Ok to run red light to let emergency vehicles through?

[jtvang125]

Can you be cited if you run a red light to let an emergency vehicle through if all other lanes are blocked?

 

[tasmanian]

I doubt you would get cited, but i dont think its legal.

 

[Howard]

I'm sure if you explain yourself well you won't be slapped with anything.

 

[Xavier434]

It's not legal, but unless the cop is a complete dick then you won't get a ticket. At worst you will get pulled over and let go with a warning. I would try to think of all other options to get out of the way in those cases just to avoid trouble though. If there was no other way then I would run it.

 

[JC86]

iirc, the drivers handbook they make you read when you take the permit test says to get out of the way to let emergency vehicles through only when it is safe and legal to do so.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I don't think a cop trying to get through will also pull you over... Depends how you run it I guess? If oyu have to move into the intersection a bit to clear the way, that's ok, but if you had to stop for a red (couldn't run the yellow) and you ran it instead then you might get in trouble. As long as it doesn't appear like you're trying to skip a light while letting the emergency vehicle go through I think you should be fine.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I've had to do that before. I doubt a cop would bust you for it as long as you were safe about it.

 

[DougK62]

Technically not legal, but I did it once. If I was waiting for a cop or ambulance I wouldn't want someone holding them up in traffic.

 

[Metron]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
I've had to do that before. I doubt a cop would bust you for it as long as you were safe about it.

Try explaining that to a Red Light Camera! Big Brother Auto Ticket for the loss...

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Can you be cited if you run a red light to let an emergency vehicle through if all other lanes are blocked?

not worth the trouble of showing up in court and explaining yourself if u get caught by a red light camera. just wait for the light to turn green

unless the emerg veh is a cop

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Metron

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
I've had to do that before. I doubt a cop would bust you for it as long as you were safe about it.

Try explaining that to a Red Light Camera! Big Brother Auto Ticket for the loss...

None of those in MA. And if I did, I would definitely fight it in court.

 

[Rudee]

A cop wont bust you, but if you get into an accident while doing so you will be at fault.

 

[sygyzy]

I am not sure of the legalities but I know you can and should do it. I was in this position and the car in front of me and myself ran the red (we were previously stopped for a few minutes) and then we immediately pulled over.

 

[Auric]

Our laws exist to serve us not the reverse. Signage is irrelevant compared to the practical matter of clearing way for an emergency. I wouldn't give it a second thought. The main concern is doing so safely so as not to make the situation worse.

 

[jlee]

I've had to do it twice. I'd rather (cautiously) go through a red light than sit there while somebody may be dying, waiting for that ambulance that's behind me..

Originally posted by: Rudee
A cop wont bust you, but if you get into an accident while doing so you will be at fault.

Bingo.

 

[Auggie]

Auric, you can argue that the traffic laws serve the side-street traffic in this case: by keeping people from running the red light in their direction and causing an accident. You don't have any idea how serious the situation is back in the ambulance, so you don't have any a priori basis for endangering the cross traffic. Just playing devil's advocate

I have run red lights in the past to get out of the way of an ambulance. Usually if traffic is snarled enough for an ambulance to get behind traffic, the cross-traffic in the street also stops when they see the emergency vehicle, so there's minimal danger involved with running the stop sign.

99% positive that you'd be liable for an accident if there were one, though...

 

[imported_Imp]

If you don't, chances are that the emergency vehicle will honk the hell out of you. I remember once when there was an SUV facing a red light on a one lane road once and a fire truck had to wait about a minute in traffic cause the person wouldn't turn or run it.

 

[aplefka]

Off topic but same subject: The light turned green today when a firetruck was coming down the road. Everyone was stopped in all directions and this car who was going the same way I was decided to make his left turn because his time was more important than everyone else's obviously. I thought for sure that once the firetruck passed the cop that was chilling 3 cars behind said violator would go for the prick. Nothing happened. Justice didn't prevail.

 

[ajf3]

Be careful if you do - similar thing happened to me in college. Was sitting in a left turn line to cross a lane of oncoming traffic - an ambulance pulls up behind me with it's lights on wanting to make the same left. I thought the oncoming cars (whose lane I had to cross would yield to an ambulance so I made the turn) - BANG - lady didn't hit the brakes & drove right into me.

Not sure how the fault turned out because I was driving my gf's dad's car & I NEVER brought it up again after the initial uncomfortable you'll never guess what happened...

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
It's not legal, but unless the cop is a complete dick then you won't get a ticket. At worst you will get pulled over and let go with a warning. I would try to think of all other options to get out of the way in those cases just to avoid trouble though. If there was no other way then I would run it.

Exactly what happened to me a few months ago. Only way I could let an ambulance thru was to go thru the red. Dick cop who was following the ambulance puls me over and tries to ticket me. I tell dickhead that YOU were flashing and honking me to move, so I moved. He was giving me crap then I said, um, dont you have an EMERGENCY to get to? Isnt that why you were blaring your sirens at me? He was pissed but let me go.

 

[TheVrolok]

I was running emergency just 2 hours ago and what's worse is when the light ahead changes (becomes red to me) and you can clearly see people in the perpendicular lane floor it to get past before they would have to yield to me, the emergency vehicle. I'm just waiting for someone to try to beat the emergency vehicle at the last second and have their car stall only to have the emergency vehicle broadside them and still be the emergency vehicle's fault.

 

[vshah]

don't a lot of emergency vehicles have the IR emitter thingy that turns the light green nowadays?

 

[BrokenVisage]

Why bump 2 year old thread? Just post in the new one on the subject.

 

[FDF12389]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
Why bump 2 year old thread? Just post in the new one on the subject.

Holy useless thread bump

 

[Tobolo]

No