Are vets allowed to break traffic lights or speed to an emergency , like an ambulance

Colash

Serious question here .

nuac

No

Victor

The vet could try to claim extenuating circumstances for mitigation, e.g. a bull running amok in a china warehouse, but they would most likely have to suck it up and bill the warehouse owner.

GerardKeating

Colash wrote: »

Serious question here .

Ambulances aint except from the rules of the road either.

jhegarty

Victor wrote: »

The vet could try to claim extenuating circumstances for mitigation, e.g. a bull running amok in a china warehouse, but they would most likely have to suck it up and bill the warehouse owner.

I presume however that a bull running amok in a school for blind orphans would be a better defence.

Zambia

jhegarty wrote: »

I presume however that a bull running amok in a school for blind orphans would be a better defence.

And the armed response unit had steak for tea...

Colash

GerardKeating wrote: »

Ambulances aint except from the rules of the road either.

Haha that's crazy I know that ambulance driver very well !!!! Jesus small world

source

GerardKeating wrote: »

Ambulances aint except from the rules of the road either.

A couple of things, first, it was a private ambulance not a state owned one (driver training and experience wouldn't be as good).

second, all emergency services vehicles are exempt from the rules of the road in the course of their duties, with the exception of dangerous, careless and drunk driving as per Section 27 Road Traffic Act 2004.

So for a Garda to pull over an ambulance running on lights and siren the manner of driving would either need to be seen as careless or dangerous.

coylemj

To answer the OP's question, the answer is 'no', unless he was driving or using a vehicle under the direction of a member of the Garda Síochána

Poster above quoted S.27 of the RTA 2004, copied & pasted below.

The sections of the 1961 act (as amended) mentioned are 49 (drunk driving), 50 (in charge of a vehicle with intent to drive while drunk), 51a (driving without consideration for others), 52 (careless driving) and 53 (dangerous driving). The various sections of the 1994 act quoted concern the procedure for taking breath, blood and urine tests if someone is suspected of drink driving.

27.—Requirements under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004 relating to vehicles and requirements, restrictions and prohibitions relating to the driving and use of vehicles, other than those provided under sections 49 and 50 (inserted by sections 10 and 11, respectively, of the Act of 1994), 51A and 52 (inserted by sections 49 and 50, respectively, of the Act of 1968) and 53 of the Principal Act and sections 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the Act of 1994, do not apply to a driver of a fire brigade vehicle, an ambulance or the use by a member of the Garda Síochána of a vehicle in the performance of the duties of that member or a person driving or using a vehicle under the direction of a member of the Garda Síochána, where such use does not endanger the safety of road users.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2004/en/act/pub/0044/sec0027.html#sec27

The_Valeyard

Victor wrote: »

The vet could try to claim extenuating circumstances for mitigation, e.g. a bull running amok in a china warehouse, but they would most likely have to suck it up and bill the warehouse owner.

Because the China shop, just wouldn't cut it.

Victor

coylemj wrote: »

To answer the OP's question, the answer is 'no', unless he was driving or using a vehicle under the direction of a member of the Garda Síochána

This tends to be reserved for serious situations (armed robbery, life and death) and would still be controlled by the dangerous / drunk driving qualifications.

IsaacWunder

Thread reminds me of this Fast Show sketch

slimjimmc

source wrote: »

A couple of things, first, it was a private ambulance not a state owned one (driver training and experience wouldn't be as good).

second, all emergency services vehicles are exempt from the rules of the road in the course of their duties, with the exception of dangerous, careless and drunk driving as per Section 27 Road Traffic Act 2004.

So for a Garda to pull over an ambulance running on lights and siren the manner of driving would either need to be seen as careless or dangerous.

You bring up an interesting point. The road traffic act doesn't seem to have a definition for "ambulance" so it appears not to distinguish between private and state ambulances. Is there anything that defines the "ambulance" referred to in the RTA as being only a state (HSE) ambulance? What about Red Cross, Order of Malta, etc, ambulances?

In the same vein, is there anything that defines an ambulance as being for persons only, not an animal ambulance (e.g DSPCA)? I don't expect an animal ambulance to have the same status.

source

slimjimmc wrote: »

You bring up an interesting point. The road traffic act doesn't seem to have a definition for "ambulance" so it appears not to distinguish between private and state ambulances. Is there anything that defines the "ambulance" referred to in the RTA as being only a state (HSE) ambulance? What about Red Cross, Order of Malta, etc, ambulances?

In the same vein, is there anything that defines an ambulance as being for persons only, not an animal ambulance (e.g DSPCA)? I don't expect an animal ambulance to have the same status.

I don't know, my point was in relation to driver training and experience of driving in emergency situations.

Edit:

It would appear section 27 was repealed and replaced with the below section from the 2010 Act.

87.— (1) Requirements under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2010 relating to vehicles and requirements, restrictions and prohibitions relating to the driving and use of vehicles, other than those provided under sections 49, 50, 51A, 52 and 53 of the Principal Act, sections 12, 13 and 15 of the Act of 1994 and sections 4 , 5 , 12 and 14 of this Act, do not apply to—

(a) the driving or use by a member of the Garda Síochána, an ambulance service or a fire brigade of a fire authority (within the meaning of the Fire Services Act 1981 ) of a vehicle in the performance of the duties of that member, or

(b) a person driving or using a vehicle under the direction of a member of the Garda Síochána,

where such use does not endanger the safety of road users.

(2) Section 27 of the Act of 2004 is repealed.

Still doesn't make the definition of an ambulance or an ambulance service any clearer.