TC - if a vehicle such as a Blood Bike can be classified as being used as an Ambulance and may have blue lights and two tones then why don't all Blood Bikes have this?
I always assummed they had to have some additional training (above and beyond the normal "Advanced" level) to be permitted to use the privilege. Is that not the case?
The regulations date back to the introducton of the 1972 Road Traffic Act an then the 1989 Road Vehicle Lighting Regs.
The regulations state that blue lights and sirens/two tones may be used and fitted
"For ambulance purposes (but not necessarily an ambulance vehicle, e.g. cave rescue) but including the movement of sick, injured or disabled people and for moving human organs which inlcudes blood and other lifes saving materials"
The only times when blue lights can be used are when responding to an emergency, at the scene of an emergency, when wanting to let people know you are there or wanting to let people know that there is a hazard on the road.
In respect of sirens, the regs state
Police, fire and ambulance vehicles are allowed to use a sirens or similar audible emergency warning devices. Other specifically mentioned permitted users are bomb disposal, blood service, coastguard, mine rescue, RAF mountain rescue and lifeboat launching vehicles. In 2005 the regulations were changed to allow the Ministry of Defence’s nuclear response team and Revenue & Customs to use sirens too.
As far as training is concerned,
There is no requirement for people driving emergency vehicles to be trained beyond a normal driving licence. Drivers of police, fire and ambulance vehicles who wish to be exempted from speed limits will be required to be officially trained.
This rule has been included in a 2006 Road Safety Act
but it has not yet been made law.
At present there is no indication as to when it will be made law.
There are concerns that there will be too much demand for the existing driver training courses, but there is also the thught that most blood bikle riders are more competent than may Police drivers as they have been required to undertake training and pass an advanced test before they can ride the bikes in the first place, unlike many Police drivers who now do no more than a 30 minute assessment drive.
Emergency services can use the normal horn or the siren when stationary and at night, unlike the restrictions of a normal car horn.
Some devices that are similar to sirens are allowed on non-emergency vehicles. These include car alarms, reversing alarms and chimes on ice cream vans.
In respect of
Green lights....
Green flashing lights can be used on a vehicle that is carrying a registered medical doctor on an emergency call. The green lights do not offer any exemptions from the rules of the road and are surely to alert road users to the importance of the journey and to hopefully ease the vehicle’s progress through traffic.
When green flashing lights are used in conjunction with blue flashing lights, the greater authority of the blue lights give the vehicle more exemptions.
Does that answer your question Paul?
