Drivers who let an ambulance past could be fined up to £1,000 if they don't do it properly

Daily Record

2 days ago

If you don't know the rules of the road for when an ambulance approaches from behind, you could end up breaking the law and being fined - and it's not what you might expect
While most motorists are aware that they should promptly make way for emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights, the situation isn't always straightforward.
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However, drivers must be cautious not to break traffic laws in the process, such as driving in a bus lane or ignoring a red light, as doing so could lead to hefty fines. The same caution is advised when considering entering a yellow box junction.
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In addition to financial repercussions, certain offences, like running a red light, can also result in three points being added to your licence.
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A spokesperson from West Midlands Ambulance Service has offered guidance on the matter, stating: "If you are at the lights and can see an emergency vehicle behind you, stay where you are until the light turns green or the emergency vehicle has passed.
"Our teams are trained to safely navigate through traffic, sometimes using oncoming lanes or filter lanes."
"But when it is not safe, we will maintain a safe distance, turn off sirens but keep lights on, and wait until it is safe to move."
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According to the Highway Code, as reported by Wales Online: "You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens, or flashing headlights, or traffic officer and incident support vehicles using flashing amber lights."
The rules state that you must stop before the brow of a hill, avoid climbing onto the kerb, ensure you don't put others at risk and avoid emergency braking.
The Blue Light Aware website explains: "Of course, there will be times when there simply is no room for an emergency service vehicle to get past, or perhaps its crew are activated by their control room to respond to an emergency while they are waiting with everyone else at the traffic lights.
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"On these occasions, they know that other motorists are not allowed to 'jump' the red light, and the emergency vehicle would ideally not activate its sirens and lights until it was safe for the vehicle in front to cross the solid white line at the junction.
"On the (hopefully) rare occasions that a blue light vehicle, in 'emergency mode', is sitting behind another vehicle at a red traffic light, it's important to appreciate that it would be both very dangerous and illegal for the other vehicle to move across the solid white line."
Nevertheless, motorists who move beyond the white line at traffic signals are breaking the law and risk causing another collision in doing so.
Will I receive a penalty?
Moving past the white line during a red signal can lead to penalty points and a financial penalty, whilst also creating hazards for pedestrians and other motorists who don't anticipate a vehicle crossing the line.