judgey-c

I'm a Paramedic,and I can assure you 95 per cent is shite.
If the ambo man is really steaming to get past,get out of the way,and if your car is damaged, then if you can go to the nearest A+E and find him and he/she will give you the details you need to possibly be re embursed.
Look at the driver,if he looks unflustered he's going to a load of poop and is no more bothered than you to get through and will wait.
Just a note,there is NO exemptions for Ambulances,just the extended courtesy of other road users.
If I've got a dying baby or child on the back,I'm flying,but if you can't get out of the way easily any ambo man worth his salt will be patient.
I personally wouldn't wreck my rims!!!!!!!

Steven_RW

I move for ambulances, fire trucks & police.

Enthusiasts like us should be driving with far enhanced road awareness and therefore see most blue lights coming from miles away. Therefore in most cases (utter jammed traffic aside) we should be able to get out of the way.

I usually see it as a bit of a challenge to create the safest clearest path for them. IE judging whether braking now and pulling in, or accelerating for a while to find a better spot would work best.

The only worry is that I hope everyone else doesn't do that when the cops are trying to catch up with me for a word about my speed. lol

If I couldn't figure out how to get up a curb without damaging a wheel (in my daily runner) then I would ask myself questions about my driving ability.

RW

yappstar

I just make as much room as possible, as per Steven RW above, spot on fella

A mate of my dads did get done once for moving out of the way of police at a red light, the last car stopped and gave him a ticket

Unless its jam packed solid traffic, you will always see/hear any emergency vehicle approaching ages before they are on top of you, so you will have time to plan your movements to be as sympathetic as possible, 99% of the time you'll never need to jump up a kerb.

Eagle

iTrader: (2)

yes i would move out of the way in a safe and carefull way, if this meant mounting a high kerb then so be it..... you dont have to kill a wheel in going up a kerb no matter what its height....

ybturbo

If the ambulance must pass then I would accelerate and try to find a spot or even possibly wreck a rim to let him pass but I don't think that by riding a kerb the rim will be damaged; it is protected by the tyre and once you ride it gently then no problem...

24vcossiemat

the ambulance service are not there to bully people off the road, if he was shouting and waving at you then report him. it does say in the highway code to pull over in a safe place and when it is safe to do so. the driver should know better.

CRABBY

at the end of the day it could be a family member in the back of there so I would move everytime!!

JohnnyB

I had it today at the traffic light in nottingham, I could not move anywere, if I went up the curb I would have twatted a lamp post so I moved slowly behind the car in front to say to him move into the junction everyone was aware so we just went and got out of the way.

striaght though red traffic lights.

its the only thing to do, everyone else was trying to mount kerbs not point.


I will do anything to clear a meat wagon.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

there was me
there was a car in front
there was a car in front of that
normal road
30 mph
ambulance comes from the other direction
the guy at the front stops


wtf for you twat?!?!?!?!!?!?

it's going the other way and there is nothing else on the road

it's those fuckers that really get on my tits

Icurus

I've had to break the speed limit to allow the police to pass, was on the M26 2 lanes, inside there's a row or 5-6 lorries, I'm starting to overtake when I see in the distance a police car lights flashing catching me up, im doing 80...... its getting real close now and the lorries aint helping me out, so I floor the throttle and i'm soon hitting 100..110..and finally im past the last lorry and pull in, Police car passes me and the copper in the passenger seat gives me a thumbs up, well, I think it was the thumbs up!!

I'd always try and get out of the way, as you just dont know what they are trying to get too!

RS_JAY

100% agree.
Personally think its a no brainer! Very surprised with some of the comments on here. If it was a friend or a family member in that ambulance would you think diffrently ????

Escort-Ian

Ditto, rather quite shocked at some of the comments to be honest. These folks are LIFE SAVERS for gods sake!! Bit of a sad reflection of selfish modern society I guess.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

If it was my child about to die in the back, Id want him to be swearing and shouting and ramming people TBH

As per what the paramedic above said, you can normally tell if they are really in a rush or not, if they are so bothered they are shouting at you I would wager 9/10 times its for a VERY good reason!

fuzzy

it would be hard not to shout and wave furiously when you see how some drivers react to an emergency vehicle, especially if its a genuine life and death stressful situation.

James

i too am suprised by some peoples answers on here, i'd always do my best to get out the way, if it meant i had to go up a kerb then so what, i've damaged a wheel. big fucking deal.

you go and tell the parents of the child that died cos YOU were in the way of their ambulance that you were the obsticle becuase you didn't want to scratch your wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and as for the police, again, you don't know what they're doing, maybe they're attanding to your daughter who's just been mugged!

xrsi

iTrader: (1)

ive left an ambulance for dead that was going down an a road that was too narrow to pul over or it to get past safely! saw it comming up behind me at a fair old pace so put the boot in not to hold him up only to get to a space to pull in with him no where to be seen and had to wait for a little while for him to catch up! lol

Chip

iTrader: (3)

even if they are, they wont actually be doing anything to help her, they'll just give her a crime reference number, hardly matters if that happens a couple of minutes later.

James

just maybe (unlikely i know) they may be there in time to catch the offender!

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

You aren't obliged to move out of the way for anybody. You are obliged though to obey all traffic regulations and rules and I personally will never give way to an emergency vehicle unless I PERSONALLY deem it safe to do so.

fuzzy

unless yout driving along the edge of a cliff i cant think of many other reasons why it wouldnt be safe to pull over in to the side of the road.

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Depends on what lane you are in, depends if there is a junction approaching, depends if you have to give way ahead, depends if you are at traffic lights, depends on the situation of other traffic around you etc.

Red16

lol @ all the goonie replies...

All you have to do is move out the way of the emergency services if you are able to, nobody is asking you to mount the kerb at high speed for fucks sake or put yourself in extreme danger, just try and be helpful.

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

That is what it boils down to all of this, but as stated before, only if it is SAFE to do so. You are not helping by creating a hazard or undertaking a manoeuvre that puts other motorists and/or yourself in an unsafe position..