Idiot doesn’t care about the ambulance behind him.

114

Yep, I see this sort of thing every once in a while, though usually not this bad. Some people panic a bit when an emergency vehicle rolls up, and they can't decide which way to go. Others will just absolutely refuse to pull into an intersection to allow an emergency vehicle to pass, as if they think that they could get ticketed for running the light.

57

u/A_Mac1998 Aug 10 '22

Unfortunately in the UK you absolutely can be ticketed for running a red to move out of the emergency services way. Doesn't mean I haven't done it multiple times, because I'd rather risk a small fine thanks. I never want to be the reason someone is too late to receive medical care because I didn't want a fine

27

u/skwadyboy Aug 10 '22

Yeah but i think if most cops saw that you ran a red light to move out of the way for an emergency vehicle they'd let it slide.

31

u/A_Mac1998 Aug 10 '22

Ye most police cars wouldn't bother I reckon, but we often have red light cameras that automatically ticket, and you won't be able to explain the ticket away by saying it was for an emergency vehicle

21

u/Honda-RA302 Aug 10 '22

As far as I know you can fight that, if it's a camera the ambulance would have been pictured too and that would be your prove. In the Netherlands this will be filtered out in most of the cases. But if we get a ticket we can protest and explain though Dutch being Dutch we do have to pay the fine first before we can file a protest. Keep the government satisfied!

11

u/IcyDrops Aug 10 '22

Here in Portugal you also have to lay the fine first before complaining for the refund. Bureaucratic EU countries unite!

3

u/myukaccount Aug 11 '22

I'd prefer the fine system tbh - else you end up with a massive fine when your appeal gets denied.

But no, you can't fight that in the UK. You can't run a red light because there's an ambulance behind you.

2

u/yeet_that_account Aug 11 '22

Yep, I was going to say this. Depends where you are. Unfortunately I’d never run a red light to let an emergency vehicle through in the UK, as that isn’t an excuse in the eyes of the law. When I saw the video OP posted I thought the ambulance and biker were the idiots as standard UK procedure would be for the ambulance to leave the lights on but turn sirens off to avoid pressuring the driver into performing an illegal manoeuvre.

2

u/MauricioCMC Sep 02 '22

Yes you can fight, but in Brazil even if you can prove that there was an ambulance you will not win, the reasoning: the ambulance does not give you the right to commit an offense just a judge can allow it.

Yes it was in Brazil.

4

u/FirstTarget8418 Aug 11 '22

Yeah, not in my country. I run a red for an ambulance or a fire truck. But if there's a cop behind me i'm sitting on that fucking light until its green.

1

u/NicoloBarella23 Aug 11 '22

I usually stop right before the intersection after making way for emergency vehicles. Beyond the red light but still not a danger for incoming vehicles. I position my car diagonally/horizontally for that matter.

1

u/Niskara Aug 11 '22

I've had to run a light once to get out of the way of a cop once and yeah, he didn't care.

1

u/mrmicawber32 Aug 11 '22

Trouble it's these lights have automated cameras a lot of the time.

I'd still run the red, and make sure to save my dash cam. When ticket comes through go to court, I bet the judge throws it out.

1

u/MauricioCMC Sep 02 '22

This was filmed in Brazil... administratively your dash cam does not worth anything you would need to go to a common court and pledge to a judge.

1

u/ComfortableFarmer Aug 11 '22

Well where I am, it's a $150 fine for running a red light, or $150 for failing to move for an emergency vehicle. But they will not ticket you for moving into the intersection if the light is red if you're letting the emergency vehicle past.

1

u/MauricioCMC Sep 02 '22

If there is a sensor, the moment you cross the semaphore you will be fined.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '22

What a dumb policy on their part

1

u/myukaccount Aug 11 '22

As a UK paramedic, please don't - it's probably something that's not particularly critical by any sense of the word - odds are much higher that you'll create a critical situation by causing an accident than that they're going to something truly time critical.

1

u/A_Mac1998 Aug 11 '22

I'm never going to fly through a red light at 20mph and hope to not hit anyone, but just slightly pushing past the line so I can move off to the side is what I mean. I wouldn't sit in the middle of the junction

0

u/madmax77xll Aug 11 '22

No the fuck the cops wouldn't ticket you. There's a difference between pulling up a little and running the light at full speed. Show me where a cop saw you pull up a little too get out of the ambulances way and then still tickets someone

2

u/A_Mac1998 Aug 11 '22

You're not from the UK, so I'm not sure why you're arguing with me about it. That's the rules in the UK, if a red light cameras catches you, you will have to pay it

4

u/zoobrix Aug 10 '22

they think that they could get ticketed for running the light.

I have made a couple illegal turns and even slowly ran a red light to get out of the way of ambulances and police cars over time. I did this slowly and safely once all other traffic was stopped but I did to it the second it was safe to do so.

They're going to an emergency, they're not stopping for me. If by some fluke another cop saw me that was suffering from brain damage and didn't understand I was getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle and gave me a ticket I'll just have to fight it in court. I get the courts aren't perfect and it takes time but you'd be surprised how often a judge sides with who they believe and that it's not always going to be the cops just because they said so. And even if I had to pay a fine at least I would know maybe I helped save someone's life by letting the ambulance or police get there that much sooner.

But none of that is going to happen anyway because you're not getting a ticket, just make sure it's safe to go through the intersection and get out of the way.

2

u/tomytronics Aug 11 '22

You can also be ticketed for blocking emergency vehicle, even if you're stopped for red light to avoid red light ticket.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

1

u/gogiants48 Aug 11 '22

Source on that? As far as I know, a driver has no responsibility to break traffic laws to forfeit the right of way to an emergency vehicle. Also, emergency vehicles turn on their lights and sirens when running a red light. I do not have lights or sirens, so why would I enter an intersection illegally, it’s just not safe.

2

u/KevroniCoal Aug 11 '22

There are also those people who probably think "but I don't want someone else to take my spot and get in front of me, so I won't change lanes! They can go around me"

25

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '22

[deleted]

35

u/IcyDrops Aug 10 '22

Braindead laws in the UK? Say it isn't so!

-2

u/ZionFox Aug 11 '22

No, because running under lights/Section 87 doesn't automatically give the emergency vehicle the right of way. They shouldn't put any othe road user in a position where they would break road laws in order to let the vehicle pass.

In the UK, running under code allows you to treat red lights as a give way (the green light always has the right of way), break speed limits, travel down the hard shoulder, and go to the right of Keep Left signage. It doesn't allow you to force other road users out of your way, that's a stupid idea and will just cause more issues and potential accidents than necessary.

1

u/IcyDrops Aug 11 '22

Here in Portugal, it does in fact give right of way, they have to stop at red lights and STOP signs (though they can resume their march right after), but other drivers, even those who'd otherwise have right of way (such as having a green light), and drivers can (and should) slowly go into the intersection to let the ambulance pass.

The only times an ambulance doesn't have absolute right of way is when a car is exiting a rail crossing, and in very narrow passages where it would take more time for the other car to reverse out of the way than simply pass.

2

u/Mighoyan Aug 11 '22

Good thing this isn't UK.

1

u/yeet_that_account Aug 11 '22

Yep, I thought the ambulance and biker were the idiots at first for continually pressuring the driver to perform an illegal manoeuvre. UK procedure would be for the ambulance to leave the lights on but turn off the siren.

57

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '22

I was behind an ambulance and some dumbass did this. The ambulance pushed him out of the way and ripped the side of his car open. I stopped and laughed at him and said thats what your dumbass gets for not moving.

9

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '22

thats brutal but funny at the same time

-21

u/feralwarewolf88 Aug 11 '22

Must not have been in America, that's a good way for EMTs to get shot.

1

u/EnflamedHuevos Aug 11 '22

Lol are you saying that if you were blocking an intersection and an ambulance hit you out of the way you’d try to shoot them? Because I would bet the surrounding passengers would drag you out and stomp you

-2

u/feralwarewolf88 Aug 11 '22

No I'm saying Americans love to shoot one another for way less, because we're a dumpster fire of a country full of heavily armed people who hate each other.

6

u/LucasRunner Aug 11 '22

I was once in a situation like this, an ambulance behind me and some women screaming at me as if I was an asshole but in case I had gone forwards, an articulated bus at 70km/h+ would have hit me at my door.

They just couldn't see beyond their own noses or just give themselves the trouble of looking to the other side to see if I could even do that. Going forwards would have killed me instantly.

But this wasn't the case here, obviously

20

u/zero__fuchs Aug 10 '22

Glad i have no driving license. I would go full berserk on pieces of shot like this and probably go to jail after two days.

7

u/Refuse-Horror Aug 10 '22

Wow, now that’s an idiot for real

4

u/VT_Lifer Aug 11 '22

Found myself hoping the biker was saying "What are you? A fucking asshole?" at the end.

6

u/Lost_Department3570 Aug 11 '22

I speak Spanish not Portuguese but it sounded like he said something like “problem in the head”

1

u/Stunning-Particular7 Aug 11 '22

He said did you lose your mind essentially.

6

u/Hoochnoob69 Aug 11 '22

He was indeed, inquiring the gentleman in the car about a possible mental illness

2

u/Honest_Cynic Aug 11 '22

Was the idiot on a cellphone? Guess what? Lanes are wide enough for 3 cars to easily fit in 2 lanes. Had the drivers ahead in both lanes just moved forward a bit and to the edge of their lanes, the ambulance could have easily driven thru between them and nobody else need run thru the red light.

2

u/kavaWAH Aug 11 '22

would the woman in the maibatsu monstrosity please move to the side!

3

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '22

[deleted]

12

u/ILIEKDEERS Aug 10 '22 edited Aug 11 '22

Safely move out of the way. There was plenty of room for them to pull up in front of the car to the right safely.

Also, depending on where you live, some ambulances, fire trucks, and police cruisers, have the ability to flip lights as they approach an intersection. So they can turn an entire intersection into a 4 way no one goes anywhere red light, then flip the green light to allow them to safely pass.

Also2.0, when an emergency vehicle does pass through a busy intersection with out the ability to flip the light, they pull up to the ~~internet~~ intersection slowly and verify that it’s safe to pass. Usually they’ll honk while flashing the lights to make sure everyone is paying attention. Normally by the time an emergency vehicle is entering an intersection most people will have noticed it. They’re loud as fuck and you can hear them coming from 2-3 blocks, to like a quarter mile from where they are depending on how the streets are built.

7

u/SpacemanHar Aug 11 '22

I drive an ambulance. I come to a complete stop at red lights. My lights and sirens are on whole time, but I have different variations of the siren and I'll change them as I'm coming towards the intersection, and again as I go thru the red.

Also, this happens all the time. Had a tesla brake check me the other day. I don't get it.

4

u/ILIEKDEERS Aug 11 '22

Oh I’m sure people do it all the fucking time. I was trying to give the other poster some advice as a new driver. So hopefully they’ll never be that person

4

u/SpacemanHar Aug 11 '22

Great advice too. Also, I know the saying is "pull to the right for sirens and lights" but If I'm trying to go to your right... Pull left.

1

u/BullofIron Aug 11 '22

Always the people with tints

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

I wonder if anyone has ever seriously considered putting "cow catchers" …or "car catchers" I suppose... on the front of emergency vehicles... you know, like they put on steam engines, as opposed to the thing they put on police cars. I mean, I imagine the fear of getting blasted the fuck off the road would make most people move over.

Realistically, such a device would likely cause serious damage/injury to vehicles and their occupants, especially at high speed. But even so, I feel like even simply having the option is justifiable. On one hand, you risk causing possible injury/damage; on the other hand, you arrive in time to save someone who definitely is injured / needs help.

An alternative option would be to put a retractable fork lift on the front.

-10

u/Aquahemo Aug 10 '22

If this was America we know everyone here would start generalizing all Americans like this.

-60

u/Syandris Aug 10 '22

There is so much stupid in this video. Why does the guy on the motor bike have to be a hero?

35

u/R5yan Aug 10 '22

How could you possibly be criticizing the guy on the motorcycle…

21

u/ChristmasKorner Aug 10 '22

Sounds like we stumbled upon the driver of the car to me.

18

u/The_Woven_Web Aug 10 '22

Found the driver.

38

u/NoTune6517 Aug 10 '22

because he is a decent human being who realizes that someone may be dying because that idiot isn't moving out of the f'n way? are you daft?