Ashley's Analysis | Ambulance Chasing Karma

[@Teobi1]

If this was a cartoon, the driver would fly through his windscreen, into the back of the ambulance, land on the bed and a drip would fall into his arm.

[@skoodledoo]

I think I love you

[@inyexai8394]

@@skoodledoo LOL

[@josephfrancis434]

Haha 😆😆 too much watching of Looney Tunes..?

[@Kylirr]

quality

[@EternalShadow1667]

*proceeds to happen irl*

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

As a member of the emergency services, and a trained emergency driver, I would like to thank you for posting this video. This is a VERY common thing, and what people may not be aware of is that modern emergency vehicles are covered in CCTV cameras, and these tailgating incidents are routinely reported to the police.

[@doncoleman4938]

@Kris Nicholson Failing to provide due care and attention by tailgating isn't a traffic offence in the UK?

[@yodaslovetoy]

@@doncoleman4938 I think its "failing to maintain enough space" aka tailgating and it is an enforceable offence in the uk but what kris is saying is that you can follow an ambulance as long as you do so safely and dont break any laws (eg. Dont speed, go through red lights, tailgate etc etc), something the twat in the video failed to do

[@doncoleman4938]

@@yodaslovetoy We had a public awareness campaign a few years ago about not following emergency vehicles too closely. The American "KEEP BACK x feet" stickers seem like a good idea.

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

@Kris Nicholson What the police chose to do is obviously up to them, but these kinds of incidents are reported. Not so long ago, I reported someone for filtering through traffic, not behind us, but actually in front of us, including going on the wrong side of the road past stationary traffic. I wasn't driving on this occasion, so was able to film the incident with my phone. The police certainly took action against that driver...

[@yodaslovetoy]

@@doncoleman4938 agreed, seems like an excellent idea

[@bmused55]

Blacked out windows, smoked rear lights, phat alloys. Definitely an "I'm the best driver in the world" type.

[@thetuesdaywhistler]

What the ambulance?

[@stoke9585]

@@thetuesdaywhistler the car…

[@iamlarsen7896]

That Seat model is always “pimped” like that when I see one. Seeing one that is stock is a rare experience.

[@blueninjanoname7338]

Seen more professional drivers drive badly.

[@cameronleehorace]

the 'I'm the best driver in the world but have no idea about stopping distances or anything about car control' type

[@oxide_fx]

Unbelievable. What if there had been a patient inside?...

[@oxide_fx]

@@Saucy-ws6jc Oh boy do I know what they're like, especially as a motorcyclist. But this is next level. Zero fucks given!

[@jdb47games]

Then he would have had to be even more patient.

[@tomsixsix]

@@Saucy-ws6jc In the UK at least, a blank traffic light does not automatically mean a stop sign. It means really very little - no one has any priority at all.

[@gorillaau]

I'd hate to be responsible for delaying the ambulance to getting to a critical patient. Grievous Bodily Harm by automobile?

[@sebby324]

They wouldn’t care there selfish pricks

[@mcxgrant8902]

Ig u could say, he didn't SEAT coming...

[@TheBoostedDoge]

Ffs lol

[@appleftw1232]

The joke is so chessy but I can't stop laughing

[@kevino2622]

Hahaha perfect

[@Keithbarber]

Sorry, I didn't hear it, can you seat again please?

[@gregoryashton]

AppleFTW123 chessy? Is that like with pawns and bishops and shit?

[@morphitt11]

Hi Ashley, I work for the emergency services as an ambulance driver and would like to thank you for highlighting issues experienced by us. I think the main issue is the lack of education on what to do when an emergency vehicle is on blues. It’s not really covered in driving lessons or on test, and seems that common sense is relied upon mostly. There can be an element of panic by other road users, particularly at red lights, it is a common misconception that you can go through red lights when an ambulance or similar is trying to progress, you can’t, it’s still an offence. Again thank you, perhaps a few more clips to highlight these issues

[@xkyleprivatex815]

ok

[@M7KKHAN]

U wana be a medic

[@blueninjanoname7338]

So it's okay for an ambulance to do an emergency stop like this?

[@stevenalderley9036]

@@blueninjanoname7338 Yes. As explained, it's an emergency vehicle which nobody should be anywhere near anyway from behind. Certainly not tailgating to that extent. The ambulance could have been about to miss his turning on the left or as explained, may want to take the turn in order to turn around. The car behind shouldn't have been there in the first place, he was committing the offence by following an emergency vehicle too closely and effectively driving without due care and attention. If you crash into the back of another vehicle, you are pretty much always at fault, because you should never be following at such close proximity to not allow yourself the time to stop should a vehicle slam its breaks on suddenly. If you are on the motorway and I'm sat right behind you tailgating and you suddenly slow down to change lanes or because of an obstruction up ahead..or whatever, and I come into the back of you, it's my fault, not yours as far as the insurance Company is concerned. This is especially true behind emergency vehicles which can be unpredictable and also as they travel at speed, but ultimately worth remembering that emergency vehicles have priority when using blue lights, at all times. Other drivers should clear the path safely and quickly and stay back until the traffic comes together again before proceeding. That's it. 100 million percent positive that the Seat will be found at fault for this collision.

[@blueninjanoname7338]

@@stevenalderley9036 while I agree you shouldn't be tailgating, as this is never a safe idea, I dont agree that its okay for an ambulance to slam the brakes just because it is an emergency vehicle who missed their turning, slaming the brakes is dangerous and it makes no sense to risk others because they missed their turning. But you're right in that people should be more careful.

[@stuartmcconnachie]

Maybe ambulance is going to the Premier Inn on the left, and didn’t realise that’s where the entrance is?

[@TheMichalkorejtko]

:D

[@stuartmcconnachie]

Andrew Norris Yep, I think you might have it.

[@phil6140]

I'm from the area and the entrance is after the roundabout. Also the left the camera car took the ambulance can get too from the roundabout ahead....they wouldnt be going to the hospital (queens medical centre) as that's in the opposite direction at the other end of the duel carridgeway. Also not sure if its relevant, but the road has only just turned into 3 lanes about 20 or 30 yards before the crash.

[@tyler4164]

@@phil6140 he was wrong to stop the way he did regardless of the reason.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

David Tyler no, he wasn’t.

[@JT-hp9jf]

Regardless of what the ambulance was doing the black car shouldn't have been chasing it. No reason for it.

[@ashley_neal]

On closer inspection, and after a couple of great comments maybe the Silver car didn't have hazard lights on and only had a left signal on? How does this affect the analysis? Is that the reason the Ambulance stopped suddenly? What do you think? EDIT:- I've had an update from the Instructor that sent in the footage. When he passed his video to the Police they seemed uninterested in taking this collision further as the Ambulances CCTV wasn't working at the time of the crash, but it was the day before! Seems a bit strange to me?

[@enriklomas5517]

well it would explain why the ambulance came to a sudden stop. Also the car, a Nissan Note (Add Vauxhall Agila's to the list) are notorious for being driven by folk of an 'advanced age' that aren't exactly switched on to the hazards on the road and general surroundings.

[@AvinashSingh-kw6oj]

Surely that can't be it as the silver car almost stopped and the Ambulance had lots of space infront of the silver car to undertake, which seems to be what they were doing before that moment where they came to an abrupt stop.

[@xKaarl]

I think because of the speed the ambulance was going and the timing of the poor indication the ambulance driver made split decision to stop just in-case that driver did switch lane. Although is there enough time to realise car is slowing and pulling into the right grassy verge? I'm not sure.

[@bulwinkle]

Does it matter? The idiot basically ran into a stationary vehicle.

[@xKaarl]

@@bulwinkle Robert Langford You're right it doesn't really matter at the end of it all the SEAT driver is an idiot. But why the ambulance braked like that is an interesting debate...

[@loc4725]

Agreed, absolutely dispicable. I would also add be careful when moving off after an emergency vehicle has passed - there may be more following and of course, muppets like this speeding behind them.

[@koolyman]

There's generally a lot of chaos in the trail of emergency vehicles, so one should wait for everyone else to settle in their right place and then be certain to move off. If they've done something daft, they'll probably do something dafter.

[@zaink7037]

Annoys me when people overtake cars which pulled over to give space for an emergency vehicle. People who have no patience when driving need to take public transport

[@stevenalderley9036]

@@zaink7037 Very poor driving to do that. Impatience tends to cause accidents sooner or later and often gets you there no quicker. Cannot count the amount of times I have been tailgated and overtaken and bullied on the road over the years or seen others suffer the same by impatient drivers who then park up one car ahead at the same set of lights five minutes later.

[@gravemind6536]

@@stevenalderley9036 Tailgaters hate me because the closer they get the slower I become until they either overtake me or are stuck going slower than before. I was driving down the A10 quite recently which has a significant number of accidents anyway it was a normal day normal conditions so I was leaving a 4 second gap from the car in front of me and this clown deciced to tailgate me so the gap in front of me became larger 6-7 seconds as I slowed down to compensate for them being too close aka I was doing their driving for them. Anyways there is a blind bend a quarter mile before a roundabout where traffic frequently piles up and the speed limit drops 10mph and has warning signs as soon as I went round the corner the car in front of me was nearly stationary and I used around a quarter of brakes to stop, numpty behind me used 75% going by the significant nose drop in the vehicle. If I hadn't done their thinking and driving for them they would have rear ended me the sad part is they probably had no self awareness and learn't nothing from the near miss.

[@jeremyperkins9110]

Agreed. Or you use regular mirror checks, pull over and a muppet overtakes you and then panics when they see what the issue is ..........

[@chuckabutty888]

As a retired paramedic of 36 years service I too had this happen on a few occasions, most of which was when we had to use the hard shoulder to get through the backlog on the motorway. We would hope that the police would be on scene before us as they always pulled these chasers in, made them wait until the incident was over and then book them. Strangely they never chased a police car in the same manner. Keep up the good work all you guy's n gal's in all the services, not forgetting you Ashley, your doing sterling work with all your postings.

[@phillipsiviter2024]

Only time I was following an ambulance was when one was rushing my mother to hospital - it quickly left me behind as I had to obey the rules of the road.

[@ed07722]

They would've let you off

[@jonathanemmerson115]

@@ed07722 I can confirm this is not the case. There is no excuse for following or attempting to follow an ambulance or any emergency vehicle while they are driving under emergency conditions.

[@googleuser-id4db]

If my mum is in the back of an ambulance that to me is emergency conditions, so I'm following regardless of punishment I'll serve my time once caught.

[@jonathanemmerson115]

@@googleuser-id4db Its emergency conditions for them, not you. You haven't been trained, they have. Attempting to follow is a very stupid and dangerous thing to do. If you do try and follow an ambulance when they are transporting a family member into hospital you're putting yourself, and the ambulance crew, as well as your family member in more danger. I can tell you for fact that ambulance crews are taught that if any member of the public attempts to follow when they are driving under emergency conditions, to just stop driving under those conditions, turn all blue lights and sirens off, and travel at normal road speed. So you would actually be causing your family member harm by stopping their obviously emergency transfer to a hospital......Good work.

[@googleuser-id4db]

Thanks for that I'll be sure to over take and meet them there then cheers.

[@chrisj9700]

One thing I’d like to add is the importance of maintaining a 2 second gap between you and the vehicle in front of you (4 seconds in the rain).

[@thecommission6662]

Exactly, the car following was tailgating & driving too fast.

[@andrewnorris5415]

@@thecommission6662 Likely because they thought if they leave too much of a gap another motorist might get in front. Nuts.

[@thecommission6662]

@@andrewnorris5415 Yep, they deserved what they got.

[@BruceDuncan]

Your timing is fortuitous. Just last week a member of the ambulance service was killed in a collision while on the job. Without making any assumptions about that horrible event, it is worth remembering that the emergency services are literally putting their lives on the line for us. Ambulances are heavy (require a C licence entitlement), being driven at speed in hazardous situations with startled and sometimes irresponsible road users around them. On top of all this, it's not always practical for the staff in the back to be wearing seatbelts, since they might need to be providing care to the patient.

[@ashley_neal]

I read that story. Very sad. Thanks for your comment. Ashley

[@dennisphoenix1]

Ambulances weigh 4.5 tonnes , so more than the current (since 1997) car licence class . Anyone born after 1980 would need additional training etc , it would be the old C1 entitlement.

[@coover65]

Australian one stretcher ambulances only require a car licence. Larger ones need an LR (light rigid) licence as they're over 4.5t. Our ambulances are set up so that we can do patient care while having a seatbelt on. Here's a photo taken from where the stretcher is pushed in, looing forward. d9lhxyivbnow1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/01045629/Byron-Group-Smart-Ambulance-Interior-of-hi-tech-new-Ambulance-AKP_6762-fcp1-604x270.jpg

[@123owenboy]

I can only imagine if there had been a patient in the back with a C-Spine injury. an impact like that could so easily paralyze someone. I'm an emergency response driver with the fire service people using us to get through traffic happens all too often. Either in front of us as we create space or following us through space, when it happens; we're trained to reduce our speed as the risk has now increased and we're responsible for the safety of all vehicles around us. It's disgusting and selfish that cutting a few minutes off a journey means more to some people than a genuine life threatening emergency.

[@raftonpounder6696]

Well if the driver of the ambulance was driving like that with a delicate patient on board, he needs sacked. What a ridiculous bit of braking for absolutely no reason.

[@Ethan-Schmidt]

@@raftonpounder6696 this ambulance in the video was just rushing to a scene to pickup a passenger

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@Ethan-Schmidt so why did he just slam on his brakes for absolutely no reason?

[@Ethan-Schmidt]

@@raftonpounder6696 bunch of reasons. They could have been following the directions wrongly. could have missed an exit.

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@Ethan-Schmidt true. Maybe meant to turn left.

[@paulfro1958]

Disgusting bit of driving that will have resulted in a valuable resource , the ambulance being withdrawn from use pending inspection and or repairs. Another unit would then have to be dispatched to complete the task of the now damaged unit. No doubt a Police unit would have to be tasked with investigating the collision. Also a senior member of staff from the Ambulance service may also attend. And then there would probably be reams of paperwork and reports to fill in, taking operational personnel time and effort that would be much better spent doing their jobs, out on the roads. That's not a swipe at any emergency crews, they are underpaid and often abused, but heroic and very modest people. I know more than a few of them,, i thank God that they do the job that they do, without any prejudice or malice for anyone. No matter who you are they'll respond when called. Where would we be without them? So in total a lot of much needed and limited resources are needlessly tied up because of this collision. I'm no Police Officer but surely this is an open and shut case of at least driving without due care and attention. I sincerely hope that all involved in this collision were unhurt.

[@xkyleprivatex815]

i think they are paid a reasonable amount to be fair

[@derekheeps1244]

DWDCA for sure with the car driver , but the Ambulance Driver also has a case to answer to .

[@cuckingfunt9353]

@@derekheeps1244 How do you get that ? .... The car went into the back. The ambulance was stopped at the time... What, the ambulance was supposed to see the car bombing up behind and do a bunny hop to get out of the way ? ...

[@seblewis6275]

1. I reckon the ambulance must have had a pretty much last second call to turn into that road that instructor in Notts was turning into. The Seat driver just assumed the ambulance would carry on. 2. If that had been a fire engine the size of a lorry, then the consequences would have been far more tragic for the driver of seat as idiotic as he was. 3. Another You Tube instructor, Drive Crawley, receltly pointed out that if you were to move into an operational bus lane to let an amulance past and you get a ticket you will not win your appeal. Let the ambulance use the bus lane.

[@fetchstixRHD]

On the note of 3, most annoyingly, there was a police car which was approaching me some time ago, with an active bus lane to the left. Decided to move right so that they could use it, but I don't think they read me and passed on the right of me anyway... oops

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

Thanks for covering this topic! So many people do this and we call it ‘drafting’. It’s incredibly dangerous and extremely irresponsible.

[@xkyleprivatex815]

ok

[@doncoleman4938]

Started as a paramedic here in Australia 21 years ago. I'm hazarding a guess that this crew were getting called to a job that's quite common here; "patient complaining of X, located on Y Street on the roadside in a dark car with their hazard lights on". Crew probably thought the job was further up the road, yet saw this one matching the description. I realize this crew is going to a job not on the way to hospital, but We can all tell a story or two of family members sitting right up our arses as we drive code 1 (lights/siren) to hospital. Even seen those following run red lights right behind us (only to be told as we triggered the red light camera, they'll get a traffic infringement notice).

[@JohnM...]

I DON'T think the ambulance crew is utterly blameless as this guy seems to think - basically ramming on their brakes when there's a huge space in front of them. He seems to give some people a positive benefit of doubt and others a negative one - pretends to be non-judgemental but then....

[@doncoleman4938]

@@JohnM... When we did our emergency vehicle driver training we had "Men in Black" drummed into us-MIB=Mirrors, Indicate, Brake. This crew forgot the Mirrors bit. When you're priority driving (We call it code 1, Brits call it Blues and two) you use your partner as a spotter too.

[@gravemind6536]

@@JohnM... If it flashes blue stay the hell out the way its simple people should be assisting them not hindering them and not using them to gain a speed advantage through tailgating especially an ambulance as it could have a patient in critical condition on board. Additionally following any large vehicle closely closes off all view of the road ahead so the idiot in the car will have no idea why the vehicle braked regardless of whether it should or not. I drive buses for a living I am bettering at noticing the presence of emergency vehicles and also making space for them despite having a vehicle 8.5ft wide and 40ft long, the average car driver is completely switched off and in their own world.

[@trueriver1950]

I'm not saying that this driver was anything other than you describe. However do bear in mind that sometimes a car following an ambulance is carrying relatives of the patient. If the car driver is unfamiliar with the area they may imagine the need to stay close simply to find their way to the relevant hospital. This is of course a dangerous mistake: they should get the area of the hospital from the ambulance driver before departing, and if need be stop and get directions if they get lost However despite it being a mistake I think it is an understandable one: and all of us can go into an irrational state when a loved one is in danger -- especially if we were present at whatever caused that injury

[@CalmingAnxiety]

I've been a paramedic 20 years and had this happen a few years ago, totally wrote off her lovely new car and practically no damage to the loading mechanism of our truck. Just beggars belief. We once had to stop at a junction on blues once due to the danger of the idiot trying to follow us through red lights.!!!

[@straighttalking2090]

I think the origin of the term 'Ambulance chaser' referred to news reporters following ambulances to get stories, 'scoops' and exclusives.

[@sweetcorn1968]

I recently had someone do tail gate my ambulance whilst on blue lights. I asked my crewmate to try and get a photo, if safe to do so. It was only when we got to the trauma unit I discovered the patient’s dad, who traveling with us, was an off duty police officer who had called it in by the time we’d arrived. I was asked to give a witness statement but never heard any more. Really made me smile. They should put this video in the middle of an episode of Love Island so more people can see it. All these things happen to us far to often.

[@DAFPvnk]

04:15 not only isd the ambulance off hte road, so are the paramedics. They will both have to provide details and fill out paperwork for the insurance company.

[@ItsAv3rageGamer]

The car in lane 3 looked to me like it had its left indicator on, as opposed to its hazards, which would explain why the ambulance suddenly stopped. Look at 3:49 and look at the silver car in lane 3.

[@xKaarl]

No. You can see the silver car had nearly come to a stop and had gone way right in that lane, almost on the grass verge...no intention of coming into lane 2

[@ItsAv3rageGamer]

@@xKaarl Left indicator is clearly on.

[@xKaarl]

@@ItsAv3rageGamer Sam Harrison yeah im not disputing that. Was it bad judgement/overly cautious from the ambulance driver as the car had slowed and gone further right? (look at the rear wheels over the solid white line)

[@Stettafire]

@Karl R It's am ambulance so it can do whatever it wants. Guys are expected to keep their distance.

[@aliboy357]

Fun fact as well coming from my ex-police driving instructor. Emergency Service vehicles technically aren’t given right of way by dint of their lights and sirens, nor are they entitled to run red lights but if on-call the penalties for jumping lights are waived unless there is an accident. The police at very least are considered at fault if they go through red lights and hit/are hit by a vehicle going through a green light. It is however considered good form to let them through.

[@atakd]

Emergency vehicles on blues and two can legally treat a red traffic light as a give way sign but cannot legally pass a red light at a pedestrian crossing.

[@ceefaxbbctv8788]

The way you said “despicable“ at 4:25 absolutely cracked me up 🤣

[@jgdooley2003]

Daffy Duck would have been proud.

[@Random_Tangent]

Not a fan of that driving technique, I’ve pulled over before and had to stay on the roadside while a few impatient drivers ride up behind the emergency vehicle like they’re being personally escorted.

[@PhilipBallGarry]

Then try pulling back into traffic when the ES vehicle has passed 🙄. When I first started driving in 1980 there was a kind of unwritten consideration that everyone would take up the position they were in before. Not these days, it's more of a "you snooze you lose" behaviour.

[@andrewnorris5415]

I have a mate who is a paramedic and oddly enough on a ride last week I heard him cursing a driver for not wanting to give us right of way and waving his fists (he was passing parked cars we were not). It turned out he was an instructor. My mate immediately told me they should know better, would not expect that from them. Wish I had a camera.

[@keith6400]

I try to get any passengers who travel with me to sy "BLUE LIGHT" as soon as they spot one or hear a siren. Next stage is identifying where and what type of vehicle. They rarely beat me to it, I say it in case they think my driving has gone strange. It helps with road safety and reduced prosecutions.

[@xkyleprivatex815]

😂😭😭

[@dndsmith1ify]

Top tip.

[@TheGrizzlybear456]

hi Ashley just thought id take this opportunity to thank you for the videos you make. I passed my test first time this morning at 10am in stoke on trent with 4 minor faults .i remember seeing you or one of your cars driving around when i lived in liverpool but never got a chance to get lessons with you at that time . Then i found this wealth of nearly 500 videos and they have been a massive help over the past few months , with clear , to the point videos on so many situations especially ones that aren't so obvious to learner drivers . Definitely the most knowledgeable and professionally minded driving instructors in liverpool and beyond. I reckon you should get a drone camera and take your videos to the next level!

[@paulfro1958]

Congratulations on passing your test. Drive safe

[@michaelmacdonell4834]

I saw a BMW right up the chuff of a Fire Engine in the middle of London. The Fire Engine had a vehicle pull out to take advantage of the traffic parting, so the anchors came on. It was almost comical watching the Beemer fold itself into a surprisingly small cube.

[@14LuvMusic]

Chris Martin EMS' videos are fantastic to see things from the emergency service driver's perspective, trying to figure out the best way through the traffic you can begin to get an idea how to act as a driver to help these people through; putting on a signal lets them know you've seen them and tells them what you plan to do, be aware of oncoming vehicles and how they affect your decision to pull over or not, that oncoming traffic have an obligation to help out too etc. More often it's better to stop out of the way and give them the space they need to go where they need to go, if it's the best route through the traffic there's every chance they can turn left at a junction from the right hand lane, and that their road position isn't always an indication of the direction they intend to go, so give them time and space and don't make assumptions.

[@philwhitworth6348]

Phil -- I use that road fairly regularly, it goes from 50 to national. With a problem when turning left where the driving instructor stopped of high speed vehicles following. Plus the ambulance driver may have wanted to turn onto that road, as it is a short cut back into Nottingham centre.

[@mattparkin7224]

At that point, they would have been better going left at the roundabout onto Loughborough road rather than take the turning

[@pogglefishii6807]

It doesn’t matter that the ambulance pulled up quickly in the middle of the road, it had its blues on. The whole point of the blues, after fulfilling their “get out of the way” function, is to warn other traffic that the vehicle is working in an emergency situation and therefore may make unusual or unpredictable movements.

[@stevenalderley9036]

Exactly. And the Seat would be at fault regardless as he is the driver behind and was tailgaiting.

[@32shumble]

I know two people busted for ambulance chasing - both were gobsmacked that anyone thought they were doing anything wrong!

[@kasimsultonfan]

Looks like the cammer may have been about to close the door on the Audi in lane 2. Unexpected from a driving instructor. Or maybe I've misread the footage?

[@ItsAv3rageGamer]

Someone could have been in critical condition inside the back of that ambulance, he could have killed someone.

[@PbThunder]

Sadly this is true, patients are strapped in but if a paramedic in the back is standing they're going to go absolutely flying and possibly be really hurt. In addition it's delayed the response time to the original 999 call, that could be someone having a stroke who is now out of their treatment window. What a shame.

[@animal79thecat]

probably a drunk

[@stevesmith7530]

From a response driver... 2:27 The small Nissan in lane 3 may be doing the correct thing. Their moving towards the offside along with the Audi moving left does suggest the ambo may well already be positioning for a lane 2/3 split. Impossible to tell really without a rear view showing the traffic behind. The ambo driver is sat higher up, and does not have their view blocked by the LGV 2 ahead of the camera car, so is already well down the process of planning their route through that junction ahead. At 3:02, with the black car in lane 3, it certainly does appear that the ambo may well have been running in 2 or the 2/3 split. 3:38, the heavy braking to standstill suggests they may well have wanted that left, approaching the major junction, nav system has said they need a left, and it's pretty normal to think major junction for that turn. Concentrating on the road rather than directions. This also lends credence to the idea the ambo was not running in lane 3, but was preparing for a left at the junction ahead.

[@edd6820]

Great analysis, cheers

[@Ade85]

Looks to me like the Ambulance wanted the left turn he had just passed and panicked by braking so harshly. There was nothing in front of him to make him stop so suddenly. Of course the car behind shouldn't have been that close to hit the Ambulance, but we are all guilty of driving too close at times.

[@markwright3161]

They could have been responding to a medical emergency in a vehicle sitting in the queue, were only given a general description of the vehicle and have been expecting them to be further up the road than they were, so came across it suddenly. Or a vehicle in the queue could have started to pull out in front of them. We don't know that they had no reason to stop and nor did the Seat driver. We're all guilty of following too closely in regular traffic occasionally, but obviously following an emergency vehicle on a blue light response is very different and something a regular driver should never be doing. No driver who follows an emergency vehicle like this has any idea of where it is going, and therefore the risk of an incident in doing so is extremely high in multiple ways. I was surprised to find out that there's no laws against people who pull out of traffic to do this. I know courtesy isn't a legal requirement but I think it should be in this scenario, but come under a different heading so that self-centered individuals understand.

[@Adam-xb8xh]

Are we all guilty of driving too close though?! I for one always keep my distance because I know that tailgaters are the worst of the human race for reasons exactly like this one, potentially costing lives for their own undisciplined impatience. Quite frankly it’s never justified to be driving close to someone, keep distance at all times and at all costs, because these situations happen at any point; no one (excuse my language) gives a shit how quickly you need to get to a destination, don’t be a dick and control yourself and your speed is my motto. So no we are not all guilty of it and anyone who’s is with all due respect, needs to analyse their life choices

[@Ade85]

@@Adam-xb8xh take a chill pill mate. How many times have you left the gap and someone has pulled into it meaning your too close suddenly? I wasn't accusing you personally of driving up someone's arse, but it happens and if you say it doesn't then you must be wearing a halo.

[@markwright3161]

@@Adam-xb8xh So you leave a gap of over 53 metres to the car in front when driving at 60 mph when the roads are dry, 107 metres in the rain and 536 metres in wintery weather, the distance covered in 2, 4 and 10 seconds at that speed, what's recommended? And what do you do when someone cuts you up? Keeping that distance at all costs is suggesting you will perform an emergency stop in that situation, which is the massively more dangerous thing to do than to follow 'too close' for a little while allowing a gap to open gradually. If you're able to see the road ahead (in front of the vehicle you're following), the significance of the gap isn't that important. This tool crashed into the ambulance because they weren't paying attention and accelerating hard to get past the black Golf, not because of their following gap. I don't think they even braked before hitting the ambulance, where if they were paying attention they could easily have got stopped in the space they had, maybe a little close to the ambulance, but they would still have avoided a crash. The real worst of the human race on the road are the phone users, drink and drug affected, otherwise distracted/inattentive and the 'always perfect' morons who claim they never make mistakes and think they're better than everyone else.

[@Stettafire]

which is the massively more dangerous thing to do than to follow 'too close' for a little while allowing a gap to open gradually" Uh... Dude, you slow down and make the gap open up, that's the point. If you NEED to do an emergency stop, ya need to do one. Else, you'll just smack into the dude in front, or hit a kid, cyclist, anything. Jesus Christ dude, don't ya go driving near my car, you hit me it's you paying the bill.

[@NicholasPadilha]

Here in Brazil, the ambulance car has a strong light that they enlighten to avoid those who try to follow them. That's a way. The light is very strong...

[@Pfillep]

Really? Is there a video? How is it called?

[@andrewnorris5415]

Also, like the way Brazilian Police deal with street robbers. Now if only they did that here in London. We are far too soft on the bad guys.

[@Masa6x]

@@andrewnorris5415 if you watch channeld like "active self protection" everyone in Brazil is either an off duty cop, a criminal or dead

[@flybobbie1449]

That is happening in the UK, the blue light are so powerful, when an ambulance passed me i was blinded for a few seconds, they were way too bright. LEDs are like lasers.

[@MR2perfectable]

There would be no one on board as both paramedics left at the front.

[@simonhool3073]

Arian Still a what if as there could have been.

[@capnskiddies]

Worse still if there was someone inside the paramedic would be unrestrained

[@doncoleman4938]

@@capnskiddies Don't UK paramedics have seatbelts fitted in the patient care seat? We're usually only unrestrained if we're doing CPR (rare in a moving vehicle) or grabbing something.

[@capnskiddies]

@@doncoleman4938 can't speak to it either way in the UK or Ireland. I just assumed it was too physical/mobile a job to be restrained in any meaningful way.

[@peacockealot]

Don Coleman yes they do have seat belts fitted and they generally will be seated while transporting a patient. If they need to perform something major the ambulance would pull over.

[@Denton1998]

Less than a second from braking to impact, this is why the 2 second rule should always be remembered everyone!!!

[@mrstudio5389]

not always . if youre paying attention and doing 20 mph you don''t need 2s

[@xblHumptyDub]

@@mrstudio5389 You might be paying attention and can stop in 1 second but the person behind you might not, and they will go straight into you. If you keep 2 seconds away from the car in front then it means you can decelerate slower which gives people behind more chance to also stop in time. Might as well do it just to save the hassle of being rear ended.

[@ianhill4585]

@@xblHumptyDub Good tip, I, where possible, leave a large gap, whilst stationary, to the vehicle in front, in case a car behind thunders up, if I see in the mirror, the speed of the car is excessive, I'll accelerate into the gap I've left open, to give him more braking room, which may save the back of my car, it's tried and tested, it generally works.

[@ElliottRodgers]

Paramedic I know and did some work with charity fundraising had an almost fatal crash. BMW Driver followed his FRU (on blues) through roadworks. FRU had to make emergency stop and BMW driver went straight into back of FRU. Lifted back wheels off ground. FRU slammed back to ground. Paramedic suffered massive injuries to his lower back, intestines, back passage etc. 18 month recovery.

[@christianos34]

Good analysis. Not sure why the ambulance braked so hard. But it highlights drivers who take the mick and follow way to close, just so they can get through traffic. Incidently, I know this stretch of road well and there are always drivers cutting each other up on the entrance to the roundabout here.

[@cecillouise3919]

I'd be curious to know why the ambulance stopped so quickly. Perhaps because of the driver on the right using their hazards? Maybe the ambulance was checking they were okay/not injured?

[@EinkOLED]

I think they may have decided to take the junction on the left as a shortcut.

[@EinkOLED]

@Kris Nicholson On an emergency call?

[@Stettafire]

@Kris Nicholson Nah mate, the ambulance proberly got a call to avoid traffic. Most of the time idiots are expected to keep their distance so it wouldn't be an issue

[@robertkustos2931]

My first thought here if I was behind the ambulance would be ,am I too close because I can't see past the high back end , second , all the traffic has literally stopped to my left , and third , the warning signs that there's a slippery road in 100 yards .. all these indications should have made that driver hang back .

[@mikel4663]

I love how this Nottingham ADI stopped just after the clearway end lol

[@Jack0Corvus]

Never understood why people do that, really. Why the heck are ye so rushed? In my country though, the ambulances have a far harder time getting through traffic due to almost constant traffic jam and people not (or can't) pulling over for them. There was a news article several weeks ago where one ambulance was so stuck, their patient died. The biggest issue at the time was that the traffic officer handling the junction IGNORED the ambulance with the sirens on, and held their side of traffic just to let the other side move. I doubt the officer would get any repercussion due to how corrupt this country is, but I hope one day he gets his comeuppance.

[@ianmush6278]

Jack Corvus which country are you from mate? Just curious

[@Jack0Corvus]

@@ianmush6278 Indonesia

[@andrewnorris5415]

While too many people are impatient in the UK (e.g. London and with cyclists), I'm glad to live here. Too many take the UK for granted.

[@leylandlynxvlog]

What you describe reminds me of Kenya.

[@akoola7853]

I had exactly the same thing happen to me. Car stoved into the back my ambulance while I negotiated traffic. What was astonishing though, the driver had a small child in the back seat. Wrote his car off on the wrong side of double solid lines and not a scratch to the van.

[@paulcollyer801]

My first though on watching this was why did the ambo stop:- Well here’s the most likely reason. They cover a massive area, and use a sat nav to get from point to point:- they may have thought they were turning left at the roundabout but were actually to take the road on the left. Now, another ambo has to come from where ever on blues & twos to get to the casualty.

[@alexg1778]

Imagine being that big of a nonce that you rear end an ambulance like this.

[@IamBerbatov]

Why is the person who sent the clip in trying to not let the Audi in? Petty

[@CatBroiler]

How astoundingly stupid do you need to be to chase an ambulance?

[@imark7777777]

And here I was thinking this is going to be about a lawyer, I guess you don't get those out that way?

[@MrAzzy1985]

Spot on analysis. I expect the ambulance driver was either unsure of the silver car's intentions, or their sat-nav was indicating a left turn and they weren't sure if that was the roundabout or the side road. "Blue Light Surfing" is one of the most dangerous bits of driving you'll ever see. I'm a police driver, and my force has a specific add-on section to the response driving course for responding in tandem or convoy - ie. when one emergency vehicle follows another - because most motorists (and cyclists, pedestrians and horse-riders, come to that) only ever look for the first emergency vehicle and once it has passed assume they can simply move back in without a full 360 check. If it's an increased risk for one fully liveried emergency vehicle with full lights and sirens driven by an additionally skilled driver to follow another, imagine how dangerous it is for a normal motorist to do the same. I've had to abandon a response run before because I had a motorcycle right up my backside - continuing would have risked the biker's life and I wasn't prepared to take that risk. The careless driving ticket was a poor substitute to actually getting to the incident I was supposed to be going to. Luckily, that turned out to not be too serious. A quick pointer as well - if you're sat in a traffic queue on a road like that and move out of the way of an emergency vehicle, consider leaving the space empty and staying where you are until it's time to move off again - there could well be more vehicles coming through. If you've seen Police and Ambulance coming through in quick succession, it is quite possible that you'll need to find space for a fire engine (or three) to pass you as well.

[@bdogplayz6984]

I tell you what.. GG to the guy/girl who designed the ambulance and its integrity.. the thing hardly budged 😂😂

[@jaseman]

The ambulance did suddenly brake unexpectedly. From what we can see on the video - there's nothing in front of the ambulance obstructing it. I think the Seat driver was relying a lot on what he thought was going to happen - the road was clear - the ambulance will continue forward and sail around the junction - he had no anticipation that it would suddenly unexpectedly stop. He probably took his eyes off the road ahead - talking to a passenger or doing something with the controls or stereo... looked up and couldn't react fast enough. I wouldn't say he was tailgating the ambulance because he only came into frame a little while after it stopped. He was planning to drive in the wake of the ambulance I expect. I wonder - did the ambulance driver check his mirror before he slammed on the brakes? I would say the ambulance driver is partially to blame. It's basically the same as a brake-check situation. Both were at fault - the Seat driver was going to fast towards the ambulance and not paying enough attention to react and the ambulance driver not considering that there might be someone behind that won't be able to stop when he suddenly applies the brake.

[@adampoultney8737]

Tailgating a blue lighting ambulance should be an instant year or two ban, crash or not. that is extremely dangerous, what if there was a patient on board or they were going to a life or death incident.

[@Popcorncandy09]

I work next to this road and the amount of crashes and near misses is unbelievable...people are just oblivious to other road users because they just want to get to work.

[@terrystratford1235]

Some drivers do panic when a situation out of the norm happens! I think it's important to point out the emergency services still have to obey the rules of the road and drive with due care!

[@scareneb]

Just checked and the black Seat has been SORN'd. Hopefully his shiny boy-racer car got written off from this xD

[@ajkpark]

sorry for my english, but I still dont know why the ambulance made such a hard stop ... I know, the silver car was signing the left turn, but it stabilized at right lane and stopped ... the light was turned on for all the time he was on the video. And suddenly the ambulance stopped aside of him ... I almost think the ambulance driver has stopped due to the tail-pursuer .... thx for patience with my language and for reply ...

[@qooqle]

Probably because they were meant to turn left, which wouldn't have been an issue if there wasn't an idiot following behind

[@DAFPvnk]

I usually dont get out of the way for Emergency services and have to keep on driving as normal. Because the size of the trucks I drive make it unusual to find a spot where I can actually move my truck out of the way. The irritating part is when people in front pull out of the way for it and stop because I still cannot get out of the way, they just block my truck in the path of the blue lights making it harder for everyone. So people need to pay more attention honestly when giving way to blue lights, as some other road users - cannot simply mount the pavement and be out of the way like car users generally do.

[@wirdy1]

Yep, baffles me too when folk panic stop & jam the road. The object is to impede the emergency vehicle as little as possible & this is often achieved by continuing but being conscious to allow the emergency vehicle past at 1st safe opportunity by pulling in or slightly slowing to allow a safer overtake.

[@stuartbaggs695]

Agree, fair karma, but why did the ambulance stop where it did?

[@MrSapps]

Likely because they needed to turn left at that junction.

[@Rhysbailey52]

@@MrSapps they might of got a command last second to go left

[@28YorkshireRose12]

@@MrSapps If so, it was a bad display of driving skills. The ambo was past the junction before he dropped the anchor! And, the ambo didn't signal a left turn - even in an emergency, emergency vehicles are required to give clear and appropriate signals where practicable. If you miss your turn, even in an emergency, you should carry on ahead then retrace your steps - better that the ambo is delayed than never to arrive at all.

[@28YorkshireRose12]

@@Rhysbailey52 If so, it was a bad display of driving skills. The ambo was past the junction before he dropped the anchor! And, the ambo didn't signal a left turn - even in an emergency, emergency vehicles are required to give clear and appropriate signals where practicable. If you miss your turn, even in an emergency, you should carry on ahead then retrace your steps - better that the ambo is delayed than never to arrive at all.

[@MrSapps]

@@28YorkshireRose12 The ambo being delayed means someone might die. None of what you have said applies when the blues are on! Thats what they are for - a HUGE warning about sudden stops, changes in direction, entering red lights etc etc.

[@Rhyd]

I don't think this is karma, that's an emergency vehicle out of service until its checked and repaired. Ambulances sometimes have to stop if they have a passenger that needs immidiate attention. After reviewing the second paramedic came out of passenger side so no one onboard luckily just another ambulance not going to their patient.

[@drinkupmeheartysyoho]

Considering both paramedics came out the front it's safe to say there was no one in the back. Just to add before you say anything, I am a nurse. I have ridden in the back of an ambulance. I do know what I'm talking about.

[@Rhyd]

@@drinkupmeheartysyoho I already edited my reply after looking at it a second time before you replied. Why would you assume I would try to correct you? I'm an idiot I've been in the back of an ambulance enough to know that there was no one in the back after rewatching the video

[@drinkupmeheartysyoho]

@@Rhyd tbf I didnt see your edit. Maybe my assumption was based on seeing others replying to my past comments on other things, so thought I'd get that in there first before anyone was like "err you dont know what you're on about! Blah blah blah" lol x

[@nicks2528]

Thank you for mentioning correct use of hazard lamps they are often used when the nearside or indeed offside indicator would be far less confusing

[@jamescooper5639]

My mother is a driving instructor. I've shown her the video and in her opinion the ambulance was particularly to blame. She said "yes when the lights and sirens are active they can do what they want in reason. But slamming on with no obstruction ahead is not appropriate." I would say that they performed a emergency break for clearly now reason. Nothing ahead and no obstruction.

[@mattparkin7224]

This roundabout is right near my house, extremely familiar with that stretch of road (it's the A52 Nottingham Knight roundabout). First of all, yeah hands down the Seat was a bellend and I won't dispute they are completely in the wrong but I do have to wonder what the ambulance was doing stopping where they did. I appreciate you mentioned they may need to go somewhere else but this is right before a roundabout where they could have gone in absolutely any direction. It seems to me that if there was an obstacle in lane 2, they had ample space to move into lane 3. There's only so much you can see from the clip so it will remain a mystery.

[@notmenotme614]

The problem with this situation is. As a soon as an emergency vehicle is involved in a collision it can’t continue its journey regardless of how lightly damaged or undamaged it is. The black Seat has forced their ambulance to be cancelled, while they sort out the admin and another ambulance will be need to be found and sent instead. I don’t know if it comes under leaving the scene of a collision?

[@mjames2117]

When you drive especially a motorbike you see all too many drivers either distracted with mobiles or unable to make basic driving decision making. I estimate 30% to 40% of people should not actually be driving cars as they pose a higher risk to the rest of us, maybe its higher?

[@MrDrewbies]

Totally agree

[@rhyswilliams5923]

April 2017, there was a man who sadly died was suffering hyperthermia as he swam across the River Dee in Wrexham. As the ambulance was approaching a roundabout (Halton Roundabout) near Chirk a driver refused to let the paramedics through, there was plenty of room as other cars moved over, therefore causing them to get stuck. Those wasted seconds could have been a life being saved. The one who caused the problems should be shamed

[@theglumrant9477]

Some first responders are definitely not highly trained. I was travelling at rush hour one evening and got stuck in limbo around a multi-laned roundabout- the Queen Eleanor in Northampton. This first responder appeared from behind on blue, so I opted to pull over slightly and stop (as suggested by Ashley in this video) imagining he would find his own way past. He did that alright then gave me the finger as he exited the roundabout. Professional driver? I don’t think so.

[@1ninjatiger]

Do we know for certain this is not a family member following the ambulance? That does happen when one member goes into ambulance with the patient and other family members follow...sometimes when they are distraught as well.

[@mydogeatspuke]

If they know which hospital they're going to then there's no need to speed directly behind them though. It's not like they would be assisting with any treatment on arrival so they don't need to be there at the same time as the ambulance. People make mistakes, but I like to think everyone knows not to drive so close that you might crash into the ambulance carrying your sick and maybe dying family member, no matter how upset you may be.

[@sallybilzon3507]

That's the A52 heading south and approaching the Crusader island, which is approx 100 yards ahead. The turning on the left connects with the road that is immediately left off the island. It's likely the ambulance driver would know that, if that was his intended direction. That said, he would have been in the wrong lane for a left turn at the island, unless he was hoping to merge with lane one. Still, his stop was very brisk, though the silver car may have appeared to be moving from lane three to two.

[@dopiaza2006]

The blacked out windows tell you all you need to know

[@GameGeek51]

As a rapid response driver that was with the ambulance service. The the procedure we followed with that if a driver was too to follow us dangerously through the gaps we made was to stop, we stop to tell the driver that we know what he is doing and to give them a chance to stop, this could be the reason why the ambulance crew had to stop.

[@jacksawild]

I don't think the silver car had hazards on, it was a left indicator which made the ambulance think he was moving over explaining the sudden stop. The technical term for the Seat's driver is "cockwomble".

[@LoadingRetroGames]

That's makes good sense actually

[@ashley_neal]

Good shout. I think you're right. That puts a different slant on things for me :)

[@Mr.Knuffeldood]

There was a channel on KZbin called The Ambulance Channel. In their video's you saw what they saw on the road. Very fun to watch and you better get in the mindset of an ambulance driver.

[@patrickdonaldson6221]

What made you say that at 4:18? The ambulance is still functional isn't it? Couldn't they just use it in that state until they return to base?

[@leebailey1515]

Hi Ashley. The poor person in the silver car did exactly what we, as emergency response drivers need. Clear, decisive action, they may even have been put there by the early Road position of the ambulance. And with the arrival of the 2nd black car being in lane 3, I would guess that the ambulance was in lane 2 for some distance on approach. Also, ambulance drivers CANT do what they like just because they have blue lights on like you stated in this clip, even though that's what the majority of road users may think. Yes, the SEAT shouldn't really have been doing what it was doing, but there is no law against it, as long as no other rules of the road are being broken. I would also guess that the ambulance driver didn't look I'm his mirrors before braking.

[@robertfoster6070]

I was crossing on a pedestrian crossing that had changed to green for me to walk across, then as I started walking across I heard ambulance sirens to my right and looking to my right I saw an ambulance overtaking queuing traffic, so I quickened my pace and got to the other side before the ambulance got past. Should I have waited for the ambulance to pass and wait for another change of lights as a pedestrian?

[@JohnCarlyle]

Looked to me like the silver car in lane 3 didn't have hazard lights on but was indicating left. Which may be what prompted the ambulance driver to stop. PS. look how dim the brake lights are on the Seat, almost as dim as the driver. What is it with people tinting their brake lights? *edit, now just saw Ashley's pinned comment about hazard lights :-/

[@pirateadam3686]

Did love the irony: this video ends with Ashley saying 'trust them, they are highly trained' - suggested next video is 'The Impatient Police Officer' where they drove like a moron :'D Seriously though, my dad was a paramedic for over 30 years and some of the stories he would tell would be astounding. In queueing traffic, just move over to the left or right and let them through. In 'normal' traffic just don't panic and if unsure simply stop - they will get around you (or tell you in no uncertain terms if they cant ;-)) Mind, most of his rants were actually about the 'bloody kids driving that think blue lights are a forcefild', so I guess we're all human :)

[@johno4521]

The ambulance seemed to brake check the black car lol

[@zaink7037]

That's what I was thinking 🤔. The boy racer will think next time driving stupidly if he can afford to buy another car and insure

[@geeber8136]

@Barry Foster na at that roundabout in Nottingham, take first exit and your back at the premier inn.

[@CristiNeagu]

Was on a 2 lane motorway, with heavy, heavy traffic. We were all barely moving. And here comes an ambulance from behind. Everyone started splitting, with the 1st lane moving left and the 2nd lane moving right. Until this lorry about 4 cars in front of me on the 2nd lane decides that the only way to deal with this is by getting in the 1st lane. Everyone behind him and everyone in front of him split, and here he is, straddling both lanes, completely blocking the split. Some people are idiots, and there's no other way of putting it.

[@tomass7435]

I respectfully disageree with the hazard lights not being a factor, I think it was the cause. They might be hazards, but then their right bulb is out, so from behind - they're signalling left! The ambulance driver probably did a mirror check or something, got his eyes back on the road, saw the silver car signalling left and slammed his brakes thinking they'll pull out.

[@VillainGang.]

Whatto do when emergency service is behind me. Four lane, in one bussline during rush hour, me in second, 3 and 4 oposide way but no one in. Emergency do not want overtake. Can I use bus lane and take fine??

[@sassyboofle6983]

Oh my god , how any one can say that the ambulance is in any fault at all I don’t know . I do hope that at least the seat driver was stuck on for undue care . And yes makes my blood boil. Any one who says that the ambulance is at fault needs a stern talking to . This has really taught me how little people actually know .👍🤔

[@paulfro1958]

Well said. I couldn't agree more with your comment

[@tummyrubber2k939]

The fact it's an ambulance doesnt change the obvious fact this is a brake check. Both at fault. Way more the Seat but the ambulance driver definitely isnt completely innocent.

[@qooqle]

@@tummyrubber2k939 you're not thinking of other possibilities, they could have had a last minute call to go left, or didnt know the exact location for their left turn. They should be fine to break hard since people shouldnt be following anyway

[@tummyrubber2k939]

@@qooqle Under no circumstances other than to avoid a crash should you stop like this in a carriageway. A normal person does this and it would be 100 percent their fault. The fact you are driving an ambulance doesn't mean you can do whatever you want on the road. Still have to drive in a safe way. Stopping like this isn't safe. Like I said though, the seat is more to blame because he shouldnt be following like this, but the ambulance driver isnt innocent.

[@version736ha2]

I still don't get why the ambulance would stop dead with loads of space in front rather than slow up gradually. Looks like bad driving on their part. Not defending the chasing twat mind. Great channel by the way, informative and very entertaining

[@user-lvl42]

Jimmy N13 did he stop to gesture to the silver car driver because he felt he should have moved over left. Pretty dangerous to slam on with blue lights flashing just to make a point to the driver of the silver car.

[@version736ha2]

@@user-xt6xz3fz7c but surely stopping that suddenly wasn't smart? I appreciate it wasn't an emergency stop but was still sudden.

[@version736ha2]

@@user-xt6xz3fz7c I agree fully. Just think they are capable of making bad driving decisions as well.

[@vdveenpeter]

In the Netherlands it's advised to use the hazard lights if you are not changing lanes. Also public transport uses it to let the emergency services know they'll keep the doors closed.

[@OkenWS]

I almost knocked off a motorcyclist with a pillion who was ambulance chasing a few days ago. Fortunately I was in my car and not a marked vehicle. I pulled up just before a roundabout in roadworks to allow the ambulance to pass, which he did at speed, points to everyone involved for keeping the blue lighter's speed up - that should be a societal goal. However this required me to squeeze in between two traffic cones as if I was parking. While trying to get back out and get traffic flowing, I neglected to check my mirror because there was a lot going on and suddenly there's a motorbike swerving to avoid me. He starts shouting, follows me up a couple of junctions flashing lights, stop at traffic lights he tries to get my window down etc etc, eventually shouts PRICK at me and turns off. No, I didn't check my mirror. Yes, as a working driver I should have known better but Jesus. If you put yourself in a position where you're following a big, flashing, noisy emergency thing and you expect drivers to save *your* life by compensating for *your* bad driving, you're cruising for a bruising for yourself and your pillion.

[@Interknetz]

Legit don't see the need for a motorcyclist to ambulance chase. They can filter.

[@LonelyPanda18420]

There was nearly a crash because of someone chasing a fire engine outside the petrol station I work at a couple months ago. I watched it all unfold on the cameras, 2 cars pulled into the side to let the fire engine past, the fire engine was closely followed by a black car (looked like a corsa). the first car the pulled in must have seen the black car, but the second car didnt and had to stop while they were moving off again, while the black car slammed on the brakes. The first car that pulled in had started moving again, and it also had to stop again (along with 3 other cars). It's one of the reasons I try to keep an eye on the road as emergency vehicles go past while I'm at work, as if there is a crash and fire I'd need to make sure the fuel pumps/tanks dont go up

[@TanjoGalbi]

Playing devil's advocate here but there could be the possible scenario where the ambulance is heading for the hospital with a patient on board and the driver of the black Seat is related to them, following to the hospital. You can not always judge a situation until you have all the facts. They would have still been in the wrong as they should travel to the hospital at legal speeds and meet up with the patient there but for many people reasonable thought goes out the window in emergencies. Though in this case it does look as though there is no patient on board as both paramedics were in the front. And that leads to another important point you missed out: what if the ambulance was on the way to an accident victim and time is crucial to saving the life? This pointless accident caused by the Seat driver may have potentially killed the accident victim the ambulance was on it's way to save! The same could be said of fire engines too.

[@Interknetz]

Problem is people need to understand this; because your loved one is in the back of an ambulance, doesn't give you the right to endanger others lives and break laws. That's what irks me about ambulance chasers - the lack of consideration for other people.

[@deanmoncaster]

You also didn't say it is against the law to pass a red light to let an emergency vehicle through unless explicitly told to do so by a police officer.

[@ashley_neal]

Where were the red lights in the clip?

[@deanmoncaster]

@@ashley_neal I never said there were any. You just didn't mention it and it's quite a big thing. Most people would unknowingly go right through them thinking they were doing the right thing in the situation and then get a ticket for doing it and wonder why.

[@jamesmiddleton8335]

I have two questions about this clip, first and formost, what did the ambulance stop for? Didnt look like there was anything infront of them, and second of all, why were they in no hurry when they got out, my guess is either that they know the call that theyre going to isnt life threatening, or that theyve very quickly rung in in the time on between getting hit and getting out of the ambulance to request that another ambulance deals with their case, but if ur in that situation, someones having a heart attack or something, in my mind u get out, rush over to the car, make sure the driver is uninjured and then continue your journey quickly, they have cameras on the ambulance so they can deal with insurance and shit later on as they can get in touch with the driver through the address that the car plates are registered to. Would be interesting to know the context of their emergency tho

[@kimjongbingbongtingtong4430]

On the A50 approaching the McDonald's island near Uttoxeter a few months back and an ambulance nipped past at about 80 with full blue's & two's going - with a lad in a Polo 'sharing his numberplate'. Despite the emergency, passenger in ambulance jumped out and took his registration details for basically doing the same as in the video. I think it took me about 4 miles before I stopped laughing...

[@chrisbailey4759]

Seems to me a clear cut case of driving without due care and attention, I hope that the offending driver was issued a total ban on driving for a very long time.

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

I don't remember getting any driver training on how to react if an emergency vehicle approaches. In Germany where I *first* learned to drive, you have to pull over and stop. In my rural area with very narrow roads, there's no room to just move to the left, so I will put 2 wheels on the verge while indicating that I know they are coming and am giving them room.Or I will mount the kerb if it is safe. If none of the road drivers did this, there simply won't be space enough for the emergency vehicle to go through the centre.

[@theyouofyesterday6254]

Please be very careful if you are mounting the kerb. A lot of people do this in a panic because they didn't observe the emergency vehicle soon enough, without first checking for pedestrians. It is terrifying when you are one of those pedestrians. I had an experience where someone panicked and drove onto the fairly narrow pavement right where I was walking with my newborn son in a baby carrier. I had to run backwards to avoid being squashed against a 12ft high wall. The driver didn't appear to notice me at any point. The stupid thing was there was nothing coming the other way so they didn't even need to go onto the pavement. I'm not implying that you don't check, and you said you do it when it's safe, but please consider the pavement only as a last resort and never do it in a hurry without checking thoroughly. Not all pedestrians are paying attention - they may have headphones in or be unable to move quickly.

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

@@theyouofyesterday6254 Presumably you missed the bit where I said "mount the kerb if it is safe". Your viewpoint might be influenced by living in a city. I live *very* rural and the times I venture out, for shopping, it's in small towns with deserted pavements. In any case, what idiot makes any kind of manoeuvre without first checking the mirrors and looking over the shoulder for hazards? I have nearly 50, accident free years driving under my belt. I can assure you I don't panic. Not ever. I've driven all over the world. Still with no panicking. Perhaps if it was your child being rushed to hospital with every second vital, or your parent who's heart has stopped, being rushed to hospital, you wouldn't be so critical of someone like me, pulling to one side, indicating so the ambulance driver is fully aware of the fact that I am giving them space and *definitely* not panicking; you might be less critical. My late father was an army driving instructor, one of my previous careers was a travelling salesperson, don't assume that everyone has the same experience or temperament. I work on the principle that everyone else is a moron and drive accordingly. Like for instance *always* indicating out of habit, well before time, even if the road's empty. It doesn't matter. It *does* matter, if, like plenty of other drivers I come across, I *don't* indicate so that those around me haven't a clue what I'm about to do. I don't drink and drive, don't drink at all (made me popular when I was young and went to gigs and was the designated driver) grew up in a country where social conscience was normal, so, don't want to inconvenience or cause problems for others. I'm autistic and completely unemotional and react calmly to something unexpected happening in all aspects of my life, not just when driving. I'm not perfect at all, however, I value my licence, my low insurance cost, my fuel economy, and my own life as well as those around me, therefore I drive defensively and sensibly. I couldn't live where I live without my car as there's no public transport near my home, the vet is 13 miles away, the doctor 8 miles, it's 6 miles to Aldi and 22 to the feed mill and, while I have a pony and cart and a bike, I wouldn't be able to do what needs to be done with either of those lol. I cannot get my weekly 10 X 20KG sacks of feed on the bike, nor will they fit on the cart. Therefore, I drive sensibly in the car. Nobody with a 20 year old Saab diesel estate is likely to drive like a maniac 😉 It's very different in a built up area, to a very rural area. Making assumptions isn't wise.

[@tadleygreen]

What would your advice be in the situation I've been in very occasionally in 50 years' driving? You're stationary at traffic lights and an ambulance comes up behind wanting to cross the junction on red but can't as you're in the way (and there are maybe bollards or a central reservation making it impossible for them to get round). It seems the sensible thing would be, if there's room to do so without intruding into the crossing traffic, to cross the line by a few feet to allow room for the ambulance to get past. But of course you'd be going through a red light - normally be a complete no-no.