You’re sitting at a red traffic light and the junction ahead is clear. Suddenly, in your rear-view mirror, you can see an ambulance bearing down on you with its blue lights flashing, its driver clearly in a hurry.
Surely the right thing to do is to drive forwards through the red light to create room for the ambulance to pass? Well, strictly speaking, no. Indeed, the Highway Code is quite against the idea.
If you want to avoid picking up a £1,000 fine by trying to do the right thing, then our guidance tells you all you need to know.
Interested in car laws? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
What’s the official guidance?
According to the Highway Code: “You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens, or flashing headlights, or traffic officer and incident support vehicles using flashing amber lights.”
The code goes on to say that you should not panic and need to consider the route of the vehicle to take appropriate action.
If you need to stop, the code suggests stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or a narrow section of road, while the emergency vehicle’s driver still has a good line of visibility.
The code adds: “Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb.
“Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you.”
However, it fails to warn of the harsh penalties you may face if you go through a red light or stray into a camera-controlled bus lane, which could land you with a whopping fine.
GEM Motoring Assist has just launched Blue Light Aware, which advises on how to help 999 crews.
When can I go through a red light?
In the eyes of the law, the only time you can legally go through a red traffic light is if directed to do so by a traffic officer. Otherwise, it’s an offence. Indeed, most emergency services drivers are trained not to use their sirens or lights in such situations.
Blue Light Aware says: “Of course, there will be times when there simply is no room for an emergency service vehicle to get past, or perhaps its crew are activated by their control room to respond to an emergency while they are waiting with everyone else at the traffic lights.
“On these occasions, they know that other motorists are not allowed to ‘jump’ the red light, and the emergency vehicle would ideally not activate its sirens and lights until it was safe for the vehicle in front to cross the solid white line at the junction.
“On the (hopefully) rare occasions that a blue light vehicle, in 'emergency mode', is sitting behind another vehicle at a red traffic light, it’s important to appreciate that it would be both very dangerous and illegal for the other vehicle to move across the solid white line."
Enquire now on a new car today
What about if I launch an appeal?
You can launch an appeal if you give way to an emergency vehicle, and where video footage exists this will be considered in mitigation of any claim brought against you. If, however, you are seen to clearly commit a traffic offence during the process of giving way, it will count as an offence, we’re afraid.
Surely, delaying an ambulance could mean the difference between life and death?
Chief executive of GEM Motoring Assist breakdown company, David Williams, said: "The difficulties come because it is not always clear what they are expected to do in order to provide the best help.
"As a result, too many members of the public are putting themselves in danger, breaking the law or risking damage to their cars while trying to assist an emergency vehicle on a blue light run.
"Emergency service drivers make 'blue light' journeys because someone needs their urgent help. We in turn can help them by giving them the room they need. In so doing, we maybe well be helping to save a life."
Where you can see its safe to enter a junction, you can do so to let the emergency vehicle through, but remember that traffic light-controlled junctions are controlled by lights for a reason, and it’s often that you can’t enter the junction safely without them being on green.
Test drive your new car today
