For not driving through red light with ambulance behind me

[User34445566677]

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

Me, I pulled forward at a red light for an ambulance, there was a camera and it flashed. I tried to defend myself and you could see the ambulance in the photo i got sent of the offence and I still got points and a fine for it! So @User34445566677 you are correct to not run a red light even for emergency vehicles. However it’s a very stressful situation when it happens to you.

You did right

this is police advice

https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/ask-the-police/question/Q699

I went on course for using mobile when driving so not the speed awareness one (learned my lesson won't do it again), different one to speeding, it was for general driving fuck ups, and there were a couple of people who had run red or gone into yellow box without clear exits because of ambulance pressure and got similarly penalised. So I suppose you do your best to make room but no you can't break the law.

Could you have not moved slightly right and the car next to you moved slightly left? I hope you’re never blue lighted to hospital and have to wait at a traffic light. If someone is being blue lighted to hospital that means life and death. I’d take a ticket for an ambulance any day of the week. You seem to be asking for advice but not taking it. If you know what to do then why ask? Is it to settle your conscience?

I dont think OP was asking for advice but rather the legal position.

As it stands legally she did not have to cross the red light to let the ambulance pass as she wouldve broken the law

Could you have not moved slightly right and the car next to you moved slightly left?

Answered in the OP - there wasn't room.

You'd be prepared to break the Law? Do you not think the Law is there for a reason? It's unsafe to jump a red light and would have been for OP to illegally move forward into the box junction.

Assume OP asked the question because she heard a 'beep' and was second guessing herself?

Really - and you’d be glad to pay the £1,000 fine too? And put other lives at risk by driving through a red light?

i understand the point about only being able to cross a red light if directed by police but what I’m less clear on is if the OP’s situation had happened but with a police car beeping multiple times behind her, does that count as being directed by the police?

I have also read that if you break the law to allow for the passage of an emergency vehicle you still get the fine and points, so I think you did well under extreme pressure.

Rule 219 of highway code emphasises getting out of way but only if you can do so safely, and concludes: “If you do cross the stop line at the junction whilst the lights are on red, you will commit the offence of contravening a red traffic light. It's important to remember that in committing the offence (crossing the stop line) the onus will be on you to provide evidence that you did so to allow an emergency vehicle through. That may be considered as mitigation, but there is no guarantee that it will be. If the police decide to prosecute you for the offence and you choose to challenge that decision, it will ultimately be a matter for a court to decide.”

Dangerous advice on your part. Learn the highway code and context before you talk utter nonsense to the masses.

Except the many, many people on this thread suggesting the OP should go through a red light.

Myself and a learner had to go through a red light waiting at traffic lighta near me for a police car at rush hour traffic. That road is bad all the time and no room for going to the side. Never got a word about points. I worried something would come through the post but nope.

Look, just because you’re wealthy enough to be able to pay the fine multiple times (“any day of the week”) and can afford to lose your licence without worrying about how you’re going to get to work doesn’t mean that the rest of us can.

There are so many unpleasant posts on here trying to make the OP feel guilty, as if she is personally responsible for the death of someone - when she has literally done nothing wrong. Nothing. And so many people are sniping away about how it’s fine to creep through a red light or drive into the railings or whatever they would have done from their moral high ground to prove that they care more.

Having had a fine for entering a box junction, one of the things mentioned under mitigating circumstances was if an emergency vehicle was wanting to get past.

Yes you will be fined automatically but a simple explanation will cancel the fine

As for sticking to the letter of the law, maybe local councils should look at the law before erecting non compliant signage. (Been to court and won against these so called experts)

Also if you are turning right, stopping in a box junction is legal

Absolutely did the right thing, as multiple people have said, you can be prosecuted if you go through the red lights.

Not read the full thread but, regarding the beeping at you - the beep is actually part of the siren function, they haven't deliberately put their hand on the horn to pip at you.

The ambulance was in the wrong…they are not allowed to force you to jump a red light

Indeed, we have a bull horn for when we want to do it deliberately!!

Going through a red light is not necessarily dangerous.

This is a fallacious argument. @User34445566677 do you not see that you didn’t have to, were not being asked to, nor expected to drive through a red light? You should have carefully pulled forward a bit, hard, hard move right as much as possible to create the space for the ambulance to get past you. That’s all. That’s not breaking the rules on traffic lights. There is always room for you manoeuvre this way at lights. Did you not think there was a reason they chose to drive behind the one single sole car even if in the RHS lane?! Are you a newly qualified driver? If not, engage your brain and do think a little bit more next time.

It's always against the law though unless you're an emergency vehicle.

That’s a shitty thing to say and apportions blame to the OP for something firstly she couldn’t help and secondly over a scenario that you have imagined in your head ! What happens if the OP caused an accident by “creeping” forward as you advise - or do you think accidents only occur when someone is speeding ? I’m not sure if you should be driving tbh - you don’t seem to know the rules of the road!

Only if caught and then there is a reasonable defence.

I don't generally break the law but helping an ambulance reach its destination quicker in circumstances where it is safe to do so, might be a good reason.

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

@MyrtleLion the police tell you not to do it, so why would you?