YEILD! As in SLOW the **** down!

[IT Grunt]

Part of the problem here at least...is some emergency vehicles use their lights/sirens simply to get ahead of traffic. They'll put their lights on, force traffic to stop or get out of the way...and then turn their lights back off. I've seen it happen more than once--because of this, people think that the "emergency" isn't a big deal and won't move.

Unfortunate, but true. A friend told me once of a time he was driving along a country 2-lane road one night when a deputy drove up behind him. He was doing the speed limit, but the cop was right on his tail. The cop then turned on his lights, but after he pulled over, the cop turned them off and zoomed past. He was livid, and that deputy was sure lucky he wasn't able to get the plate number.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Unfortunate, but true. A friend told me once of a time he was driving along a country 2-lane road one night when a deputy drove up behind him. He was doing the speed limit, but the cop was right on his tail. The cop then turned on his lights, but after he pulled over, the cop turned them off and zoomed past. He was livid, and that deputy was sure lucky he wasn't able to get the plate number.

While I'm sure it's true that some emergency drivers will use their lights just to get ahead of traffic, just because they turn them off after they pass doesn't necessarily mean that's what they are doing. I have ridden in an ambulance twice where I didn't require a full-speed rush to the hospital, so they were not using their lights/sirens when we were moving along at the speed limit, but they did flash the lights when they came to the intersections to get through the red lights. I may not have been in a life-threatening situation, but I was still in pain and in need of medical attention. The first time I was in an accident and had hit my face on the steering wheel, but there wasn't much blood or anything, and the second time I was rear-ended by a car going 50 miles an hour and I was on a backboard as a precaution. They wanted to get there reasonably quickly, but it wasn't necessary to stop all traffic along the way.

-ams-

[Rahmota]

I'll agree about the sirens in songs and radio commercials. Alan jackson's third rock from the sun has a very realistic sounding siren that would usually make me jump wqhen I heard it.

As for the turning lights and all on to clear traffic zones then back off. There are situations where the officer has to respond in an urgent manner but not with the whole lights and siren package going from a mile away. One of them is when there is a wanted person spotted in a place or a silent alarm trip at like a gas station. The officer is supposed to respond with the l;ights and siren off so they have a better chance of capturing the person.

As for traffic controls and all Emergency services and law enforcement are supposed to be careful but urgent in their responses. Ie no dukes of hazard movie bust through traffic zones and interesections driving on the sidewalk civilians be damned high speed driving. However when they are running code they are exempt from normal traffic laws such as speed limits, and left or right turns including goign the wrong way on a one way. Whats really cool is some departments even have special remote controls in the vehicle that will flip the lights to green for them and red for you. (which is a felony for a civilian to even own one) So they can get to the emergency without being hamstrung as much as the european guys are. (Anythign more and meet me at fratching for that)

I know for certain that in cincinnati it is illegal to sue the police department if they strike your vehicle while they are running code. You will be ticketed for interefering in the duty of a police officer. Happend to one of the guys I worked with at the dealership. They where chasing a guy and an officer clipped my CW's car at an intersection as my CW had moved into the intersection before hearing the police over his radio. When he tried to submit an insurance claim his insurance company told them that since he was in an intersection in the way of a police car with its lights on he could not make a claim and when he tried to file a claim with the city they gave him a ticket. He never did get his car repaired.

[Reyneth]

Whats really cool is some departments even have special remote controls in the vehicle that will flip the lights to green for them and red for you. (which is a felony for a civilian to even own one) So they can get to the emergency without being hamstrung as much as the european guys are. (Anythign more and meet me at fratching for that)

My city uses those - and there are also little blue indicator lights mounted on the poles that go across intersections that hold the signal lights. When an emergency vehicle is headed in that direction, the blue lights begin to flash and the lights all change to allow the emergency vehicle right-of-way. When I figured out exactly what they were and how they worked, I was impressed and glad. Unfortunately, most of the other cities in the area don't use anything similar, causing people to get entitlement complexes and act like idiots and feel justified in doing it.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My city uses those - and there are also little blue indicator lights mounted on the poles that go across intersections that hold the signal lights. When an emergency vehicle is headed in that direction, the blue lights begin to flash and the lights all change to allow the emergency vehicle right-of-way.

I never heard of that. My town should probably have those...the police station, fire station, and first aid squad basically form the points of a triangle encompassing the busiest part of main street in the middle of town, which can barely handle the amount of traffic coming through there as it is, especially at rush hour. My town's been around since the 1600s and is the county seat, and the surrounding area is sprouting $500,000+ houses like mushrooms...the streets aren't that wide and there's plenty of traffic.

You also see cops from all over the county coming and going from the courthouse...makes you think twice about doing something stupid sometimes...

-ams-

[Primer]

If you don't know where they are but hear the sirens, by all means keep going but keep an eye out for them from all directions. If you see them though and they are headed your direction or will be crossing your path, PULL OVER.

1982, I was on my way to work at 8am. I hear sirens, but I can't see anything as I'm surrounded by BIG trucks. I'm coming up to a major intersection, and I KNOW there is an EMS station to the left, which is probably where the sirens originated. I have a green light, but as I still cannot SEE, I'm approaching the intersections SLOWLY. The dumptruck behind me, who CAN see, decides to try to beat the ambulance through the intersection....by driving through me! I'm in a 1975 Pinto....the ones that exploded when rear-ended....

My poor guardian angel has very frazzled wings, and a bent halo!

His bumper hit just ABOVE my gas tank, instead of straight on. I got whiplash, but drove that car for a few more years.

Of course, the dumptruck had no insurance, and in fact, the whole company up and left town shortly there after.

[repsac]

i dunno how itæs over in americaland, but here, the emergency vehicles, have to follow the traffic rules, yes, they can break the rules, if they're not endangering the public, so theoretically, you could be an ass, and make a firetruck stop when it usually whould have to yield, you're legally allowed to, but it is, as you demonstrate, highly frowned upon.

(my dad's a firefighter )

Depends.

As a general rule here, (most states have similar) emergency vehicles are able to do pretty much what they need to do in order to reach wherever it is they are going. The only real rules seem to be that they must be safe, and have their lights and sirens on.

Plus, if you get caught hindering ther progress, in some states you can be charged.

There was a case in Mississippi when I was in HS that comes to mind. A couple from out of state (I think it was New York) refused to move out of the way for an ambulance that was on its way to a wreck. The ambulance was detained long enough, being unable to pass due to the road lay out and other traffic, that when it finally did reach the accident; the victims had died. A following cruiser (police car) pulled the couple over, and the driver was later charged with murder two, depraived indifference.