head on.

In other words, swerving across the road should not be your instinct reaction to a hazard appearing directly in front of you. Slamming the brakes on should be.

[Bridgeofpies]

Very good point NunoGoncalves. I was braking too but your point has occurred to me. It was definitely instinctual but not a good idea! I wonder how you change that?? An advanced driving course maybe?

[Seeline]

I think the circumstances here are a bit different from a normal residential street though?

The OP says she was travelling at 50ish (which from the sound of things was fine - the ambulance had passed).
How much could you see of what was happening in front of the ambulance OP? Did you actually know that hte car in front of hte ambulance was pulling over, or could it have actually turned left off the road? Could you see it in the layby?
When a car just pulls up onto the kerb it is obvious, hidden in a farm layby it is not the same situation.
In any case, if all the traffic was travelling at 50, the car driver was a bit stupid to expect to just pull straight out again.

[Jinglejanglefish]

I know. But that's what it would look like to everyone on the road and they'd think 'what a dick!' I'm so embarrassed when I do stuff like that accidentally and other cars see.

[WiddlinDiddlin]

Eh..

He pulled out without looking.

He caused you to swerve.

He was driving without due care and attention.

Yes it would have been sensible to expect him to want to pull out, but the fact he'd pulled in to let an ambulance past does not absolve him of his responsibilities as a driver!

[NunoGoncalves]

The fact that you said "thank god nothing was coming the other way" means you swerved into the oncoming lane without thinking. Extremely dangerous! Try to get used to leaving bigger gaps between you and vehicles ahead, thinking more while driving and identifying all potential hazards so that you're ready for them to happen (such as "is this person going to pull straight back out after the ambulance?") and braking without swerving when faced with such a hazard.

[Rainbowsandsnowdrops]

I think you were both in the wrong, but try not to feel bad about it. Just learn from it, I think we all panic a bit when we see an ambulance and think once it’s out of the way that’s it.

[gamerwidow]

I think yes you were in the wrong but the fact you are here questioning it and asking if you should have done something differently and are taking on board others comments shows that you are a good driver overall.
We all make mistakes but if we use them to learn then it's ok.

[AmIBU123]

I would have been prepared for the other drive to exit and I probably would have slowed down just in case. However other driver shouldn't have just assumed.

I wouldn't overthink this anymore.

[Stawp]

"I was kind of like, right ambulance is past so tick I’ve done my bit now just carry on as usual."

What a very odd way to look at the situation.

[CheeseCakeSunflowers]

I was in the position of the car which pulled off in front of you a while ago. I did look back before rejoining, there was a stream of vehicles following the ambulance and I had to wait for them all to pass before rejoining as no-one paused to let me back in, so don't feel too bad, you are not the only one who does this.

[Frenchmontana]

You were both wrong.

If someone had tried to over take you behind the ambulance, when you slowed to let it past. I am sure you would have thought they were an idiot too.

But he should have also checked before pulling out.

[Canshopwillshop]

Stawp - I kind of get where the OP is coming from when she said that though. I always get a bit on edge too when I hear a siren and trying to get out of the way. I think the OP just lost concentration a bit in her haste to make way.

OP good for you in asking for opinions on how to avoid the situation in future. You sound like you are generally a good driver and not ‘a dick’ at all!

[chickhonhoneybabe]

The guy was in the wrong as he should have waited until it was safe to pull out as stated in the Highway Code Rule 159
Before moving off you should

use all mirrors to check the road is clear
look round to check the blind spots (the areas you are unable to see in the mirrors)
signal if necessary before moving out
look round for a final check.
Move off only when it is safe to do so.

However you should have slowed down when approaching the ambulance and anticipated the other car pulling over

Rule 146
Adapt your driving to the appropriate type and condition of road you are on. In particular

do not treat speed limits as a target. It is often not appropriate or safe to drive at the maximum speed limit
take the road and traffic conditions into account. Be prepared for unexpected or difficult situations, for example, the road being blocked beyond a blind bend. Be prepared to adjust your speed as a precaution

[mrsdavys]

Fair play OP, it’s not often posters on AIBU take peoples responses on board without getting catty about it and without trying to argue it!