Discussions

sad. We were stopped on Rosser and 18th Street and there was a fire truck heading south bound on 18th. There was one car in front of them and she didn't notice the blaring siren, the honking and waving from other people because she was texting. When she did notice, she thought that it was quite funny. Someday someone she loves will be waiting for them and she won't find it so funny if someone does the same thing that she did.

Amazing, how self absorbed people are , the world revolves around them and their cell phones

What I don't understand is we have cameras on busses for people who don't stop. Why can't they put cameras on emergency vehicles and ticket those that don't move out of the way in a reasonable amount of time.

I dont disagree that people need to pay better attention but the camera thing wouldn't work.  
 
There are legit reasons to not move out of the way, and thats perfectly legal. If there is cross traffic at a red light and you cant safely turn right or off the road in a legal maneuver then you legally dont.  
 
You wait until its safe to move over and stop. On a road like 18th where there is almost nowhere to pull off if you arent at a back lane or parking lot or legal right turn, it can be hard to get out of the way.  
 
I know in this case the chick was on her phone and clueless but thats why they cant do the camera idea. Fire/EMS cant issue a traffic ticket, and the camera would need a wide enough angle to see the whole intersection and why the vehicle didnt move. Its time Fire/EMS dont have when on the way to a call.  
 
Its pathetic how many people wont move when able to do so safely but the camera idea would cause more headaches in the long run. Unless a cop happens to be there to witness the reason a vehicle didn't move, it would be fought in court and likely won getting away with it.

"There are legit reasons to not move out of the way, and thats perfectly legal. If there is cross traffic at a red light and you cant safely turn right or off the road in a legal maneuver then you legally dont. "  
 
That is incorrect. You are obligated to move out of the way for an emergency vehicle even if that means proceeding through an intersection against a red light. In other words, there are no legit reasons to not move.  
 
Driver's handbook, page 64 (emphasis mine for clarity)  
 
"When an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire or police), sounding an alarm and flashing lights, is approaching from any direction you must yield  
right-of-way by:  
•[b] immediately moving clear of an intersection if you are stopped for a red light or stop sign (If blocking the path of an emergency vehicle, you must proceed through a red light or stop sign with caution, to clear the way.)[/b]  
• driving as closely as possible to the right curb or edge of roadway  
• remaining stopped at the edge of the road until the emergency vehicles have passed  
 
https://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/pdfs/completehandbook.pdf

I once saw an ambulance driving behind a car for a solid 5-10 minutes, in the left lane. Yes, the right lane was clear, but the ambulance refused to go around. I'm sure they got the license plate number. But the ambulance was not required to move, the car was. The car did not.  
 
Yes, the ambulance could've gone around, but I'm sure there are policies about that (because, what if the car suddenly notices and also pulls into the right-hand lane just as the ambulance does?).

I will make every damn effort to get out of the way, but if for some reason I can't do so without putting myself at risk then I won't. I will get out of the way as quickly as possible, but if there is a clear hazard to my doing so then I will take the few moments necessary to wait until things clear. Law or not, I'm not going to get t-boned by a semi coming through an intersection to save an ambulance five or ten seconds.

There is a middle ground between complying with the law and taking unreasonable risk, it's not an either/or proposition.  
 
The rules state, "you must proceed through a red light or stop sign with caution, to clear the way." The "caution" suggests you simply don't plow into the intersection in the path of an oncoming semi, but if the cross traffic is slowing and/or stopping in response to the lights and siren, you may proceed.  
 
We're not talking about the 5 seconds it might take you to proceed with caution, but the misconception that you cannot run the red when clearing the intersection for an emergecy vehicle. This assumption is incorrect based on the current published information.

If its safe to go into the intersection at the red light i would if it came to it.  
 
Im not putting myself and anyone in my vehicle is danger of causing another accident right in front of the ambulance or whatever. It doesnt say run that red light and play frogger with cross traffic.  
 
It says to safely enter the intersection or whatever to move out of the way. If its not safe to do so, ( 18th and vic during rush hour ) im not moving over until i can safely do so. No cop in their right mind will ticket that, if they saw you sitting there... they likely saw the cross traffic you didnt drive into and possibly cause another accident.

If you had paid attention to AbbysMum's post, it said "you must proceed through a red light or stop sign with caution". The definition of caution is "care taken to avoid danger or mistakes". If you are trying to clear an intersection and you get t-boned by a semi, then you aren't exercising caution.  
 
I've had to clear an intersection with a red light camera. I used caution and proceeded when I could. No ticket either.

My entire post was essentially agreeing with that line of what she posted. If it isnt safe to do so, im not doing it.  
 
And what is safe to me, might not be safe to you and vice versa.  
 
Edit: Did not see the second post from Abbysmum quoting Teacher as i was typing my comment during that time.  
 
Edited by Suckie, 2019-03-25 15:34:33

Common sense dictates you wouldn't put yourself in harms way to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle. Like common people. Going down 18th or on the highway it is double lane. Move over. At a red light if safe to proceed then proceed.  
https://youtu.be/8MpfC3mIvhs

Common sense would dictate lots of things. However, common sense seems to be in very short supply these days as a lot of people seem to be lacking it.  
 
Edited by ZachT, 2019-03-25 17:29:42

This always bums me out. If you can safely get out of the way, just do it.  
 
Whatever the technical regulations are, does it really matter? This is a pretty basic way to show common decency. If it's unsafe, that's one thing, the EMS driver wouldn't want you to be put in danger. If it's safe, move.

Driving North on 26th at Park. I'm the first car stopped for a red light. It turns green.  
 
I have my window open a bit, the radio is low and I'm not on the phone nor texting. I'm aware of my environment. I hear sirens and so I don't enter the intersection on my green light until I know what's up.  
 
Because I don't jump at the turn of the light; because I'm inconveniencing him/her, the jerk behind me leans and leans on his/her horn and gives me the finger - just as an ambulance, lights flashing and siren wailing, flies westbound through the intersection at a very high speed right in front of me.  
 
Impatient jerks in this world come in all colors.