What should I have done in this situation? Early evening yesterday, 7.30 dark and raining. Just collected my lad and coming North from Billingshurst, A29, which is a long straight single carriageway, mostly 60 mph slowing to 40 mph. Steady stream of cars coming South but North fairly clear. Became aware of fire engine with lights in a hurry behind me (thought it was ambulance at first). If I had slowed he couldn’t really have passed me with oncoming cars and I couldn’t pull over because there was no hard shoulder or similar. Conditions were poor and I was doing about 50 or so. I decided to put my foot down and ended up going faster that I would have liked so as not to delay him. Came to 40 limit and slowed from around 65 to 55 and then turned into quiet entrance at next roundabout to let him through. What would you have done and what if plod had booked me for speeding in a limit – he might assume I was just trying to be a clever sod – like the idiots that tail gate emergency vehicles. Opinions please? David.

 

If you had slowed to a stop, pulling as far to the left as possible then I find it hard to believe a fire engine would not fit down the middle of an A-road. The traffic coming the other way would move over to their left to create more space if they saw the blue lights coming. Don't know what the Highway Code says exactly but this is what I do even if it means putting 2 wheels on grass or ramping up a kerb to get out of the way. Suspect a copper would tell you that you should not put other life in danger by breaking the speed limit in order to let a fire engine past. In fact I'm pretty sure the fire fighters would not want to unnecessarily endanger life whilst trying to get to a fire ie driving right up your **** trying to push you faster than the speed limit.

The worst one I saw was two foreign birds walking down a shopping street in York chatting away leisurely. What they had failed to notice was that several thousand or so other people were all lining the street backs pressed against shop windows and an abulance with sirens and lights on was following them at walking pace about 1 yard behind!

 

I would have agreed with the above - but if there was really not enough room (I know there wouldn't have been on some A-roads around here, especially as they are MASSIVE vehicles) what you did was probably the best idea.

There was a section on what to do on some driving prog a couple of months ago ("Good Driver"?) and they said to carry on if oyu can't pull over as often people delay them by pulling over when there's not really enough room to do so. I think it would have taken a very unfriendly policeman to get you for speeding in that situation, especially as you weren't majorly over the speedlimit (I assume you were just keeping in front of the Fire Engine and hadn't left him miles behind! ) and you did pull over at the first opportunity - I probably would have done the same if I couldn't pull over.

Sleep easily mate!

Jen

 

David sounds reasonable to me.

From someone who is constantly amazed at peoples stupidity when pulling over to let me past I'd much rather they sped up and found somewhere safe and convinient to pull rather than stopping next to the following. Traffic island, Blind bend, stationary oncoming traffic etc etc. You would be very unlikely to get booked.

Nathan..

 

David - sounds like you did the sensible thing to me. Assuming you were unable to pull into the Little Chef, then I guess the next best thing to do is to pull over at the first safe opportunity. I certainly wouldn't have stopped on that road unless it was clear that there was nothing coming from Five Oaks direction and that the fire engine could safely overtake me.

Mark

 

Sounds ok to me. I have in the past exceeded the speed limit in front of an ambulance, pulling in at the first opertunity.

David

 

Come to think of it - if you let the fire-engine get very close behind before nailing it, they could maybe pick up a bit of tow in the slip stream, thus actually helping them out.

 

Sounds fair enough to most and I must agree that I think that the police would see it in the same way. However what happened if you did the same manouvre but got caught by a speed camera - somehow I dont think it would be as easy to convince the police unless the camera snapped a picture of the fire engine which it may well do if they are going as fast as you.

Must be kinda fun to see how many speed camera pics turn out to be police cars, fire engines, ambulances, doctors etc.

 

OK, my last post was a bit stupid but seriously....

What if the same approaching blue lights turned out to be on a Police car in a hurry.

Now you've got a real pressure decision. Do you still exceed the speed limit by 20 mph whilst it follows waiting for you to get out of the way? All the same principles apply, just your faith in the police is tested a bit further - I don't trust 'em that much not to just flick on the video camera and put a NIP in the post when they get back to the station.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Obviously you know the road well Mark and understand that overtaking with oncoming traffic on that stretch is not on. Anyway there could have been a 140 mph Cossie heading South...
Boost I don't know th3e answer to your point about a police car in a hurry. I guess I would have driven just slightly over the limit to be helpful but not overdo it. David

 

Having had plenty of experience of travelling in Fire Engines, I would say that the biggest annoyance that we came across on the roads was people seeing blue lights in their morrirs, and instantly pulling over, Fire Engines are heavy, they take a long time to stop, and a long time to gain speed again, therefore momentum is very important, so, I would have done exactly the same, we were constantly having to slow down and speed up, purely due to people stopping in front.
Ron.
ex-firefighter.

 

David
Just get out of the way, as I said you would be very unluky to get booked. We normally have far important things on our minds at that point.

Nathan..

 

David, yep I know that road really well and drive it perhaps two or three times a week usually after dark. Its a deceptively dangerous bit of road and because its so straight it tempts people to go faster than is perhaps appropriate. I think I'd have done the same as you, and as I said earlier, found a safe place to pull in. Definitely a stretch of road to look out for the 140mph idiots!

Mark

 

i done something the same a year ago for a jamer toped out at 1oo ish and they waved as they got past me as i sat in a feild entrance


garry

 

I think you did the right thing. I had a similar experience with a police car and a fire engine on a B road once. No chance to let them past anywhere, so I floored it. Made a good space between us and then pulled onto the verge a couple of miles down the road. I was a bit worried about the police car etc, but I got stopped at a random checkpoint about a week later the (same) policeman told me that while they appreciated the effort I went to to get out of the way I shouldn't drive like that all the time.

 

What is REALLY dangerous is the ***** who pull out and race through the traffic in the WAKE of the ambulance/fire engine without letting the other drivers resume in the order they originally pulled over in. You see this regularly in London and it never ceases to amaze me how selfish and downright stupid people can be.

 

A fire engine would rather you got the hell out of the way (by what ever means possible) than stop and potentially block him in (as many seem to do )

Thats from a mate of mine who is the driver for a local station.

So you did the best thing as far as he was concerned.

Whether the police would take the same view is open to debate though.

D

 

David (long time no speak)

Think you did the right thing, and exactly what I would have done.

 

Hi Markus - all the best M8. Two Markuses (or is it Marki?) on this thread and it's a Roman road - spooky!! David