VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
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Ah yes... 5:30 in the evening - Southampton City Centre. It's dark and everyone is starting the journey to get home. Suddenly you see that flicker of a blue light in a mirror which then dissapears for a few seconds. Followed by that tale tale siren at the top of the road.
An emergency car is approaching. Brace yourself for the kerb-tastic carnage that is about to happen!
I glanced in my mirror at the frantically flashing Skoda Taxi that's letting me know about the car trying to get through about 10 cars back. Cheers mate - I have noticed.... A couple of seconds later I see the headlights dip as he slams on the brakes and smashes up the kerb - Stopping inches from a bus stop.
I check to make sure that the car is still around - It's about ten car lengths behind, sirens blaring and lights flashing. the abondoned Skoda probably delaying all the cars behind that are smashing up kerbs getting their cars as far onto the pavements as possible.
I look ahead, pick myself a nice gap by a dropped kerb outside Pixies Nursery and indicate. Pull over. I watch a bus do a similar monuvere. The cars between me and the bus are all smashed up kerbs, Indicators on, the galaxy infront is pretty much in a hedge allowing the emergency car to pass. Could probably drive a tank through the gap...
After 10 or 20 seconds, the car comes past at about 20mph and carrys on it's way, minding the cars littered all over the road stuck out at a 45 degree angle. I watch people on the other side of the road indicating and pointing their steering wheels at the kerb...
I indicate the other way pull out into the road. Stop and allow the Galaxy to reverse out of it's hedge and drive off. After I have finished laughing I focus on the events. Another emergency vehicle has passed in traffic.
Can't wait for tomorrow. 
Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
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BarnshaW
Member
Registered: 25th Oct 06
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lmao that was funny reading
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TomSBD
Member
Registered: 22nd Jun 06
Location: Spalding, Lincs
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random but good 
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Nick-S
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Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
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corsa_rob
Member
Registered: 22nd Jan 06
Location: Birmingham
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haha...i havent had to kerb mine...yet and dont plan to...is it just me or shud i really have to feck up my alloys that cost me a fortune just so they can get thru a gap easily??? :s i hate the idea of destroying a wheel lol...im sad:O
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ad-sport
Member
Registered: 16th May 07
User status: Offline
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random, true , funny
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RCoughtrie
Member
Registered: 31st Oct 04
Location: East Ayrshire Scotland
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so typical
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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i've never gone up a curb for emergency vehicles. the roads are wide enough round here for 3 cars so surely 2 cars pulled over (one each side) would allow enough room for the divvy driver to make a way through.
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Tom J
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Sep 03
Location: Bridgend
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i love the way some people try to get out the way but they actually make it even harder to get through. Also its awesome when a car is on a straight bit of road, waits for a corner, then stops so its impossible to see past them
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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I never ever drive up kerbs ever in the Astra, as you say you can still be out of the way and not lash your car any which way in a panic.
Was in the Land Rover the other day though and saw lights behind so I bounced it up the central reservation fully on the grass between some trees, then saw the ambulance had turned off and I was off roading on my daily commute for no reason. Mazin.
[Edited on 08-11-2007 by Ian]
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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nice chunky tyres ftw
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Hamish
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Registered: 4th Apr 05
Location: Ashtead, Surrey Drives: 100bhp Mint with Hole
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just as a point of interest, do you have to legally move out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle?
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Steve X16XE
Member
Registered: 31st Dec 06
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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When i was driving into the Town centre i saw some blue light a long way off then realised that it was a fire engine.
As we got to some red light i left plenty of room so the car at the front moves then the fire engine can go infront of me and go.
Light went to green and no sign yet. Car infront goes so i moved along to see him plow his car up a curb and jam me in the middle of the road (cheers).
I had to get past this guy and pull over further down the road coz this other guy panicked.
Oh it was fun following the fire engine tho
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Steve X16XE
Member
Registered: 31st Dec 06
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Hamish
just as a point of interest, do you have to legally move out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle?
No i don't think you do.
But i would always try to safely move out of the way.
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Tom J
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Sep 03
Location: Bridgend
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve X16XE
quote:
Originally posted by Hamish
just as a point of interest, do you have to legally move out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle?
No i don't think you do.
But i would always try to safely move out of the way.
Section 1 of the Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 creates an offence of obstructing or hindering fire, ambulance, coastguard, RLNI and other similar services when they are responding to an emergency. The police already have legislation, hence obstruction of a police officer in line of duty etc
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Steve X16XE
Member
Registered: 31st Dec 06
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
quote:
Originally posted by Steve X16XE
quote:
Originally posted by Hamish
just as a point of interest, do you have to legally move out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle?
No i don't think you do.
But i would always try to safely move out of the way.
Section 1 of the Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 creates an offence of obstructing or hindering fire, ambulance, coastguard, RLNI and other similar services when they are responding to an emergency. The police already have legislation, hence obstruction of a police officer in line of duty etc
I past my test waaay before that came out.
Good to know and i stand corrected.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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I didn't know about that either.
Strange one is that I've heard of people being prosecuted in the past for going through red lights in order to clear the way for emergency vehicles.
Could put you in a difficult situation.
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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My brother's workmate got a fine for running a red light in that situation.
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dannymccann
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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is it true if emergency vehicles cant get through they are allowed to bump their way through and u cant claim back costs or anything?? one of my family said that to me years ago when i asked why we were moving out the way for an ambulance
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a_j_mair
Member
Registered: 23rd Jan 04
Location: Scotland
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my ex was a copper, told me of a few times where a fire engine has had to just push its way through (literally)
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Hoddo
Member
Registered: 7th Nov 06
Location: Wallisdown, Bournemouth
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Hamish
just as a point of interest, do you have to legally move out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle?
well, imagine it was you in the ambulance? would you wany people to move then? 
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Planty02
Member
Registered: 5th Mar 05
Location: Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Ian
I never ever drive up kerbs ever in the Astra, as you say you can still be out of the way and not lash your car any which way in a panic.
Was in the Land Rover the other day though and saw lights behind so I bounced it up the central reservation fully on the grass between some trees, then saw the ambulance had turned off and I was off roading on my daily commute for no reason. Mazin.
[Edited on 08-11-2007 by Ian]
...and at Phil
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All Torque
Member
Registered: 17th Nov 05
Location: Milton Keynes Drives: Ford Focus TDCi
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Fire engines can legally ram you out of the way.
The last time an emergency vehicle passed me in MK I pretty much stayed on it's tail at ~50mph, I wish I could have overtaken it tbh
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Tom J
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Sep 03
Location: Bridgend
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Ian
I didn't know about that either.
Strange one is that I've heard of people being prosecuted in the past for going through red lights in order to clear the way for emergency vehicles.
Could put you in a difficult situation.
i think there is not being able to get out of the way (front of a set of red lights), people are not expected to go through red lights. EMS are trained to turn the sirens off and back off until it they are able to pass safely without putting people in danger, if the public were to be allowed to run red lights to get out of the way it could cause a bad accident. However if someone was intentionally holding them up due to ignorance/had somewhere to move to but just didnt bother then i'm sure they would be dealt with appropriately. Don't think theres been any case law on this yet
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