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Speaking of emergency vehicles...



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 10th 05, 07:22 PM
John Harlow
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Default Speaking of emergency vehicles...

Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.

Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?


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  #2  
Old March 10th 05, 07:39 PM
Bill 2
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"John Harlow" > wrote in message
...
> Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
> blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.
>
> Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?



Yes, run the light (proceed with caution), or pull ahead of traffic in an
adjacent lane, just let the EV by.

Frequently I see an EV come up behind someone in the left turn last (least
lined up) and the EV honks at the car to get out of the way. Yes that may
mean entering the intersection on a red light.


  #3  
Old March 10th 05, 08:29 PM
C.H.
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On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:22:44 -0500, John Harlow wrote:

> Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
> blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.
>
> Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?


Legal? Maybe.

What I would do is pull forward into the left or right lane in front of
the car waiting there but not entering the intersection itself. Less of a
risk to be T-Boned.

Chris

  #4  
Old March 10th 05, 08:36 PM
Skip Elliott Bowman
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Default

"C.H." > wrote in message
news
> On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:22:44 -0500, John Harlow wrote:
>
>> Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
>> blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.
>>
>> Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?

>
> Legal? Maybe.
>
> What I would do is pull forward into the left or right lane in front of
> the car waiting there but not entering the intersection itself. Less of a
> risk to be T-Boned.


What I've done in this situation (7 lane-wide intersection, I'm in the
center lane of my direction) is remained where I was. The EV will likely
drive onto the shoulder or median to pass, in which case cars will edge into
the adjacent lane to give way.

I'll make way for them, but no way am I pulling out into an intersection
against the light. Either some bonehead behind me will take the opportunity
to blow through the light (and maybe cause a collision with crossing
traffic) or I'd risk getting T-boned, another collision.


  #5  
Old March 10th 05, 08:48 PM
John Harlow
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> What I've done in this situation (7 lane-wide intersection, I'm in the
> center lane of my direction) is remained where I was. The EV will
> likely drive onto the shoulder or median to pass, in which case cars
> will edge into the adjacent lane to give way.


In a city there often is no shoulder or median options. Will you just sit
there while an ambulance is right behind you blowing the horn?


> I'll make way for them, but no way am I pulling out into an
> intersection against the light.


I have been in several instances where that's the only option.

> Either some bonehead behind me will
> take the opportunity to blow through the light (and maybe cause a
> collision with crossing traffic) or I'd risk getting T-boned, another
> collision.


If you can't pull into the intersection without risking getting t-boned,
then you definitely ought to stay put and let the EV deal with it.


  #6  
Old March 10th 05, 09:17 PM
Skip Elliott Bowman
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"John Harlow" > wrote in message
...
>> What I've done in this situation (7 lane-wide intersection, I'm in the
>> center lane of my direction) is remained where I was. The EV will
>> likely drive onto the shoulder or median to pass, in which case cars
>> will edge into the adjacent lane to give way.

>
> In a city there often is no shoulder or median options. Will you just sit
> there while an ambulance is right behind you blowing the horn?


That's rare here in Portland--besides, the EV will pull into the empty lanes
of oncoming traffic if all four lanes in my direction are blocked. Its
lights are on , the siren is blaring, and its horn is honking--I think the
oncoming trafic will notice it.

If I'm sitting 1st at the light, the EV is several cars behind me at
least--nothing I can do about that. If I see cars behind me squeezing over,
I'll follow suit--if it's safe for me to do so.

>> I'll make way for them, but no way am I pulling out into an
>> intersection against the light.

>
> I have been in several instances where that's the only option.


I've yet to experience this scenario. I assume it exists in other cities.
Call me lucky.

>> Either some bonehead behind me will
>> take the opportunity to blow through the light (and maybe cause a
>> collision with crossing traffic) or I'd risk getting T-boned, another
>> collision.

>
> If you can't pull into the intersection without risking getting t-boned,
> then you definitely ought to stay put and let the EV deal with it.


Right. So far, no problems.


  #7  
Old March 10th 05, 10:31 PM
Dave Head
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Default

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 18:39:46 GMT, "Bill 2" > wrote:

>
>"John Harlow" > wrote in message
...
>> Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
>> blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.
>>
>> Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?

>
>
>Yes, run the light (proceed with caution), or pull ahead of traffic in an
>adjacent lane, just let the EV by.
>
>Frequently I see an EV come up behind someone in the left turn last (least
>lined up) and the EV honks at the car to get out of the way. Yes that may
>mean entering the intersection on a red light.


Gonna do it at an intersection where there's a red light camera? It'll cost
ya, a day's vacation to go to court to try to get the ticket overturned, and it
may turn out badly anyway.

Dave Head
>


  #8  
Old March 10th 05, 11:21 PM
ParaDygm
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Default

Emergency Vehicle Code only allows for emergency vehicles to "request"
the right of way. They can not operate without due regard. If they
pressure a vehicle into the intersection and there is an accident --->
BOTH the EV operator and the motorist are liable. Failure to yield does
not apply to intersections.

If an emergency vehicle is honking behind a stopped car, they are
clearly overstepping the lee-way allowed by motor vehicle code.

My policy, in the event that an intersection is blocked, is to stop the
EV 100-200ft. behind the last car, wait for the light to change and NOT
"push" people thru.

  #9  
Old March 10th 05, 11:27 PM
Skip Elliott Bowman
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Default

I didn't know about this law, but it does cover the bases of my concerned.

"ParaDygm" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Emergency Vehicle Code only allows for emergency vehicles to "request"
> the right of way. They can not operate without due regard. If they
> pressure a vehicle into the intersection and there is an accident --->
> BOTH the EV operator and the motorist are liable. Failure to yield does
> not apply to intersections.
>
> If an emergency vehicle is honking behind a stopped car, they are
> clearly overstepping the lee-way allowed by motor vehicle code.
>
> My policy, in the event that an intersection is blocked, is to stop the
> EV 100-200ft. behind the last car, wait for the light to change and NOT
> "push" people thru.
>



  #10  
Old March 11th 05, 07:06 AM
zmike6
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:22:44 -0500, "John Harlow"
> wrote:

>Scenario: you're waiting # 1 at a red light, middle lane, other lanes
>blocked. Emerg vehicle pulls up behind, lights flashing.
>
>Is it legal for you to run the red to allow the EV to pass?
>


This happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was stopped at a red light
in the right lane. Another car was stopped in the left lane next to
me, so there was no clear path for the fire truck. I saw a fire truck
approaching from behind me, fast, with lights & sirens blaring. It
was pretty obvious he was not intending to stop (actually he looked to
be moving so fast I feared he could not stop if I failed to move).
Fortunately the road I was intersecting with was one-way, so a quick
look revealed no traffic coming from that direction. There were some
left-turners in the oncoming lane, who had a green light to turn in
front of me, but they wisely stopped and gave me and the fire truck
enough room to pull through the intersection. Anyway, it all happened
quite fast, and caused me no small anxiety. In hindsight it would
have been smarter for me to turn right instead of going straight
through the intersection, but that would have added miles to my trip,
and I didn't think of it until it was over.

I think most emergency vehicles here are equipped with strobe devices
to trip the lights, but in this case it didn't seem to happen.
 




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