Go through red light on a junction or block fire brigade?

arleitiss · 11-11-2012 03:06AM #1

Hey, so long story short: If you are given choice:
1) Block fire brigade that's rushing to a fire (has sirens on) but don't break red light if you are turning left.

2) Don't block fire brigade, let them through but going through red and turning left?

I picked 2nd choice today, it was two lanes, I was in left lane and about to turn left but it was red light. I was first in traffic queue. A long queue on right lane and no cars behind me hence the fire brigade I assume chose the left lane to go through. I had a trees and high kerb on my left so I couldn't drive onto pavement or anything, so I checked right side quickly, saw no cars and went through and fire brigade went through. Wasn't sure what to do in such case.

I just thought that's a better choice because I saw same situation today morning when ambulance came up to traffic light and 3 or 4 guys went through red. Which would you consider correct?

TestTransmission · 11-11-2012 03:37AM

Option 2

arleitiss · 11-11-2012 03:41AM

TestTransmission wrote: »

Option 2

Can't I get a ticket for going through red? I mean if traffic light had camera (not sure if did) or would they see that I had a reason.

Voodoomelon · 11-11-2012 03:49AM

You did the right thing. Sitting still at a red light whilst an emergency vehicle is sitting behind is idiocy.

Wait til the road is clear and let them out, always.

unkel · 11-11-2012 03:50AM

arleitiss wrote: »

Can't I get a ticket for going through red?

You could of course get a ticket for that.

What's important though is that you did the right thing. Doing the right thing is not always the same thing as doing what's within the law. Fair play to you, sir

Edit - that melon beat me to it again :cool:

Voodoomelon · 11-11-2012 03:52AM

Always a minute behind!

arleitiss · 11-11-2012 03:58AM

The weird thing was:
Just 200 metres from that place I got flashed by a van. It was just a white wan saying Garda and no typical speed cam markings. Yet I was just 100% sure I wasn't speeding I was driving at around 50 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. I suppose I could've been driving at 55 km/h under an adrenaline rush for going through red (not used to going through red tbh). But I had one car in front of me, and 1 behind, it flashed when I was nearly in one line with speed van, would you say it was flashed to me? I was literally in pretty much one line with speed van when it flashed. What's the usual distance they flash at? Makes me paranoid now thinking that they saw that on camera and just took photo of car as evidence that I went through

Guess no way to check other than wait.

Marcin_diy · 11-11-2012 04:29AM

I think you would get ticket quicker for not letting fire brigade go when they are in rush then entering junction on red light.

Mc Love · 11-11-2012 08:30AM

Wasnt there a video on here recently enough of a car not letting an ambulance through at newlands cross? You did the right thing OP and if you see the video I am talking about, you will be shocked!

djimi · 11-11-2012 08:52AM

You get out of the way of emergency service vehicles in any way you can that does not pose a direct threat to your safety or the safety of others.

No Garda in the land will prosecute you for moving out of the way of a fire engine.

tuxy · 11-11-2012 08:57AM

Most guards are fine but there are a few bad eggs of course. Even the bad ones would not try to prosecute you for option 2.

Mr Simpson · 11-11-2012 10:24AM

arleitiss wrote: »

The weird thing was:
Just 200 metres from that place I got flashed by a van. It was just a white wan saying Garda and no typical speed cam markings. Yet I was just 100% sure I wasn't speeding I was driving at around 50 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. I suppose I could've been driving at 55 km/h under an adrenaline rush for going through red (not used to going through red tbh). But I had one car in front of me, and 1 behind, it flashed when I was nearly in one line with speed van, would you say it was flashed to me? I was literally in pretty much one line with speed van when it flashed. What's the usual distance they flash at? Makes me paranoid now thinking that they saw that on camera and just took photo of car as evidence that I went through
Guess no way to check other than wait.

Thats a Garda Speed Camera Van, its not connected to traffic lights. Theres only one or two red light cameras at the moment, they're at junctions with the red line luas.

ED E · 11-11-2012 10:29AM

OP I'm pretty sure any gard will let you off breaking a light if its to allow an emergency vehicle through, even the nastiest one on the force.

Marcusm · 11-11-2012 10:36AM

Marcin_diy wrote: »

I think you would get ticket quicker for not letting fire brigade go when they are in rush then entering junction on red light.

There is no contravention of the law by not breaking the light; however, the OP has broken the law by breaking the red light. He/she did the right thing by doug so (provided precautions were taken) but in the eyes of the law (rather than the Gardai) this is not a valid excuse.

EvannJS · 11-11-2012 10:36AM

Easy...if its safe...get out of the way. !!!

arleitiss wrote: »

Hey, so long story short: If you are given choice:
1) Block fire brigade that's rushing to a fire (has sirens on) but don't break red light if you are turning left.

2) Don't block fire brigade, let them through but going through red and turning left?

I picked 2nd choice today, it was two lanes, I was in left lane and about to turn left but it was red light. I was first in traffic queue. A long queue on right lane and no cars behind me hence the fire brigade I assume chose the left lane to go through. I had a trees and high kerb on my left so I couldn't drive onto pavement or anything, so I checked right side quickly, saw no cars and went through and fire brigade went through. Wasn't sure what to do in such case.

I just thought that's a better choice because I saw same situation today morning when ambulance came up to traffic light and 3 or 4 guys went through red. Which would you consider correct?

Armin_Tamzarian · 11-11-2012 10:37AM

Marcin_diy wrote: »

I think you would get ticket quicker for not letting fire brigade go when they are in rush then entering junction on red light.

Really?
I've never heard of someone getting a ticket for this.

OP, you clearly did the right thing.
There's nothing wrong with breaking traffic laws if there's a genuine need to do so and it's safe to do so.

S28382 · 11-11-2012 11:04AM

Yeah you definitely did the right thing i was at a very busy roundabout recently when an ambulance was coming up behind me with the sirens going and i had to drive up onto the traffic island to get out of the way and it was crazy the amount of cars that tried to get around the roundabout just as the ambulance was making its way onto it

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 11:12AM

Mc Love wrote: »

Wasnt there a video on here recently enough of a car not letting an ambulance through at newlands cross? You did the right thing OP and if you see the video I am talking about, you will be shocked!

Yes there was, and no shortage of the clueless drivers on that thread either, saying the driver could not avoid blocking the ambulance.

ScouseMouse · 11-11-2012 11:20AM

You did right! Get the hell out of the way, in a safe manner. No sane cop in Ireland would have a problem with that.

I have driven up onto the grass verge at times to let them through.

Fire Bridage vehicles can answer heart attacks, floods, fires, crashes and more. If it was you or yours, you would appreciate priority for them.

Up in Donegal Town a few years back, a guard brought up an engine driver for driving the wrong way around the diamond at 4am. He took the shortest route.

The guard must have been on something ! The judge threw it, and him, out of court with a flea in his ear.

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 11:25AM

superscouse wrote: »

Up in Donegal Town a few years back, a guard brought up an engine driver for driving the wrong way around the diamond at 4am. He took the shortest route.

The guard must have been on something ! The judge threw it, and him, out of court with a flea in his ear.

I wonder would the guard have done that, had his house been the destination of the engine.

Matt Simis · 11-11-2012 11:46AM

unkel wrote: »

You could of course get a ticket for that.

What's important though is that you did the right thing. Doing the right thing is not always the same thing as doing what's within the law. Fair play to you, sir

Some heads exploded thanks to that comment..

There are many here that openly claim the law is their moral compass, you "cant" do the right thing and technically break the law.

Henry Ford III · 11-11-2012 12:05PM

What did your qualified driver suggest you do OP?

frankled · 11-11-2012 12:06PM

robbie7730 wrote: »

Yes there was, and no shortage of the clueless drivers on that thread either, saying the driver could not avoid blocking the ambulance.

Yeah I was involved in that argument, the amount of people that thought the driver had no choice but to block it was scary.

eringobragh · 11-11-2012 12:07PM

Cormie posted up one a while ago , some cabbage wouldn't move out of the way of the ambulance At new lands cross

Edit beaten to it!

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 12:16PM

Henry Ford III wrote: »

What did your qualified driver suggest you do OP?

Im fairly sure some qualified drivers would advise sitting there, and not break the red light law

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 12:18PM

bluewolf wrote: »

Your qualified driver would have been able to advise you properly on this at the time.

So every incompetent driver seen on the road is unqualified then?

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 12:31PM

bluewolf wrote: »

This OP is unqualified, refuses to drive accompanied, and posts new threads all the time asking what do I do when...
So no, not every driver, just this one. That's the use of having an accompanying driver.

FWIW I would break the light in this case

I know what you are saying. But the driver did the right thing. Its possible that an accompanying qualified driver may have advised the wrong thing. Im not saying its a bad thing having one of course.

So im not saying having an accompanying driver is no use. An accompanying experienced driver can be helpful to any other driver at times imo, whether the person driving is qualified or not.

Bruthal · 11-11-2012 12:32PM

frankled wrote: »

Yeah I was involved in that argument, the amount of people that thought the driver had no choice but to block it was scary.

Yes, there are many that believe when they cant do something, that no one else can either.

arleitiss · 11-11-2012 12:55PM

As surprising it may sound, I had a qualified driver with me, it was my friend, he has his license almost for two years, it will be two years in about a month, but he was sitting in back and his phrase was: "**** IT, just go!". Which didn't sound too assuring hence I am asking here.

djimi · 11-11-2012 01:00PM

In fairness, would common sense not just dictate that you get the hell out of the way of an emergency services vehicle? Seriously, why does this question even need asking? Do you think you are supposed to sit there and block a fire engine?

Armin_Tamzarian · 11-11-2012 01:10PM

bluewolf wrote: »

This OP is unqualified, refuses to drive accompanied, and posts new threads all the time asking what do I do when...
So no, not every driver, just this one. That's the use of having an accompanying driver.

Well, at least they are seeking advice to improve their driving.

Go through red light on a junction or block fire brigade?

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