You would think, wouldn’t you, that the horn would be redundant on a police car. You’d think that the whole flashing blue light and wailing siren thing – not to mention the whole screaming down the road on the wrong side at seventy miles an hour thing – would tip off the other drivers that they might want to get out of the way. But – in London at least – you’d be wrong. For, as I witnessed today, and countless other times to boot, the police car can scream up the road with all (metaphorical) guns blazing all it likes, there’s always one driver who ignores it until the police car hoots at them. And then and only then do they look in their rear view mirror, think ‘blimey, a police car, sneaking up on me like that – do you think it wants me to move?’ and manoeuvre out of the way.
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10 responses so far ↓
Suburban Mum // March 6, 2008 at 6:21 pm |
It’s not just London – and it’s not just police cars either. The other day I counted TWELVE cars who didn’t move out of the way of an ambulance here in Manchester.
(I wasn’t one of them, by the way!).
flighty // March 6, 2008 at 8:00 pm |
As you say there’s always one!
disgruntled // March 6, 2008 at 8:23 pm |
yeah, or seventeen.
It’s possible that in cities we get a little blasé about sirens, but I still don’t understand why someone would totally ignore the siren and then move out of the way when the car honks. Do people think the blue flashing lights are there to be pretty?
Sarah // March 7, 2008 at 11:22 am |
But all those lighty bits on cars are just for just for decoration, aren’t they..? Especially the yellow ones…
disgruntled // March 7, 2008 at 3:56 pm |
Ah yes, indeed. Also cyclists put their arms out to the right or left because their shoulders are cramped and they need a stretch.
And those pretty coloured lights at pedestrian crossings? Put there to amuse the children…
rivergirlie // March 10, 2008 at 9:44 pm |
shows how much attention they’re paying. not so very reassuring.
disgruntled // March 10, 2008 at 10:19 pm |
especially as a cyclist…
anthony wong // March 11, 2008 at 1:00 pm |
oh dear, i have been guilty of this. It is not well known, but in the car, with the windows wound up, it can be very soundproof, and it is a fact that sound dont seem to carry ahead of a moving object. So really all that siren is no use to warn cars ahead to get out of the way. The only time I know of it is if some car ahead of me is acting strangely by moving to the side and stopping. you will be glad to know that i dont drive anymore. haha.
Brennig // March 24, 2008 at 11:20 am |
Ah, I have an insight but it might not be the insight to your particular situation.
My brother is a former police officer of 20 years service. He said that when his former employer (Gwent) followed up on people who obstructed emergency vehicles they usually found the drivers had ‘limited’ English and ‘partial’ understanding of what to do when approached by an emergency vehicle.
Go figure.
disgruntled // March 24, 2008 at 4:41 pm |
Which is odd (the first part anyway) because I would have thought the blue-flashing-light and siren combination was pretty universal.