• This topic has 47 replies, 31 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by DrJ.
Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 48 total)
  • Is it OK to overtake a fire engine on a motorway?
  • xcgb
    Free Member

    A couple of times now I have seen fire trucks with blues and twos on but they can only seem to do about 60mph, I have overtaken them but not sure what the rule is

    Anyone know?

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    Of course it’s OK as long as you don’t obstruct them.

    jon1973
    Free Member

    Don’t see why not, as long as you’re not impeeding it’s progress in any way. Can they go much faster than 60mph anyway?

    Dobbo
    Full Member

    It traditional to give them a salute as you go past, the same way you do when you go past army vehicles.

    xcgb
    Free Member

    It traditional to give them a salute as you go past, the same way you do when you go past army vehicles.

    Is that a mooning salute!

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I’ve done it once, I can’t see the problem. You are allowed to do 70mph, and travelling at 70mph wouldn’t slow down a fire engine doing 60mph, so why would there be a problem ?

    Dobbo
    Full Member

    I always to a tradional salute when I go past, the Ms Dobbo hates it!

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    I’m not surprised Ms Dobbo hates it – you salute like a Yank.

    Why can’t you do the British salute ?

    chvck
    Free Member

    It traditional to give them a salute as you go past, the same way you do when you go past army Eddy Stobart vehicles.

    xcgb
    Free Member

    I’ve done it once, I can’t see the problem. You are allowed to do 70mph, and travelling at 70mph wouldn’t slow down a fire engine doing 60mph, so why would there be a problem ?

    thats what i thought but it just seems wrong!

    Dobbo
    Full Member

    That’s much more like me. 😆

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    but it just seems wrong!

    Yeah I know what you mean. All the more reason to do it though – you feel you’re being naughty without actually being naughty. It doesn’t get much better than that.

    philconsequence
    Free Member

    as a general rule i chill out at 58ish mph on motorways, but i do enjoy overtaking police cars who have caused all the repmobiles to slow from 100 down to 69mph scared to go faster than the po po. sailing painfully slowly past at 71mph is childish, but harmless, and giving them a wave to get a thumbs up from the 5.0 always makes me chuckle.

    simple things please simple minds.

    Dobbo
    Full Member

    Your OK to go past the fuzz at 75-80mph, if by any chance you do get a tug tell them Dobbo said it was OK to do and point them to this thread.

    cobblers
    Free Member

    Yeh course it’s ok, just bear in mind that they may be attending an rtc on the same motorway.

    Our pump is incredibly slow, takes an age to get up to 60mph(yeh they do go much faster than that) and we are constantly overtaken, and yes its a little embarrassing. We have a new Scania arriving soon, apparently, these babies fly, hopefully.

    Gary_M
    Free Member

    Why does it seem wrong? I think the whole motorway traffic sitting behind a fire engine would be a bit stupid.

    jon1973
    Free Member

    Why does it seem wrong? I think the whole motorway traffic sitting behind a fire engine would be a bit stupid.

    Not wrong at all, but I do notice that if there is a police car driving in the inside lane at 60mph, generally people seem reluctant to pass, as the average speed of the motorway seems to slow down.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    “as a general rule i chill out at 58ish mph on motorways, but i do enjoy overtaking police cars who have caused all the repmobiles to slow from 100 down to 69mph scared to go faster than the po po. sailing painfully slowly past at 71mph is childish, but harmless, and giving them a wave to get a thumbs up from the 5.0 always makes me chuckle.”

    God you leave a dull life 😯

    DezB
    Free Member

    as a general rule i chill out at 58ish mph on motorways

    Middle lane, natch 😉

    jon1973
    Free Member

    God you leave a dull life

    I rarely go above 65mph on the motorway these days, makes the tank of fuel last a lot longer.

    sv
    Full Member

    Isn’t there something about not overtaking emergency vehicles as you could, at some stage along the road (slow traffic etc), impede their progress.

    yunki
    Free Member

    do whatever you want.. if it feels good do it..

    that’s the only rule that I use when driving.. 8)

    philconsequence
    Free Member

    lol i dont lead a dull life… i’m having more fun than the reps struggling to contain their anger at being stuck at the speed limit 😀

    middle lane only when overtaking dezzy, i’m a good boy!

    Dobbo
    Full Member

    Do you deny this is you then?

    derek_starship
    Free Member

    That’s Harry the Spider that is.

    You can just make out his blue M&S V neck.

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    58 isn’t too fast for you is it dear?

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Why on Earth would you not overtake?

    Dogs and cats, living together.

    taxi25
    Free Member

    Isn’t there something about not overtaking emergency vehicles as you could, at some stage along the road (slow traffic etc), impede their progress.

    A good point, the fire engine might be on the way to an incident which has blocked the motorway. By overtaking youd be blocking their access.
    I’d still overtake though, if the fire engine gets there first youd deff. be stuck 😯

    cobblers
    Free Member

    Better to be stuck behind a pump/fire engine than between it and the incident eh?

    BruceWee
    Full Member

    I posted the revised edition of the Highway Code in the other thread but it’s worth repeating.

    Emergency vehicles. If you hear and / or see an emergency vehicle approaching, IMMEDIATELY stop your vehicle no matter where you are. Emergency vehicles are designed to be able to swerve around you.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    it’s worth repeating.

    It is, I ignored it last time but that’s pretty good.

    rkk01
    Free Member

    you salute like a Yank.

    Why can’t you do the British salute ?

    Doesn’t it depend on which Service???

    mrmo
    Free Member

    Wrong post

    mildred
    Full Member

    Not wrong at all, but I do notice that if there is a police car driving in the inside lane at 60mph, generally people seem reluctant to pass, as the average speed of the motorway seems to slow down

    The Police will sit at 60mph on the track because its enough below the limit to allow folk to realise that its ok to pass. Anyone who wouldnt pass a Police car doing 60mph in the 1st lane, well, they’re just thick. If the Police want you to slow down – you will know about it.

    Orange-Crush
    Free Member

    ” Emergency vehicles. If you hear and / or see an emergency vehicle approaching, IMMEDIATELY stop your vehicle no matter where you are. Emergency vehicles are designed to be able to swerve around you.”

    I was told of somebody who had failed his driving test because he did not do this – seemed harsh to me given that the emergency vehicle was going the other way on a perfectly clear road. If we all stopped under those circumstances there’d be a few dented rear ends. But then the Highway Code is advice.

    v8ninety
    Full Member

    I was told of somebody who had failed his driving test because he did not do this – seemed harsh to me given that the emergency vehicle was going the other way on a perfectly clear road. If we all stopped under those circumstances there’d be a few dented rear ends. But then the Highway Code is advice

    Ummm, ah… never mind. There’s a GIF for this…

    Gary_C
    Full Member

    Ummm, ah… never mind. There’s a GIF for this…

    😉

    Lummox
    Full Member

    Hampshires trucks can easily top 70+ on the motorways, unless they’re the bigger heavier ones. It’s fine to overtake if you can do so safely, however driving up our arse as it’s a short cut through the traffic is a route to disaster!

    Appliance drivers have done an intensive advanced driving course that teaches us vehicle positioning and reaction skills, a slightly diluted version of the police’s, we drive anticipating everyone in front to do something stupid and they frequently do, but if there’s something behind us they may not be anticipating the same reactions and as you can imagine a fire engine is a pretty rubbish window.

    I know hampshire has had several pumps in the workshop straightening the rear ends out as someone has fancied a short cut.

    So in summing up, is overtaking a pump on blues on the motorway illegal? Not to my knowledge. Is it neccersary, only you can make that decision.

    Steelfreak
    Free Member

    Please tell me that Orange Crush isn’t loose on the roads in charge of a motor vehicle…!

    stevemtb
    Free Member

    When you really have to start worrying is when you realise that you’re catching the police (on blues and twos) that just passed you!

    Never happened to me of course.

    Very impressed though at the people on the motorway who manage to stay at the fuel efficient speeds, I always start out doing that, have too much time to work out the journey time and move up to cruising speed – 70mph.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 48 total)

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