What are the risks?
We have all been there – you hear the sirens and then see the blue lights of an emergency vehicle coming closer. The instinctive response
is to let them pass to enable them to get to their destination quickly. A laudable reaction, to be sure – but what exactly does the law have to say?
A driver in London was recently given a £130 fine after pulling into a bus lane to let an ambulance pass. He was driving on Whipps Cross Road in Walthamstow when he moved into the bus lane to let the ambulance behind him pass. Waltham Forest Council caught this on CCTV, issued the fine and upheld it when the driver tried to appeal. This went viral on Facebook and the online newspaper story was swamped with shocked comments.
The decision seems at odds with the natural instinct of drivers not to get in the way of the emergency services. However, a new Highway Code driving rule came into force on 1st June 2022. Drivers could get fines and even points on their licence for letting an ambulance, a fire engine or police car pass them, depending on how they do so. The rule of thumb is to think whether your intended response would be legal if there was no emergency vehicle present. You must avoid carrying out unsafe actions to avoid sanction.
The Code requires you to consider the route of an emergency vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop. In the Walthamstow case for example, the Council sent the motorist a letter stating that under current legislation, a vehicle must not drive, park or stop in a bus lane during its period of operation unless the signs indicate that a vehicle may do so.
Emergency services can use a bus lane when responding to an emergency – so pulling into a bus lane would more likely obstruct their path rather than assist. In his representations, the driver said that a bus was parked at a bus stop so the ambulance had to overtake on the right, outside the bus lane and he went into it to let it pass. Public pressure built up to the extent that Walthamstow Forest Council eventually agreed to cancel the fine – admitting that it should not have been issued.
According to the Council’s policy, if an emergency vehicle is on call and a driver pulls to one side to make way – even in a bus lane – they should not get a ticket. It is advisable, however, not to place yourself in this situation in the first instance.
RAC advice is ‘Don’t Panic’ and remain alert.
Resist the temptation to stop in the middle of the road or to jump up the kerb. They suggest drivers keep going until there is
a suitable place to pull over and to use common sense so as not to come into conflict with other road users.
