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On the A7 a Police X5 with dogs in it is trying to get past a good half dozen cars on a windy stretch with no overtaking.
Pretty much no one did anything, tho he managed to overtake some of them (might have been a break in the double whites I didn't see). I was with a newly qualified driver and I suggested he keep to the left so the X5 could pass more safely (more than any other driver did I think).
In hindsight I wonder if we should have pulled in and slowed to 15mph at which point he could have lawfully passed.
WWSTWHD?
Pulled over to the side somewhere safe and stop like I always do for emergency services if they’re coming up behind
edit : Rule 219 of the Highway Code
Aren’t you meant to keep up with the flow of traffic and let the Services navigate around you?
ie: 50 in a 50 limit and all vehicles in a line with no gaps, means you carry on at the same pace unless an opportunity to pull in arises. Thereby making no abrupt manoeuvres or delaying the services.
White lines, double white lines, IIRC you can cross with one wheel over (ie allows you to overtake cyclists) but not two wheels... IIRC obvz.
double white lines can be crossed if travelling at less than 10 mph. That's teh rule for bikes and I pressume other slow vehicles. So I'd just slow down so they can pass easily.
I saw similar when an abulance was trying to pass at a red light, I'd move through to allow the ambulance to pass safely, regardless of the red light, provided it is safe to do so. Lots of people won't it seems.
Police drivers, in theory at least, are not allowed to cross solid white lines unless to pass stationary or slow-moving vehicles.
So they are relying on folk slowing down sufficiently or pulling over to proceed lawfully.
In practice, this restriction doesn't seem to trouble them much.
Police X5 with dogs in it
A novel solution to austerity.
If you can't pull over safely and there is a line of traffic and you are in the middle slow enough to create a bigger gap in the line, far easier and safer to overtake two separate lines of traffic than one longer one
Happened a few times to me on a busy, narrow NSL road and I decided was better to keep going (no pull-ins anywhere) so at least they were making progress. Some folks slam on the brakes and stop in the road, leaving the emergency services stuck.
Been a few stories of people pulling across a junction through a red light to let police or ambulance through, and they then get done. So rules of the road still apply.
Did once speed up to get clear of a motorway roadworks where no overtaking/pulling in was possible. I suppose I could've got a ticket, got a thank-you wave instead.
I think in that situation I would have slowed a little to create a gap in front of me and then slowed further and pulled right over to the side of the road when possible. Hard to say without being there tho
Obviously if there is space to pull over then do then that. If there isn't then it depends on the road. I tend to pull over a far left as possible and slow a bit to make it easier to overtake if there is a bit of width. If it's really tight then keep going at a reasonable pace until there is space although I don't recall that ever happening.
I would always indicate/hazards and pull over (mount the kerb if it'll help assuming there is one & it's safe). There must be very few busy narrow roads with no passing places surely. If nothing else, if you stop on a reasonably straight bit of road & the driver coming the other way is not a complete numpty, they'll stop as well & the police/whatever can overtake between you.
I’d move through to allow the ambulance to pass safely, regardless of the red light, provided it is safe to do so. Lots of people won’t it seems.
Because you're not supposed to. Three points, IIRC.
(Yes, I know it's madness, but here we are in the world of cameras instead of brains. It's far better to let someone bleed out than to trust an unrelated driver to judge whether they're putting themselves at risk or not by moving forward three yards.)
Here you go - relevant extract"If you are on a road which has double white lines, and the line nearest you is solid, maintain a safe speed and do not exceed the limit until you can safely pull off the road or wait until the white lines change priority, or end, then find a place to pullover."
https://northyorkshire.police.uk/staying-safe/road-safety/giving-way-to-emergency-service-vehicles/
Double solids strictly speaking emergency vehicles can't ignore they have read the same rules as normal traffic.
If it is safe to do slow right down or stop gently to allow them to pass. Not on a corner or blind brow please.
If you can't then stay traveling with the flow of trsffic.
Of course at times the emergency vehicle may judge they can pass you safely without you slowing down.
As for red lights. Please don't go through them if the emergency vehicle can't get through by going around you they will wait.
It is a relatively windy stretch of road.
If we'd pulled over it would have forced the X5 to cross the double lines.
We did leave a gap on from for him to pass into. It wasn't long before the double whites ended and he off like a shot.
Our ambulance training was sirens off and back off on twisty double whites. No legal exemption to cross solid white line beyond normal traffic law, progress is better and safer if everyone keeps doing 50-60.
If there's a safe area to get right off the road then I'd do that, otherwise I'd try and 'make progress' within the speed limits.
Undoubtedly there'd be some idiot driver who would just panic and stop dead...
Oh and leave a few car lengths gap between you and the car in front for when they have a chance to get by on a short non double white line section.
All of which has been covered tallpaul
White lines, double white lines, IIRC you can cross with one wheel over (ie allows you to overtake cyclists) but not two wheels… IIRC obvz.
Lots of people clearly think this is the case, given the ample evidence of the moronic overtakes I suffer when riding along sections with solid white lines.
“You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear” if they’re going less than 10 mph. (Rule 129)
*provided the road is clear*!!!!
"Police drivers may find themselves considering the contravention of signs and regulations where no statutory exemption exists. In each case, decisions on such matters rely on the professional judgement of the officer involved (linked to the NDM). Their decisions must be supported by the legitimacy of their actions based on operational necessity and the practical options available. Even where a statutory exemption exists, an officer must always give due regard to their driving manner and behaviour which should not put other road users or members of the public at a risk which cannot be justified" Police Driving APP link
Consideration, respect and common sense by all concerned is key 🙂
Wasn't Burnshot Road was it Al?
Kirkliston had a wee visit from the dog team yesterday, 3 busted and £100k haul of Class As!
Al - sounds to me like what you (your friend) did was exactly right.
As for red lights. Please don’t go through them if the emergency vehicle can’t get through by going around you they will wait.
Drac - do you train your drivers to sit behind another vehicle at a red light with the siren constantly on? There's an ambulance station near the office and they frequently sit behind someone for the whole light sequence blaring sirens. I recon 1/2 the drivers jump the light.
Problem is that most drivers have no clue as to what to do when they see blue lights. The scariest thing isn't the ambulance / police passing, it's the 15 numpties around who have slammed brakes on, swerved off the road somewhere random, driven onto the pavement...
Everyone assumes that the big bad policeman is going to arrest them immediately so they slow to ridiculous speeds - all the emergency services want to do is get past and now they're being held up even more.
I've got a lot of experience driving within police enforced road closures on cycle races so I've seen how they operate and also how terrified and stupid drivers become when faced with a motorbike police officer assertively pushing someone on a bit.
Last time I had an ambulance behind me on a winding stretch of double white road I just booted it. I could go faster than he could through the corners so it gave me a decent gap until I found a layby, pulled in and waved him through. Thankfully the road in front of me was clear and I had space to accelerate into. Done it once on a motorway too. Outside lane, overtaking at about 70 ish and a set of blue lights was coming up very fast. I just floored it until I got past the lorry I was overtaking then pulled in. Only got up to about 90 though. My car doesn't like numbers much higher than that.
Drac – do you train your drivers to sit behind another vehicle at a red light with the siren constantly on? There’s an ambulance station near the office and they frequently sit behind someone for the whole light sequence blaring sirens. I recon 1/2 the drivers jump the light.
I don’t teach driving but I do advise staff not to do that. Sadly there’s some who don’t use common sense.
I once had a police car behind me in a 50mph roadwork section. No place to pass so I just kept going faster. Bottled it at about 80 I think.
Another time I let a fire engine past just outside Jedburgh, heading South. I was then stuck behind it for miles with the blue lights going doing my head in. In the end I overtook it over Carter Bar and left it behind down the other side. My passenger was a policeman and he said it was ok 🙂