Blood bikes

apc wrote: »

Thanks for your response
This is where I have a serious doubt and where I would query whether Voluntary Groups such as river rescue units, blood bikes search & rescue mountain rescue etc not just Vol Ambulance units can travel under blue lights.
As you say the person driving is the responsible person and the person who will be prosecuted if they act outside the law, but I cannot see the Voluntary group being able to get insurance that will cover such an incident as the insurance would be very specific as to what cover it offers and would not offer cover outside of the law.
So I wonder what responsibility is there on a Voluntary organisation to ensure its members drive within the law and where does the responsibility/accountability within the Voluntary Organisation lie.

I think Voluntary Organisations should refrain from fitting blues and twos as it can give its members the impression they are something they are not and they may assume they can drive in a manner they are not allowed to.
Better safe than sorry

I understand where you're coming from, whatever discretion might be used by the Gardaí, the insurance companies are another matter. I guess there's loosely three groups:

1) Groups allowed to use lights and sirens, and have exemptions under the RTA - Gardaí, Fire, and Ambulance personnel, both statutory and voluntary.

2) Groups allowed to use lights and sirens, but without exemptions - Blood Bikes, Coast Guard officers, Prison service, Military police

3) Groups that aren't allowed to use lights and sirens, and have no exemptions, but use them anyway - vol. rescue units

The blood bike people should be okay as far as insurance goes as they are allowed use blue lights and one would assume the insurer knows that. If they speed or go through a red light that still shouldn't invalidate their insurance, any more than it does when a normal member of the public speeds or breaks a light. The apportioning of blame and liability to prosecution is also the same as a "normal" member of the public.

I would be worried for the likes of the rescue units which aren't meant to have the lights in the first place, I can imagine that might invalidate their insurance, just like not having a valid licence can invalidate insurance. Maybe they count as a Fire Service?