WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Yes everyone must know what I mean, Emergency vehicles under lights and sirens means vehicles must give way but think again!!!!! I am starting to get sick of Perth motorists not giving a toss about emergency vehicles under call.

Just the other day I was in the passenger’s seat with SJA going from Madeley to Joondalup Health campus under P1 call, male with serious head wounds thanks to a piece of 4x2 wood. Approx time 4:15PM down Kingsway Road lights and sirens, car pulls straight out from a residential street made us go overtake.

Came to the Wanneroo intersection edging out slowly still southbound cars kept going until 2 cars got the picture and stoped for us ONLY for the 4wd turning right from Wanneroo road to decide to make a go for it cutting us off and making us slam brakes on, Horn blared and guess what Driver on the mobile phone. Registration was noted ï

Stretch wrote: came to Kingsley drive traffic lights red signal, car in front actually waited another 30secs for a green light then moved to the left lane.

That car was doing the right thing. It is against the law for a private veh to drive through a RED TCL even with an emergency vehicle behind them.

Yep, Though the car next to him reversed letting him to pull to the left.

rambler318 wrote:That car was doing the right thing. It is against the law for a private veh to drive through a RED TCL even with an emergency vehicle behind them.

This is one of those interesting grey areas and was covered on the "Road Rules" segment on 94.5FM one morning around a year or so ago.

A caller asked if moving over the white line to get out of the way was the right thing to do and, from memory, the police officer in the studio said that if it was safe to do so, then the best thing to do would be to move your car so it was giving a clear path to the emergency vehicle, but not getting itself in the way of other traffic and putting yourself in danger.

He also mentioned that if doing such a thing triggered a red light camera, then the camera would also pick up the emergency vehicle in the shot and favourable consideration would most likely be given in such a circumstance.

This is all from my memory, which isn't brilliant at the best of times, so some of the details might not be 100% accurate, but that was the general idea.

I know if I was the guy responsible for blocking an ambulance or police car going lights and sirens, and there was a safe and easy way of me getting out of the way, then I'd probably do so even if it wasn't strictly legal...

don't worry, believe it or not you get used to it... I think the biggest problem is people crap themselves.

I remember the first time i went to a p2 call we were at a set of lights and got approval... we turned the lights on about 20 seconds later and within 15 seconds of doing that we were stuck behind a car and the driver was in the middle of eating breakfast. didnt even bother turning into the left lane just watched us in the mirror. so we overtook using the left lane.

Believe it or not the driver worked at the courthouse next door.

the light was red the car cant go thru it the emergency vehicle must make its way past the vehicle.what i hate are energency vehicles who under lights and siren drive thru red lights at intersections and nearly cause accidents with oncomming cars as they failed to stop at the red light.The road traffic act states emergency vehicles must STOP at red lights and only procede if safe to do so

Yes, It is amazing what some people do whilst a vehicle with full lights and sirens comes up behind them.

Yet MR POI driving a stolen car can part traffic like Moses just using his high beam alone!

Walks.

It gets worse when you do county runs...

We had a P1 casualty we took from a teeny country town to Geraldton, child with ruptured appendix and no doctor on call from Moora to Gero...

We actually had a hoon in a monaro RACE US along the road outside Mingenew...he thought he was great when he beat us and pulled in front of us..tooting his horn and yahooing...and then slowed down to about 50km/h!

Needless to say we took rego and tracked him once we were cleared from Geraldton...wish they'd had the hoon laws in place then, he'd have gone.

Best part is he thought he was soooo good...but my driver was a Senior Constable who was also, at the time, a volly 2 ambo.

the road rules regarding emergency vehicles are pretty much ignored in the current teachings...my son and daughter were amazed that there was nothing about what to do when an emergency vehicle approached under lights and sirens in their tests or their training. They both said that if it hadn't been that both my husband and myself were Vollies and taught them, they'd not have known at all.

rescue10 wrote:the light was red the car cant go thru it the emergency vehicle must make its way past the vehicle.what i hate are energency vehicles who under lights and siren drive thru red lights at intersections and nearly cause accidents with oncomming cars as they failed to stop at the red light.The road traffic act states emergency vehicles must STOP at red lights and only procede if safe to do so

The law doesn't actually state that emergency vehicles must stop at red lights - I suggest you go read it! (Regulations 280 and 281 of Road Traffic Code 2000).

Having said all of the above in this thread, if an 'authorised person' or Police Officer DIRECTS you either orally or by hand signal to move to facilitate the movement of an emergency vehicle (even through a red TCL), then you must do so. If you don't, you're breaking the law.. and if you break the law in doing so, you're covered under the act as long as you were following a direction given.

It appears Ambulance Officers & Drivers are authorised officers under the relevant regulation (272(a),272(b), 272(c)) of the Road Traffic Code 2000, however the drivers of Fire Appliances are not (or at least I couldn't find a declaration stating such).

(for those interested, Regulation 271 and 272 of Road Traffic Code 2000).

I've been in a queue of traffic and an ambulance has come up to use the right slipway, there was one car in front that did what I would do, he moved forward and hard left as if pulling into a parallell parking spot. The ambulance proceeded through, and when the right turn arrow showed up he drove along his merry way. The way I look at it is, the fire truck might be going to my house or if it's an MPHR to a vehicle accident with a member of my family. The Police officer might be going to Burg or hostage situation with a friend or member of my family. The ambulance might have someone I care about in the back. Chances of all that are slim, but with the size of perth, it's possible. I would also if I was being threatened, trapped, having my home burn down, or badly injured hope that everyone else would move out the way so that the vehicles can come and help me ASAP. I think it's a matter of how you're taught, and who you assosciate. The only time I would remain in front of an emergency vehicle under L&S is if there was nowhere SAFE for me to pull over, and although it'd be illegal, if there's noone ahead of me, I'll increase speed a bit, so that they're not delayed anymore than they have to. (Would only do that because of emergency driving experience)

I've done a few P1 jobs in my time as an ambo, and find the hardest thing is cruising up the freeway under L&S, usually in the right hand lane, and then you come up behind a vehicle that is totally unaware you are trying to get past... When they see you, they brake suddenly, and usually pull to the left or right. It's like trying to be psychic and see which way they are going to go

had a phone call at work tonight apparntly one of our cabs cut a ambulance off while under p1 conditions ...... i spoke to the car he said he dont understand the problem

munchkin1981 wrote:had a phone call at work tonight apparntly one of our cabs cut a ambulance off while under p1 conditions ...... i spoke to the car he said he dont understand the problem

Does he understand english though?

not really just like 99.9% of the fleet

munchkin1981 wrote:not really just like 99.9% of the fleet

i can agree to that havin done security on taxi ranks