Driver behaviour when moving for emergency services.

[Strangely Brown]

What is it with people today? Does nobody know how to behave when they have an emergency services vehicle behind them?

Approaching a roundabout on the A293 this afternoon -https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8480764,-0.2090523,3a,75y,157.65h,77.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saZoGRlkTKj1OMvGwSwtNuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (there was less traffic than in the picture) - I see a police car on blues approaching from the far side of the roundabout. There is also a small Peugeot just leaving it and approaching me. The driver has clearly seen the police car in the roundabout behind them and looks apprehensive (chassis language). "You're going to stop in a really stupid place", I thought. And sure enough, as soon as the police car starts to leave the roundabout the Peugeot just stopped where it was. Of course, the police car now had nowhere to go apart from either stop or pass into oncoming traffic. Having anticipated the action of the Peugeot driver I had already slowed to a near stop some way short and the police car passed without needing to slow much and gave a grateful wave thanks on the way through.

What is it with people? Do they really believe that just stopping dead in the road is in any way helpful? Whilst I am quite sure that emergency services drivers are trained to expect such behaviour, I honestly cannot believe that it is what they want.

Perhaps Playtent could tell us how he feels about such things and what he would like to see people do to help him?

[akirk]

from the comments of friends who have driven police cars & fire engines on blues - they generally want you to keep moving, unless you can pull over out of the way - what they don't seem to want is to disturb the flow of the traffic... so slowing down to then stop awkwardly disturbs the flow both on the slowing down, and the stopping...

yet another thing not taught in the learner test...

Alasdair

[chriskay]

I've seen this sort of performance several times; some education is needed.

[Playtent]

The worst thing I see is on a dual carriageway, when the vehicle in the outside lane stops whilst your behind them rather than pull over to the left hand lane. Being honest, that does really grip my blowhole!

[Horse]

http://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/

Education is available.

[TheInsanity1234]

Well, I think the main issue is simply the fact nobody tells you what to do.

I remember being on the M4, L3 overtaking a train of 56ers (those people who drive along at 56 within a few cm of the car in front?) in fairly heavy, but fast flowing traffic, and I noticed blue lights in the rearview mirror, a short distance back, in L3.

So I just sped up until I was alongside a space long enough for 3 cars (plus braking distance for each car), and moved over in plenty of time. The person behind me in L3 then proceeded to floor it past me, and kept going all the way past this huge space. They were just going past the first car in L2 ahead of me when the police car went past me and caught up to the car in front of them. The car in question was just ahead of a car in L2 at this moment.

Now, the safest course of action would be to continue on, and maybe speed up a bit, then move over when safe... Yes?

Well that's not what they did. As soon the police car caught them, their first reaction was to slam on the brakes, then swerve into L2, causing the car in L2 to slam on their brakes.
I was at a fair distance behind the car in L2 because I usually follow quite a long way behind, and also because I'd guessed what would happen.

But I don't blame the driver in L3 wholly for doing something stupid in panic.

Mainly because during the whole time I was learning to drive, my driving instructor never once discussed what to do when encountering the emergency services on the road.

[akirk]

http://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/

Education is available.

very interesting, thank you - not seen that before, and very well put together.

Alasdair

[jcochrane]

Back in the '70s I was often in the Police Area Car for Clapham in London (do they still have Area Cars today) and cars ahead suddenly braking, on hearing the sirens, happened constantly. On the first couple of occasions it comes as a bit of a shock but not totally unexpected. It was something you very quickly got used to and became an "expected" (like approaching a green traffic light knowing the next thing likely to happen is for it to change to amber) which then made it easy to plan for.

[Adamxck]

Red lights seem to exacerbate the problem. You can see blind panic spread across their face in their rear view once they clock the blues behind them.

I understand the correct proceedure is to wait until the lights change, then get out of the way in the earliest appropriate place.

Some of the things I've seen are just plain dangerous, let alone causing further delay to the emergency service.

Its mostly panic i think, brought on by lack of education. Much like experiencing abs for the first time in an emergency.

[Horse]

IIRC, e-drivers are supposed to turn off the noise and lights if baulked by traffic at red lights. Not all do, which - understandably - causes drivers to panic while trying to be helpful.