Stopped at a red light, ambulance approaching behind me.

[Damn Dirty Ape]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: FDF12389

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Auggie
AFAIK, it's legal to SAFELY run a red-light to let an ambulance get through traffic.

Um no. Under ZERO circumstances are you to run a red light. If conditions won't allow you to pull to the side, you stay where you are.

I believe this is correct.

Ambulances turn all 4 lights red. If you're blocking the way, the intersection will be clear so you can get out of the way.

not anywhere within 100 miles of where I live..

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Damn Dirty Ape

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: FDF12389

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Auggie
AFAIK, it's legal to SAFELY run a red-light to let an ambulance get through traffic.

Um no. Under ZERO circumstances are you to run a red light. If conditions won't allow you to pull to the side, you stay where you are.

I believe this is correct.

Ambulances turn all 4 lights red. If you're blocking the way, the intersection will be clear so you can get out of the way.

not anywhere within 100 miles of where I live..

Lights used to turn green for the ambulances, but people started abusing the system. Making their own infrared remotes, following ambulances through lights, etc. They changed the system to make all 4 lights red then the ambulance just goes on the other side of the road to drive through an intersection. Thats how it is in the two towns I live in (college and home).

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot
I used to drive an Ambulance. Youre supposed to turn off the lights and sirens and wait for the traffic to clear in that situation. You're not supposed to make people move into lanes of traffic to get out of your way.

I noticed you said you used to drive an ambulance....with that advice I understand why....

 

[kt]

Originally posted by: Toasthead

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Auggie
AFAIK, it's legal to SAFELY run a red-light to let an ambulance get through traffic.

Um no. Under ZERO circumstances are you to run a red light. If conditions won't allow you to pull to the side, you stay where you are.

actually that's not true. There are LOTS of circumstances where it is okay to proceed through a red light when its is determined to be all clear.

yeah, and it is determined to be clear all clear when the RED light turns GREEN.

 

[daveymark]

Originally posted by: ironwing
Here's a fun one:

You're cruising down a rural interstate with very light traffic, basically just you and the ambulance you a rapidly overtaking. The ambulance has its red/white lights on. It is going 10 mph below the speed limit. You are going the speed limit. Is it legal to pass it and continue on your way or do you have to hang out a safe distance behind the ambulance? Yes, this happened to me. I passed it.

this was likely one of those old folk's home's ambulances, they're never in a hurry anyway.

 

[CRXican]

The driver handbook rule says pull to the right. You have some funky roads wherever you live.

 

[JulesMaximus]

In that situation I would just stay where you were.

 

[Chriscross3234]

It's questionable whether you could run the red light in order to get out the way. However, I think there is no problem making the right turn on a red light even if you had to cross over people in the furthest right lane, especially if all the traffic has stopped due to the ambulance.

What you did seems fine too.

 

[ViviTheMage]

you would have had to hope the people on your right or left would have moved further away so you middle guys could have moved.

worst case, stay put.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot
I used to drive an Ambulance. Youre supposed to turn off the lights and sirens and wait for the traffic to clear in that situation. You're not supposed to make people move into lanes of traffic to get out of your way.

I've been driving an ambulance for a few years now and there's no such rule about turning off all lights and sirens and waiting for traffic to clear. When I come upon an intersection that's red to me, I'll just swap from wail (or whatever I'm using at the time) to pierce or something else just so long as there is a distinct difference in the siren as well as using the air horn. I'll slow and proceed through the intersection if the cross traffic is safe.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Auggie
AFAIK, it's legal to SAFELY run a red-light to let an ambulance get through traffic.

Um no. Under ZERO circumstances are you to run a red light. If conditions won't allow you to pull to the side, you stay where you are.

You mean I can't turn right on a red light if it's safe to do so, or left on red light going from a one-way street to a one-way street?

 

[dbk]

too many straight lines in the picture - not the quality ms paint drawing we're all used to..

 

[Pandamonium]

The last time I checked, ambulance lights & sirens only legally "request" right-of-way. IE: if an ambulance "runs" a red and gets into an accident, the EMS driver is at fault. This may only be true in the St. Louis, MO area, since that's where I checked. The only situation in which you're supposed to legally yield right-of-way is if it's a cop.

 

[911paramedic]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: Slew Foot
I used to drive an Ambulance. Youre supposed to turn off the lights and sirens and wait for the traffic to clear in that situation. You're not supposed to make people move into lanes of traffic to get out of your way.

I noticed you said you used to drive an ambulance....with that advice I understand why....

That is the policy. However, if you see that an intersection is blocked by traffic at a light we normally cross over into the oncoming traffic lanes. (People tend to get out of your way when you are coming right at them.) But many cities do not allow you do do that, so you have to shut everything down and wait, or people, like the op, may run the light and get into an accident.

As soon as the light turns green, everything gets lit up again.

That was the huge problem on the Vegas strip when they planted all those plants and palm trees down the center, no more crossing over. Calls on the strip were a nightmare.

OH, op, just stay put next time unless you are in the right hand lane and it's legal to make a right on a red, that's cool.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: rudeguy
When in doubt, stay put.

I have always been taught to slow down and pull to the right. If I can't do that, I just stay where I am.

the law here says the same thing. Either pull over to the right or stay where you are so that the ambulance, police car, firetruck, etc, can figure out the best way to get around everyone.

People who stay put are the worst. I hate it when people just stop moving when an ambulance comes down the street. That's worse than doing nothing at all. Now all of these stopped cars are blocking the road.

you should learn reading comprehension.

I will repeat it for you.

pull over to the right if you can, otherwise stay still and let the emergency vehicle go around you.

That is the law here. No emergency vehicle here turns traffic lights red.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Originally posted by: Newbian
Roll down the window and ask them how much for some of the good stuff. 😉

Haha yeah this.

 

[RU482]

this is a pretty straight forward thread

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Auggie
AFAIK, it's legal to SAFELY run a red-light to let an ambulance get through traffic.

Um no. Under ZERO circumstances are you to run a red light. If conditions won't allow you to pull to the side, you stay where you are.

You mean I can't turn right on a red light if it's safe to do so, or left on red light going from a one-way street to a one-way street?

I live in NYC, you can't do anything at a red light but stop.

 

[mizzou]

I was in this exact same situation, except I had a median to my right and a car to my left and police car wanted me to drive into a red light. (blaring sirens and honking horn)

I drove into the red light, police car passed , and there I am sitting in the middle of an intersection w/ the red light looking like an idiot.

It was totally clear so I ended up just passing through the intersection, but I felt that was a very dangerous move of me to make and I thought the exact same thing

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: mizzou
I was in this exact same situation, except I had a median to my right and a car to my left and police car wanted me to drive into a red light. (blaring sirens and honking horn)

I drove into the red light, police car passed , and there I am sitting in the middle of an intersection w/ the red light looking like an idiot.

It was totally clear so I ended up just passing through the intersection, but I felt that was a very dangerous move of me to make and I thought the exact same thing

Damn, yeah. I had the exact same feeling, hence the thread.

I didn't expect this to grow in to a 40+ reply thread! Thanks for the advice guys, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something else that I should have done.

 

[mizzou]

Originally posted by: BeauJangles

Originally posted by: mizzou
I was in this exact same situation, except I had a median to my right and a car to my left and police car wanted me to drive into a red light. (blaring sirens and honking horn)

I drove into the red light, police car passed , and there I am sitting in the middle of an intersection w/ the red light looking like an idiot.

It was totally clear so I ended up just passing through the intersection, but I felt that was a very dangerous move of me to make and I thought the exact same thing

Damn, yeah. I had the exact same feeling, hence the thread.

I didn't expect this to grow in to a 40+ reply thread! Thanks for the advice guys, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something else that I should have done.

there's not much you can do IMO, if they want you to move you move because someone is probably dying. If you got in a wreck I would say it's the fault of the EMS driver and hopefully you get alot of witnesses or video cam =(

 

[Finalnight]

Why didn't ambulance flip the light to green?

 

[bobdole369]

As far as running a red light - with an emergency vehicle behind you and you are the only car blocking its way... While "illegal" to run the light - No officer in his right mind would issue a citation if you did it. If he did - no judge in his right mind would convict you for it. However I don't think it would work the other way round - If in doing so you got in an accident, the ambulance would not be responsible for your car. You are still the captain of your vehicle and you know darn well the light is red.

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: bobdole369
As far as running a red light - with an emergency vehicle behind you and you are the only car blocking its way... While "illegal" to run the light - No officer in his right mind would issue a citation if you did it. If he did - no judge in his right mind would convict you for it. However I don't think it would work the other way round - If in doing so you got in an accident, the ambulance would not be responsible for your car. You are still the captain of your vehicle and you know darn well the light is red.

hehe, captain... vehicle... heheheh

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ironwing
Here's a fun one:

You're cruising down a rural interstate with very light traffic, basically just you and the ambulance you a rapidly overtaking. The ambulance has its red/white lights on. It is going 10 mph below the speed limit. You are going the speed limit. Is it legal to pass it and continue on your way or do you have to hang out a safe distance behind the ambulance? Yes, this happened to me. I passed it.

Sounds like a recipe for an infinite loop