Signal, Dammit!

[crazylegs]

I live right next to a main road - it's the main arterial route between [Here] and [Next Town to Here]. Subsequently we get an awful lot of emergency vehicles passing along here on blue light runs.

Here's a tip for all the fine folks who pull over for said emergency vehicles.

Indicate to say where you're going, and once you're there keep indicating to say you're staying there.

That is all.

[Cookie]

In the Southern US, they say if anyone is using their signal, it was already on when they bought the car and therefore means nothing.

[HYHYBT]

I've never heard of a situation where you're supposed to continue signaling after you've made your move. Can you possibly explain it better?

[crazylegs]

I've never heard of a situation where you're supposed to continue signaling after you've made your move. Can you possibly explain it better?

Sure

When the member of the public (MOP) vehicle has pulled over to the side of the road (whichever side of the road it may be) and is stationary, keep signalling so the the emergency vehicle knows you're staying put and that you're not about to randomly pull out in front of them.

Does that help any?

[noone]

Living in a college town, I got flipped the bird when I tried to cross the street. Apparently I was supposed to be able to read their minds and know they were turning, without turn signals. I hate people my age.

[HYHYBT]

Oh! Got it! Though I use the 4-ways for that.

[Summerfly413]

That makes me feel a bit bad. I usually never hear the sirens for some reason until they're really close, and they're coming very quickly, so I panic and just swerve to the side of the road and break really quickly(possibly hurting my breaks in the process). Even worse is when I'm in the left lane of a road. The whole thing just stresses me out.

I'm really trying to get better at it, but I can't plan to have an emergency vehicle on the road the same time I'm driving.

[Darkforge]

I'm really trying to get better at it, but I can't plan to have an emergency vehicle on the road the same time I'm driving.

Just try and check your mirrors more often, those blues and two's flashing is hard to miss, even at quite a distance.

It took me ages to get used to the ambulances around where i live now, but I now keep the radio a lot quieter and keep checking my mirrors almost to the point of paranoia because of them, its rare that I get to commute to or from work without having to pull over at least once

[HYHYBT]

ust try and check your mirrors more often, those blues and two's flashing is hard to miss, even at quite a distance.

Until, that is, you throw in curves on hills, heavy traffic, and lots of nearby intersections so you don't even know what street they're coming in on.

[crazylegs]

Just try and check your mirrors more often, those blues and two's flashing is hard to miss,

Um - the 'twos' part refers to the siren, the original Nee Naw sirens were two tones, and that was the only siren on the vehicle (whereas now there are several noises that a modern siren can make). Hence blues (lights) and twos (tones)

[Chromatix]

Yup. In rough order of history:

- Bell, no lights. Dates back to horse-drawn fire engines.

- Blue light with rotating focus reflector, two-tone air horns. (These are still banned on non-emergency vehicles, in the UK at least. Large vehicles are probably allowed a chime horn, but not a two-tone.)

- Rotating lights plus strobes, in lightbar and/or behind radiator grille, etc. Electronic siren, capable of emulating two-torn horns but adding several other attention-catching noises.

[crazylegs]

- Rotating lights plus strobes, in lightbar and/or behind radiator grille, etc. Electronic siren, capable of emulating two-torn horns but adding several other attention-catching noises.

A lot of emergency vehicles don't use rotating lights at all. The local ambulance service soley uses LEDs on it's new vehicles - The local constabulary is moving to all LED lightbars and the fire service is the same (with the exception of the rear light, which for some reason is sometimes a rotating light, bizarre).

The main users of filament lights (in this area at least) tend to be 'emergency' vehicles that aren't part of the statatory services - such as private ambulance firms and private fire fighting firms.

[Tithera]

One time, I was going down the main highway between the town I live in and the town my parents live in. An ambulance came screaming through. Now, everyone around here knows instinctively, as soon as you hear those loud sirens blarring, you pull over right away so nobody really has a reason to signal. Everyone in line moves as one. Swoop to the right, wait a few seconds after the vehicle has passed to make sure another one isn't right behind it, then swoop back onto the road.
Well, one time, an ambulance came up suddenly, having been just driving when they got the call apparently. We all got over failry quickly, except one. They kept driving, even swerving around the cars pulled over. WTF? Does the siren, the lights, and everyone else pulled over NOT give you a hint at what to do. The ambulance is going down the center line so they don't hit anyone and almost rearend into the dumby in the van. They honk, getting very pissed until the driver FINALLY notices that there is an ambulance right behind them.
Seriously? Is it that hard to figure out what's going on? They even had Ohio plates, Allen County (which is the area we're in). It is common knowledge. Literally 6 year olds know what to do when the hear the siren coming up to them on the road! I just don't know anymore.
The worst though is the cops that go screaming through without sirens or lights. Of course, this being a college town, we all know what that means. Drug bust. They can't have their lights or sirens on so they don't pre-warn the bustees. It can still be frustrating, but understandable.

[Andara Bledin]

Saw an interesting thing the other afternoon.

Got to an intersection where I was making a right, and the cross traffic light was just turning red. An unmarked cop car coming from my left (the near lane of cross traffic) flipped his lights on and flashed his siren for a short blast, and stopped blocking through traffic, which now had a green. He stayed long enough for 4 other cars that he waved through to pass, then turned off his lights and moved on.

I'm curious as to what they were up to as the only marked vehicle in the group was from San Bernardino, which is a good 75 miles away.

^-.-^

[Sandman]

Saw an interesting thing the other afternoon.

Got to an intersection where I was making a right, and the cross traffic light was just turning red. An unmarked cop car coming from my left (the near lane of cross traffic) flipped his lights on and flashed his siren for a short blast, and stopped blocking through traffic, which now had a green. He stayed long enough for 4 other cars that he waved through to pass, then turned off his lights and moved on.

I'm curious as to what they were up to as the only marked vehicle in the group was from San Bernardino, which is a good 75 miles away.

^-.-^

Funeral escort would be my primary guess, they might have gotten behind the group and the cop was assisting them getting on back.