Wanna beat traffic? Here's how

mikemac

Was walking home today around 5:45. An ambulance was overtaking traffic and went through two red lights. All the traffic pulled over and made it easier for the ambulance.

I was suprised to see a boy racer in a Civic driving inches behind the ambulance. My first reaction was cheeky b**stard as he was obviously taking advantage of the situation.

However, as I thought about it, it seemed like a great way to beat traffic.

Any boards members want to admit filtering traffic by following emergency vehicles?
I'd be interested to know if this an offence. Would a traffic corps guard do anything in this situation?

PowerHouseDan

Course its an offence how could it not... Its dangerous driving, but ambulance obviously can do this

5500

Maby he was with the injured party and following suit,Ive seen it a few times.

If not he was a cheeky git!

Cerdito

Bruce Willis does this in Die Hard 3. He needs to get across New York real quick to defuse a bomb or something, so calls an ambulance, then follows it.

drdre

i have seen it a few times like eireal said, but it is defo an offence an the person could be done for careless driving or something like that.and who ever does would be some cheeky a$$hole, as someone could be dying and they think its a joke:mad:

Gandhi

A few years back I saw a fella try (and fail) to do this:

Gandhi wrote:

One day I was sitting in a line of cars stopped at a red light. The sound of sirens is coming from behind us so everyone pulls over to the side to let a fire engine go past.

This one genius at the back of the line decides he'll be a rock star and pull out right after the fire engine, and follow it past the line of pulled-over traffic, thus leapfrogging to the front of the queue.

Problem was, he forgot to look to make sure there was not another fire engine responding to the same fire right behind the first one. There's this almighty whack as the forty-ton fire engine rips the side panels off his car. Then the fire engine had to stop as the cops were called and the mess sorted out. I passed by the same junction again twenty minutes later and the whole melee was still going on.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50651351&postcount=5

kippy

I would hope that he was with the people in the ambulance......other wise he someone should have called the guards on him........

drdre

Gandhi wrote:

A few years back I saw a fella try (and fail) to do this:



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50651351&postcount=5

so the lesson is never think you are superman, like this guy he thought he would be cool but it didnot work

comanche

micmclo wrote:

Was walking home today around 5:45. An ambulance was overtaking traffic and went through two red lights. All the traffic pulled over and made it easier for the ambulance.

I was suprised to see a boy racer in a Civic driving inches behind the ambulance. My first reaction was cheeky b**stard as he was obviously taking advantage of the situation.

However, as I thought about it, it seemed like a great way to beat traffic.

Any boards members want to admit filtering traffic by following emergency vehicles?
I'd be interested to know if this an offence. Would a traffic corps guard do anything in this situation?

Done quiet regularly in the states – called ambulance chasing (does exactly what it says on the tin)

quiet illegal also!

Mr Magnolia

eireal wrote:

Maby he was with the injured party and following suit,Ive seen it a few times.

I followed an ambulance at high speeds & through dublin city centre, but only as the injured party was a close relative. Other than that I'd never dream of doing it and it is a criminal offence, AFAIK the driver of the ambulance would generally report it back to base by radio and the Garda are called.

prospect

comanche wrote:

called ambulance chasing

I thought this is where lawyers pursue injured people in hospitals, and at accident scenes, so they can make a few bob from potential lawsuits?

zuutroy

prospect wrote:

I thought this is where lawyers pursue injured people in hospitals, and at accident scenes, so they can make a few bob from potential lawsuits?

Yeah, so did I

comanche

prospect wrote:

I thought this is where lawyers pursue injured people in hospitals, and at accident scenes, so they can make a few bob from potential lawsuits?

yeah you're right - do'h

RedBelly

I’ve seen it in limerick. The ambulance was going away from the hospital. so I’d guess the person was doing it to beat the traffic.

It’s a two fingers to people who are doing their duty to get out of the way of an ambulance to help someone who is seriously ill. You’d want to be shamless to do it.

Tango Alpha 51

Lads & Lassies,
As a serving paramedic with the HSE, I can tell ye that it is an offence to follow an ambulance like this. We always tell relatives not to follow us if we're transporting their relative on blue lights. It's dangerous enough for us let alone civvie drivers. Also bearing in mind the consequences if ye were to crash whilst following us. Ye wouldn't have a leg to stand on. I would, like my colleagues report someone if we noticed that they were doing this. Most people will listen to the advice we give them but you will always get the smart arse who's not related see us pass by & try & duck around the traffic.

Seth Brundle

Was escorted to the Coombe recently by a garda car in rush hour traffic. Read here...
Heading down the Naas Rd from the red cow in rush hour @ >80mph - happiest day of my life!!!

ciarsd

kbannon wrote:

happiest day of my life!!!

For the 'new baby' reasons, of course Kbannon

Traumadoc

could it have been a relative in the car behind??

mikedragon32

I've seen on two occasions a driver stay in FRONT of an ambulance on the M11/M50 to take advantage of the traffic clearing a path!

ballooba

mikedragon32 wrote:

I've seen on two occasions a driver stay in FRONT of an ambulance on the M11/M50 to take advantage of the traffic clearing a path!

I've overtaken ambulances on blue lights on the M1 a couple of times. They don't seem to go faster than 65-70mph.

galwaytt

oh, I'm sorry, I picked up this wrong, this is what I use....



or, occasionally, this....

KTRIC

galwaytt wrote:

oh, I'm sorry, I picked up this wrong, this is what I use....



or, occasionally, this....

Exactly, the only real way to beat traffic