Drivers getting more reluctant to move to let emergency vehicles on blues and twos through

[Kloh]

Drive a lot in rush hour traffic having doing Dolly hours (9-5) and recently when an emergency vehicle is coming from behind the traffic, very few move to the side - there is room, until the ambulance is almost touching the other vehicles’ bumpers. Inconsiderate, selfish and ignorant.

About 9 years ago I pulled over to let an ambulance through. It was the summer, overgrown grass verges. BANG! I hit a broken kerbstone. If I saw the broken kerbstone, I would have driven 1/4 of a car length.

Fortunately my car then had a space saving tyre (those modern puncture kits get with cars are crap), a kind man swapped it for me. Then £50 worse off.

I live in the Midlands, drive around the city ring road to go to a town 10 miles away

I saw a FB post from our local Police explaining how hand signals from police directing traffic work.

So like stop, go on, etc.

As apparently people don't understand them now.

How can you expect a driver to notice an ambulance when they’re looking down at their phone?

I’ve not noticed this at all. If anything, other driver’s reactions to an emergency vehicle are wildly over the top.

Whereabouts are you OP? I want to test a theory.

There's so much traffic and cars parked on the road in London there's usually no where for vehicles to go if they try to move out the way.

I’ve not noticed this but I have noticed people are slower to react and often don’t realise the emergency vehicle is there until it’s nearly on top of them. Perhaps less awareness in general of their surroundings, or loud music in the car?

I've not seen this trend myself.

However, it would be easier and less likely to be necessary if roadworks were conducted properly and with consideration for those who use roads. I bet half or more of those this month will be to spend up the budget before March, and with no working after 4pm or at weekends, even where traffic lights have to be there 24/7.

I think it's less reluctance to move over and more general decrease in observational skills tbh.

I see it all the time. And cyclists which huge noise cancelling headphones on. I can't understand why you'd want to not hear traffic when cycling!

I haven't noticed it here but sometimes it's hard to tell where the sirens are coming from since they changed them. Although I am good at seeing blue lights. A lot of drivers these days seem oblivious to other road users.

Maybe, but if so it doesn't just apply to drivers. Pedestrians looking at their phone or with headphones on can be pretty oblivious to what is going on around them.

I was walking home from work one evening and waiting at a crossing for the lights to change. Quite a few other pedestrians were waiting too. An ambulance with sirens going and blue lights on was racing towards the crossing. Just as it got to the crossing the green man appeared. Naturally everyone waiting stayed where they were so the ambulance could go through. Well, everyone apart from one woman with headphones in who was clearly oblivious and started to cross in front of it. The ambulance screeched to a halt just a few metres from her and she still didn't notice but continued on her way. Everyone else watched open mouthed, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Seen that myself and the woman - no headphones, maybe earpods. She was walking in same direction as me driving. Wound (what do you say when got electric windows) down and shouted look before you cross.

On the subject of shouting at other people, I overtook a car as I was going straight ahead, they left at a roundabout. It was 5:50pm - dark. Had no lights on. Shouted at them as driving past, "put your light on" - yep, put their lights on...

Already taken over on the roads that have barely enough space for it with paving to narrow the roads combined with bollard-dotted lanes for Deliveroo and Uber Eats bikes - oh, sorry, I mean sustainable transport initiatives.

Caused havoc when the bus broke down just as it had pulled out from the stop. Nowhere for vehicles, nowhere for emergency vehicles (to deal with the traffic chaos from three major routes all being blocked by it and the trapped traffic behind - and then there was an accident on one of those that they couldn't get to, either). But People still got their pizzas. I guess, as the e-bikes were fine.

I know the tune but I’ve never heard anyone call it ‘dolly hours’ before. Is that op’s personal saying perhaps?

Central London. Cars comply, zombie pedestrians "plugged in" don't. Saw one yesterday: lights were green, everyone pulled over for two ambulances and a police car - she just walked into the road.

Ill move for an ambulance or fire engine - but I wont absolutely fuck my cars wheels/hubcaps/low suspension to move for a police car. I'd still move - but im not mounting any ridiculously high kerbs.

In every encounter I've had everyone has always moved over. However there have been times the past few years some idiots coming from the opposite direction have beeped because I had to stop in a junction box/crossing and the lights had turned red. I was in the wrong place of course but ffs you've just seen an ambulance go through so use some common sense and patience to let me move forward out of it!

It isn’t usually a deliberate refusal, though that does happen. It is a complete lack of situational awareness and observational skills, plus that people do not leave enough room between their car and the car in front in queues of traffic so physically cannot move until everyone else in front has moved first. They squeeze so close bumper to bumper. If people just left a bit of room and increased their awareness and ability to use their mirrors it would be a lot easier.

I can tell when a driver hasn’t seen us by the way they are driving. Quite a few years ago now, a colleague and the patient they were conveying were killed and another colleague seriously injured because a driver lacking in those skills pulled out to overtake the car in front that had noticed the ambulance lit up like a Christmas tree coming up behind them and stopped. Forced the ambulance off the road and hit a tree. You can tell when drivers like that just haven’t noticed you….you can almost hear them muttering expletives about the people in front who have ‘stopped for no reason’ and see them pulling to the centre of the road even before they fully commit to it without checking their mirrors.

Not noticed but a mate pulled to the left in heavy traffic to allow an ambulance on blues through and got a fine for breaching a special lane (which no one was using).

Might be a case of once bitten, twice shy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gr1ewd1w0o

Almost as stupid as cycling in busy traffic with headphones in… which I see all the time!!

Where I live the pulling over is almost competitive. Cars are hurling themselves out of the way.

Agree that many people seem totally oblivious to what is going on around them - my route to work is also the route to a major hospital so see ambulances trying to cut through the traffic reasonably frequently and a surprising number of people don’t seem to notice and/or move. I do see a lot of drivers with airpods in and their phones in a cradle (so technically hands free) on Facetime or watching YouTube…

Also noticed, I've pulled into lane 1 and watch people carry on until last minute.

I think driving etiquette in general has changed. People dont wait anymore and force there way through. Even if youve not moved over they drive at you forcing you to move. Tractors dont seem to pull over anymore, I've been in queues of over 20 cars.