By Samaritan - 19/01/2010 13:20 - United Kingdom

Today, I was given a ticket for running a red light. The reason? I was moving out of the way of an ambulance. The police officer watched it go by. FML
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Top comments

Lord_Farquad 1

Bribe him with a doughnut. If that doesn't work, file a complaint.

65 1

Comments

WONDERWB 2

Take it to court. They can't actually do that. Then again you aren't supposed to move if you're already stopped either.

5 1
FernandoTorres_fml 0

Don't worry, knowing that kind of police officer, he probably chased after the ambulance to give it a ticket too.

5 1
slimjim8094 12

Good! I drive an ambulance, so I know what I'm talking about here. If you're stopped, I know where you are. I'm allowed to go around you (into opposing traffic) and I have no qualms about doing so - unless people are moving all over the place. If I can't predict what's going on and where people are, I get nervous and slow down. I'm already worrying about the crossing traffic at the light *I'm* trying to run. I don't want to worry about whether the stopped cars will do something stupid, like run a red light. The only time you EVER move in that situation is if I'm physically blocked, like with a barrier on the center line. I'll tell you what to do in that case.

8 1
FernandoTorres_fml 0

There's no time to tell a car what to do when your patient flatlines. It's about getting there with enough time to stabalise his vital signs.

6 0
colonelduckie 5

The driver is not working on the patient, they could always honk...most people can figure out that would mean move.

4 0
RufusCade 7

The ambulances have different sirens for different situations/warnings. If you have one behind you and it want you to move out of the way, you WILL know.

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slimjim8094 12

Correct. I have a lot of options - maybe I'll rumble the ground itself, or simply sound like a train. If you're being stupid, I'll point you where to go. Either way, I'll make it clear what I want. But I don't want you moving unless there's no other option.

1 1
shooter308 0

Who cares about the patient. It's all about getting there safely. If the patient "flatlines", oh well. Can't do them any good if your dead too. Get in an accident and tie up the system with 4-5 more ambulances responding to your dumb ass that just wrecked.

4 1
lifeinhd 3

How come it seems that, whenever there's some debate going on in some forum, there always seems to be someone who claims to be an expert offering their opinion? Especially on a general-purpose forum such as this. If it were a forum about driving ambulances, then maybe I could understand, but this.... I don't buy that you are an ambulance driver, and you saying that adds no weight to your argument, as far as I am concerned. I'm a millionaire living in Malibu CA-- do you believe me?

0 7
slimjim8094 12

Whatever. Even if I were making it up (which I'm not), you can still verify my claims independently. I happen to know what I'm talking about because I drive an ambulance, but "knowing how to act" is not dependent on "driving an ambulance". Don't engage in ad homenims. Even if I were making it all up, you still would need to disprove my points.

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ohhoho 2

@16: the ambulance driver isn't the paramedic in the back lol. @59: useless post... Anything and everything can be fake just as anything can be real. Let people decide for themselves.

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Darkhumor 0

the driver isn't the one taking care of the patient, there'll be another paramedic in the back with him/her/it. Using your logic, the ambo driver should just drive himself into a tree cos that's the closest way - oh, how wonderful for the patient, not only is he dying, he's also now not getting anywhere near a hospital anytime soon

0 0
NotNegativeNews 0

People of all different occupations go on all different sorts of forums. This is a very popular site, it is very likely that someone from that occupation is reading the FML and wants to respond.

0 0
littlelemur 2

Props to you, slimjim, for knowing your logical fallacies. =) And your driving rules.

1 0
padlarf 14

I'm going to say YDI, because you call yourself Samaritan. You're not a samaritan if you move out of the way for an ambulance, you're just doing what you're supposed to do.

1 5
b1a2n3a4n5a6s 0

Such bull, FYL OP. My dad got a ticket for -staying stopped- at a red light when an ambulance came up behind him, sirens blaring and flashing lights, etc. He contested it and got it canceled because what the hell are you supposed to do? Drive through a red light and take a huge risk of causing an accident?

4 1
colonelduckie 5

It appears that this whole thing is a double edge sword. Your dad got in trouble for staying OP got in trouble for go (threw a red light)

0 0
nonameLiz 0

Turn up some NWA and yell **** THE POLICE!

0 0
duffs84 0

Bit of a legal grey area in the UK. I was under the impression that technically you should never run a red light under ANY circumstances, but that if you were getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle no police officer would arrest you and, if they did, the judge would throw the case out... until some bloke got a ticket and fine for doing just that a few months back. It made the national papers. I suppose slimjim's right. If the ambulance could get around you, even on the wrong side of the road, then it might be dangerous to try to get out of the way. But if there's a traffic island or something in the way of the ambulance then you've got to move. Obstructing an emergency vehicle is an offence too, and the traffic crossing the junction should slow down if they hear a siren, in case cars at the lights have to move. Each ambiguous case like that has got to be judged on its own merits, so appeal it if you can, and see what the court says.

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slimjim8094 12

I don't know about the UK, but you've got it. I can't really back up... so if there's a center island I shouldn't have gotten in the position to begin with, and instead taken the other side. But if I choose wrong, or don't have a choice to begin with (say, a long 2-lane road with a center divider) then I may instruct you to pull in front, towards the outside. You can tell the cops that. But this is so precarious, dangerous, and confusing that if I were in that situation I'd probably turn off my lights and siren, and wait out the light.

0 0
Houndourpup 0

Just another cop abusing his/her power.... Shame.

0 0
Bexicle 4

Yeah it is a stroke of bad luck that you got a ticket. But unfortunatly the law, dictates that if you run a red light even to move out of the way of an emergency vehicle then you can be given a ticket for it. Obviously you can contest it as court, but this does happen a lot.

0 0