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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

For not driving through red light with ambulance behind me

311 replies

User34445566677 · 07/12/2025 21:13

Stuck at red lights in 3 lanes of traffic. I was in right hand lane to turn right, at the front of white line and railings to my right so couldn't pull to the side. Middle lane for straight on. Left hand lane (towards hospital) is always allowed to filter through first via green light to the left, then after a while, the forward and right turn green lights come on. Ambulance comes up my lane whilst red traffic lights on. Blue lights and sirens on, all while the ambulance is indicating left (I am the only car in this lane, other lanes have several cars in). Ambulance leaves sirens on, and even beeps while lights are on red ( though i am not 100% sure this was the ambulance, but don't know who else it would have been?). From what I have read, you should not cross during a red light even for an emergency vehicle, I would have been entering a box junction? Was I BU to not cross the red light? And I think the Ambulance would have been quicker going in the left lane which filtered through first? Very confused. TIA

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
pinkstripeycat · 08/12/2025 20:49

Burningbud1981 · 07/12/2025 21:21

Not if you’ve gone through a light and stopped to allow an ambulance to pass.

Show quote history

You are wrong. Hoppingreen is correct

Nearly50omg · 08/12/2025 20:57

travailtotravel · 07/12/2025 21:16

Omg you pull forward enough to let them through .... everyone can see the ambulance and gets pit of its/your way in letting it pass. When the blue lights are on get out of the way.

NO you DONT!!! You’re an idiot!! Seriously do your research about this and read what the judges have said when people have been taken to court for doing exactly what you’ve said they should!! It causes more accidents and is a very dangerous thing to do!! You will not get out of being charged for dangerous driving just because there’s an emergency vehicle behind you

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:00

I do think it is amazing that there are some posters on here who think they know better than the emergency services, you know the people who are highly trained in these situations. But posters who are bog standard drivers think they know best

MasterBeth · 08/12/2025 21:06

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 15:02

@MasterBeth the OP would have entered a box junction with multiple entry points, how would that not be dangerous, never mind illegal

That situation may well have been dangerous.

But not every single situation when you go through a red light is dangerous, which is the claim of some of the people in this thread.

rainbowsandraspberrygin · 08/12/2025 21:16

This has actually been a helpful thread for me as I have always been a bit unsure. I know the rules but when you have the lights behind you it can feel very intimidating!

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:17

@MasterBeth but the rules are, per emergency services, don't go through the red light, so why would you go against that?

StuntNun · 08/12/2025 21:19

My son failed his driving test for doing exactly that only it was a fire engine rather than an ambulance. You did the right thing.

calkel · 08/12/2025 21:20

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 20:40

@calkel why do you think you know better than the law and police guidance?

I don’t think I know better. I know the law, I’m just happy to break that one law, if it means safely moving for an emergency vehicle.

BrickBiscuit · 08/12/2025 21:22

rainbowsandraspberrygin · 08/12/2025 21:16

This has actually been a helpful thread for me as I have always been a bit unsure. I know the rules but when you have the lights behind you it can feel very intimidating!

So which camp are you in now?
No, it's illegal and I wouldn't do it.
Yes, I'd do it and pay up if I get fined and take the points.
Yes, I'd do it - they won't fine me if I just inched across the line a little bit or I prove there was a blue light behind me.

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:31

@calkel but the emergency services tell you not to do it

MasterBeth · 08/12/2025 21:31

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:17

@MasterBeth but the rules are, per emergency services, don't go through the red light, so why would you go against that?

In order to let an ambulance through in what might be a life or death situation.

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:32

@MasterBeth but the emergency services tell you not to do it

MasterBeth · 08/12/2025 21:34

Yes. I know.

I would disobey the advice of the emergency services if it was safe for me to do so.

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 21:37

@MasterBeth why? Why do you think you know better than someone trained? Is that in all circumstances?

MasterBeth · 08/12/2025 21:43

Can you read?

I have very clearly said “if it was safe for me to do so”.

So, obviously not in all circumstances.

And I think I would know better because I could use my eyes and ears and brain to determine whether it was safe or not because I would be there.

Notmyreality · 08/12/2025 21:45

calkel · 08/12/2025 21:20

I don’t think I know better. I know the law, I’m just happy to break that one law, if it means safely moving for an emergency vehicle.

Show quote history

Exactly. This is the part so many refuse to fathom.

Notmyreality · 08/12/2025 21:45

MasterBeth · 08/12/2025 21:43

Can you read?

I have very clearly said “if it was safe for me to do so”.

So, obviously not in all circumstances.

And I think I would know better because I could use my eyes and ears and brain to determine whether it was safe or not because I would be there.

Indeed.

SquigglePigs · 08/12/2025 22:12

It's really hard but you were absolutely right. You shouldn't pull through a red light.

Emergency vehicles are supposed to tone down/turn off the lights and sirens at junctions like that so as to not intimidate people into making poor driving choices.

Obviously everyone wants ambulances to get their vulnerable passengers to the hospital as quickly as possible but if a separate accident is caused then that's not a win for anyone.

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 22:38

@MasterBeth so if a policeman was standing there saying don’t move you would still plough your way through because you can’t see a hazard ahead? So if an ambulance came up behind you without blues and twos on would you go through a red light as that could still be an emergency but they have turned them off to stop a motorist going through a red light

AmateurDad · 08/12/2025 22:47

This is the problem when people start to talk with absolute authority about things they assume to be the case without actually checking.

The law absolutely DOES allow you to break a light if not doing so would hold up an ambulance answering an emergency call - just as one would hope and indeed expect to be the case.

In any event, I find it genuinely alarming to learn that Munsnetters choose to sit stubbornly at red lights blocking ambulances on their way to cardiac arrests rather than exercising a little bit of common sense and seeking even to edge forward and out of the way. I suppose a clean licence is more important than a life.

sittingonabeach · 08/12/2025 23:00

@AmateurDad so are you saying the London Ambulance Service are wrong?

bodyofproof · 08/12/2025 23:12

AmateurDad · 08/12/2025 22:47

This is the problem when people start to talk with absolute authority about things they assume to be the case without actually checking.

The law absolutely DOES allow you to break a light if not doing so would hold up an ambulance answering an emergency call - just as one would hope and indeed expect to be the case.

In any event, I find it genuinely alarming to learn that Munsnetters choose to sit stubbornly at red lights blocking ambulances on their way to cardiac arrests rather than exercising a little bit of common sense and seeking even to edge forward and out of the way. I suppose a clean licence is more important than a life.

It doesn’t though. You can’t go through a red light and an ambulance won’t ask you to, they are trained to switch the siren off and wait
and yes points matter to me as I have to declare them to my work which can then affect my job

Cheezit · 08/12/2025 23:14

AmateurDad · 08/12/2025 22:47

This is the problem when people start to talk with absolute authority about things they assume to be the case without actually checking.

The law absolutely DOES allow you to break a light if not doing so would hold up an ambulance answering an emergency call - just as one would hope and indeed expect to be the case.

In any event, I find it genuinely alarming to learn that Munsnetters choose to sit stubbornly at red lights blocking ambulances on their way to cardiac arrests rather than exercising a little bit of common sense and seeking even to edge forward and out of the way. I suppose a clean licence is more important than a life.

You forgot ‘man here!’ 😊

Mothership4two · 08/12/2025 23:30

MyrtleLion · 08/12/2025 20:44

Not snark. I'm just clarifying that reasonable people make different judgement calls in real situations. I wasn’t advocating reckless driving, only noting that context matters and drivers sometimes make safe, proportionate decisions to help emergency vehicles.

It feels like my comment may have hit a nerve, but there’s no need for this to spiral. I’ll leave it there and won’t be engaging further.

Show quote history

Not sure why you feel you 'hit a nerve'? I was responding to your comment to me. I can assure you I could care less if you decide to do something that incurs a fine and/or puts points on your license. If I see a poster posting something I disagree with (especially about something illegal) - or alternatively agree with - I'll be responding again at some point - that's kind of how MN works.

Anyway, why do you care? It doesn't affect you in the slightest. Or do you just like telling people off on the internet?

That doesn't come across to me as 'clarifying' your position, it felt a tad snarky and not in the same vein as my comment.

But that's fine, very happy to leave it there, although there wouldn't really be any need for it to 'spiral' anyway. We just have different POV.