Would you go through a red light for an ambulance?

[Lauren1983]

More of a what would you do really...

Walking home and got to a set of traffic lights where someone had already pressed the button when I began to hear the sound of an ambulance. The ambulance was stuck behind traffic as there are lots of roadworks happening on the road.

Traffic lights turned red for cars so me and someone opposite decided to cross as I thought it would be better to get across quickly and to not cause confusion.

There were 2 blokes waiting to cross as well and they told the vehicle at the front of the crossing to go but he wouldn't until the lights had turned green. One of blokes waiting to cross started swearing and shouting at the driver. Should he have gone through? The other 5 vehicles behind would have had to as well although it may have been amber for them. What is the correct thing to do?

I'd rather have three points than wonder if those 30 seconds were 30 seconds too many for a suffocating baby It's 3 points that last for four years, and £100 fine.

And ambulances are supposed to turn off their sirens and not to make people feel they need to break the law.

If you, the individual, were expected to make that kind of decision then it would not be specifically illegal to run a red light for emergency services.

Just reread your OP, a pedestrian shouted at the driver to go through the red light then started being abusive when they didn’t? Wtf, takes backseat driving to another level.

No offence but it’s clear this man hasn’t got his pink license as it’s a basic theory test question. No one should take driving advice from someone that isn’t qualified, let’s be honest.

Interesting - Police advice here (in Germany) is to cross the red light in these cases.

Hard to know without seeing the set up, most drivers would have used the pause to pull over and try to create a gap for the ambulance to go through.

From my understanding - I have friends who are paramedics / ambulance drivers and police officers - the best thing to do is try to get out of the way vertically, so pull over to the side or similar.

Emergency service vehicle drivers are very highly trained, and know far better than the average 'domestic' driver about how to get through traffic - basically, if in doubt, pull over as far as you can to the side and then stop, they'll sort out the details.

I'm in Queensland Australia and it is absolutely legal for you to go through a red light or go on the opposite side of the road if it's safe. It's an emergency vehicle so we need to move

No I wouldn't jump a light, luckily when this has happened to me there's been room to pull over. I did have to speed quite a lot when a police car was behind me though on the motorway - middle lane was full. They thanked me when I was able to pull over safely.

As a pedestrian I wouldn’t have crossed the road, because it’s hard to predict what an uncertain driver, under pressure, will do in those circumstances.

If going through a red was the only way to give the ambulance a clear path I would do it without hesitation.

DH did this.
I was in the ambulance, blue lighted to A&E, cardiac arrest. DH followed them through a red light. Even in the midst of ALL that, the paramedics pulled over, followed by DH in the car, walked up to his window and said, “Sir, don’t run red lights.”

@legotruck

If going through a red was the only way to give the ambulance a clear path I would do it without hesitation.

Well you are wrong

@TheVanguardSix

DH did this. I was in the ambulance, blue lighted to A&E, cardiac arrest. DH followed them through a red light. Even in the midst of ALL that, the paramedics pulled over, followed by DH in the car, walked up to his window and said, “Sir, don’t run red lights.”

What the fuck

If going through a red was the only way to give the ambulance a clear path I would do it without hesitation.

Well you are wrong

What do you mean I am wrong? How am I wrong?

Which part of what the fuck is confusing you? My cardiac arrest, DH, paramedics, or all of the above? Believe me, it was ALL sorts of what the fuck on that day. I still can’t believe I’m here, truth be told.

The fact you were in cardiac arrest yet the ambulance pulled over, caused your DH to pull over to say that, really bloody dangerous.

@Tillied

The fact you were in cardiac arrest yet the ambulance pulled over, caused your DH to pull over to say that, really bloody dangerous.

Entirely understandable that @TheVanguardSix's DH went through a red light following the ambulance, but if he did that all the way to the hospital, then he could have had or caused an accident, so the paramedics were keeping him and others safe

Other vehicles or pedestrians would not be expecting a car tailgating the ambulance through a red light. Your husband must have been very stressed but the ambulance crew were trying to avoid him putting himself and others in danger.

I've gone through a red light for an ambulance before.

I had to, the ambulance had nowhere else to go and it wasn't the sort of junction where there were pedestrians.

I edged past the light hugging the kerb. I didn't go far but I went past the line.

When I say I didn't go far, I mean I didn't end up in the way of any other traffic. So if you imagine a 4- way crossing. I went past the light, line but not into the space for the flow of traffic coming the other way. I bumped up the kerb to make space.

No. It's a good way to get yourself or someone else killed.

Isn't it the same if an ambulance is stuck behind you and there's an empty bus lane to your left, if you enter the bus lane to let the ambulance through you will have to pay any resulting fine. The argument that you were letting an ambulance through won't be taken into account.

No. The Highway Code is very clear on this: you must not go through a red light, mount kerbs or break other rules to allow emergency vehicles through.

I wouldn't go through red light UNLESS i was on that super x cross where I can absolutely see far away that nothing is coming.

I am however not keeping, nor is anoyone around as far as I saw, with the rest of the highway code. Every swcond counds. As long as I am not mounting kerb on to po of a person, I will mount it to let emergency services pass

@TheVanguardSix

DH did this. I was in the ambulance, blue lighted to A&E, cardiac arrest. DH followed them through a red light. Even in the midst of ALL that, the paramedics pulled over, followed by DH in the car, walked up to his window and said, “Sir, don’t run red lights.”

As if

Entirely understandable that@TheVanguardSix's DH went through a red light following the ambulance, but if he did that all the way to the hospital, then he could have had or caused an accident, so the paramedics were keeping him and others safe

No, it didn't happen is far more likely.

Drivers shouldn't have gone through the light but I'd have kept well back just in case.