Safe Speed Forums

http://www.hartlepooltoday.co.uk/ViewAr ... eID=972671
Also in the Sun, the Beeb and discussed by paramedics here.
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POLICE pulled over a 999 ambulance as it took a sick patient to hospital - because a rear light had gone out.
The ambulance was fast approaching the accident and emergency department at the University Hospital of Hartlepool when it was stopped by police, in Holdforth Road.
In the vehicle was heart patient Noel Gleeson, who was in chronic pain from a corroded disc in his spine.
His daughter Allison McLean, who was following in her car, said she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw police stop the ambulance.
She said: "I think the police have gone to pot. They could have just followed the ambulance to the hospital and then spoken to the driver.
"I understand the officer had a job to do, but could he not have waited until the ambulance had stopped at the hospital and released its patient into the care of the accident and emergency department?"
Mrs McLean, of Torquay Avenue, in the Rossmere area of town, said the doctor had called an ambulance for her father, at about 9pm, last Sunday.
She said the 58-year-old had previously undergone open heart surgery and still suffered from a heart condition, but on Sunday he was in chronic pain from a corroded disc in his spine.
She said they were just a short distance away from the accident and emergency department when police put on their blue flashing lights.
At first, the ambulance driver thought the police just wanted to get past, and so moved over, she said.
However, when the blue flashing lights persisted, the ambulance switched on its flashing lights to let the officer know it had a patient on board.
But still not satisfied, the officers pulled the ambulance over in Hartlepool's Holdforth Road and informed the driver that a rear light was not working.
"I was following the ambulance and when I saw the ambulance's lights go on I thought he had had a heart attack," said Mrs McLean. "But, when I saw the police car pull them over, I couldn't believe it."
A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: "The officer was unaware the ambulance was on a call as no lights were displayed at the time the officer attempted to stop the driver.
"Had the lights been switched on at the time, the officer would have waited until it reached the hospital before alerting the driver. A brake light was not in operation."
A spokeswoman for Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance, said: "We are aware of an incident, but the patient's care was not compromised."
Mr Gleeson, of Catcote Road, is now expected to be in hospital for two weeks receiving treatment for his back.
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Okay, fair enough, the BiB wasn't to know that there was a patient on board, but it does seem excessive that he still stopped them after the crew switched the disco lights on. Was that really his only option? Couldn't he have followed them and dealt with it when they stopped? Or swung by the ambulance station later and reported it?

Also, is it just me or are the media keener on reporting anything that shows road policing in a bad light than they used to be? I can't help thinking that this sort of story would have been two short paragraphs in the local rag a few years ago, unless it was a slow news day. Maybe it's just because the internet gives the media more space than they used to have, but there still seems to be a jumped-up-jobsworth tone when this sort of thing is written about. Reflecting an erosion of the trust the public once had in the police perhaps? Or is it simply that anything to do with road safety and policing is a big issue at the moment?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I often see Police cars with tail/brake lights out in Leicestershire.

Maybe I should flag one down one day and make a citizens arrest!

This is just about as daft as it gets....its not even endorsable.

All they had to do was take the number and contact the Hospital to get it fixed.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I was once stopped, late at night, for doing 68 in a 60 limit. However, I didn't think it was a police vehicle following as his LH headlight was so far out of adjustment that it was like main beam whilst dipped. He cautioned me about my speed, I 'discussed' his illegal headlight, and we parted having agreed to 'call it quits'! All very amicable and quite funny really. Even the officer saw the funny side of it and said he wished their cars were properly maintained to avoid embarrassment of that type.

Got the t-shirt!

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Fixed ideas are like cramp, for instance in the foot, yet the best remedy is to step on them.

Ian

I advised the passenger in a Traffic car that the brake lights on his vehicle were not working one Saturday night in the city centre. 3 hours later I saw him again, lights still not working, but driving everywhere at 10mph or less! Suppose they couldn't spare the time to get them fixed before end of shift.

That's normal procedure around our area.... we just radio in the defect.

As for the driver not using his lights and siren .... think they may make decisions based on patient needs. It could be that the siren may have alarmed a patient with a heart condition and they decided against using it unless they needed to cross a red light... or cut through traffic.

Perhaps we are just a little more "understanding" around here....

As for our own cars .. most of us carry spare bulbs in case... The Guv's a bit touchy on such matters.

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
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Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.