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Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:14 pm
by devonutopia
It's an interesting point would I have acted differently if an emergency "car" not an ambulance. In all honesty when I made my decision I suspect I hadn't really identified the type of vehicle it was so actually could have been a police vehicle. Looking back, as it got a bit closer I think I observed a bigger gap between headlights and blues than on a car so realised what it was by the time I was perhaps 200/300 yards from the garage. Also, the lack of closing speed made it apparent it wasn't a car (which I would expect to be driven quicker)

All very interesting points :D

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 7:58 am
by Horse
GTR1400MAN wrote:
Horse wrote:
GTR1400MAN wrote:Do any ambulances do much above 50mph?


I've seen the local paramedics out driver training under blues doing 80 along the M4 ;)

I was referring to the types of road linked to. ;) Not motorways. And were those paramedics in a box van or a response vehicle?


FYI It's South Central Ambulance, others may have different methods.

They have a range of vans, crew-cab 'Transit' LWB size. Also one with a 'box' back end. I think you'd find an ambo on a shout might be doing more than 50 where possible; )

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:40 pm
by crr003
Horse wrote:
crr003 wrote:Would you have made the same choice if it was a Police car?


As an aside, I've been advised that, when being followed by the police they see it as a sign of weakness if you stop on command. Instead, give them a good run for their money - they much prefer that!

That's biker rules isn't it?! ;)

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:03 pm
by crr003
devonutopia wrote:...Seemed the right thing to do to me. Wondering what others thought. I did technically break a law but is it much different to going through a red light?

This is the garage I pulled in to. If you go "backwards" for half a mile or so you will follow the section of road I took the above choice to accelerate to the petrol station rather than immediately pull over.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.70731 ... 312!8i6656

Did you turn left off the B3180? There were a couple of places to pull over (one road and some drive ways), but there were some double white lines too.
I'd have no hesitation about keeping ahead of them (ambulance/fire) till a sensible place - it's like being followed by a biker - they're fast enough in a straight line but they can't go round bends very well. ;)

There's the standard "what if it's your wife/daughter in the back" emotional rhetoric (because everyone's life is worth the same), but the flip side is the other standard "what if the incident they're attending is round the next bend"?
Doesn't matter if you're driving to limit points etc. but then we wouldn't need speed limits and it all gets a bit circuitous.

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:14 pm
by GTR1400MAN
crr003 wrote:...- it's like being followed by a biker - they're fast enough in a straight line but they can't go round bends very well. ;)

Image

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 7:26 pm
by fungus
Yes, Guy Martin was 30-40mph slower through the bends at Silverstone than David Coultard, and Guys pretty fast.

Nigel.

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 7:35 pm
by Horse
crr003 wrote:"what if the incident they're attending is round the next bend"?
Doesn't matter if you're driving to limit points etc.


Might be safer to use the Surprise Horizon ;)

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:22 pm
by Triquet
Well, blow me down if I didn't have the same thing happen to me this afternoon. Fortunately I saw the blues coming from a long way back and had the benefit of knowing the road, speeded up a bit and managed to keep a good few hundred yards ahead on a quiet road.

I had a hunch that the ambulance would turn right in the next village as that was the route to the nearest A&E. And he did. All sorted.

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:22 pm
by crr003
Horse wrote:
crr003 wrote:"what if the incident they're attending is round the next bend"?
Doesn't matter if you're driving to limit points etc.


Might be safer to use the Surprise Horizon ;)

The "Mind Driving" thing? Whatever happened to that?

Re: Interesting AD decision to share

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:53 pm
by devonutopia
crr003 wrote:
devonutopia wrote:Did you turn left off the B3180? There were a couple of places to pull over (one road and some drive ways), but there were some double white lines too.
I'd have no hesitation about keeping ahead of them (ambulance/fire) till a sensible place - it's like being followed by a biker - they're fast enough in a straight line but they can't go round bends very well. ;)


Correct - I had come up from Budleigh Salterton. I do have recollection of some driveways but at the time feel my decision making was a little rushed and I suspect the ambulance a distance back saw me dabbing the brake a bit to consider stopping after I first clocked it - however I must have decided it was inappropriate. Looking at the section now on google maps I see the large pull-in opposite the bus stop. I am sure with enough planning I would have used it, so assume it was at this point, I saw the blue lights for the first time and then the road became a solid line in the middle as it negotiated some bends. I see after this there is a grass verge that I could have slowed down and gone on, but I think on a cold night that was perhaps not wise. I also think in my head I knew the close proximity of the Esso garage, so had my mind set on that being my safe pull-in.

Now the big "what-if" - WHAT IF I was on an unfamiliar road and had no advance warning of the garage? :bash: I guess that's something to dwell on. Oh and if its make me any more angelic 60mph on the van's speedo is probably only 56 in reality :racing: