Revealed, how motorists could be fined for paving way for emergency ambulance
How surprising it is for one to find him/herself found
wanting for trying to pave the way for an emergency.
Rule 219 says: ”You should look and listen for ambulances,
fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue,
red or green lights and sirens, or flashing headlights, or traffic officer and
incident support vehicles using flashing amber lights."
“When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of
such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with
all traffic signs.
“If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but
try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of
road.
“Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians
and avoid mounting the kerb.
“Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or
roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you.”
The traffic rule also instructs motorists not to ignore
street signs and pay attention to road around them.
Entering a bus lane or running a red light to get out of the
way of an ambulance or emergency service vehicle could land you a fee.
This has been confirmed by Blue Light Aware, the public
could be fined if they use the wrong way to let 999 vehicles pass. Stating that
drivers of police cars, fire engines, and ambulances have been trained to avoid
situations that could lead to such occuring.
Its website said: “That’s why, on most occasions, an
emergency vehicle needing to make progress across a traffic light junction
would not put itself behind another vehicle in the traffic light queue, but
would, where the road layout and traffic conditions permit, move out to present
itself and its intention to cross the junction.
“Of course, there will be times when there simply is no room
for an emergency service vehicle to get past, or perhaps its crew are activated
by their control room to respond to an emergency while they are waiting with
everyone else at the traffic lights.
“On these occasions, they know that other motorists are not
allowed to ‘jump’ the red light, and the emergency vehicle would ideally not
activate its sirens and lights until it was safe for the vehicle in front to
cross the solid white line at the junction.
“On the (hopefully) rare occasions that a blue light
vehicle, in ’emergency mode’, is sitting behind another vehicle at a red
traffic light, it’s important to appreciate that it would be both very
dangerous and illegal for the other vehicle to move across the solid white
line.
“The exception to this is that a uniformed police officer
can direct a motorist through a red traffic signal.”
