If you want to stop free flowing traffic

For the most part, most police are excellent at directing traffic. However, it's the screw ups that people remember the most. Locally, there was a cop who actually pulled over an ambulance (that had lights and sirens on en route to hospital) for not giving the officer the right of way. With video capabilities of cell phones, naturally this was all caught on film and heavily televised for several nights. Some officers are arrogant enough to not want to be interrupted while issuing that citation for a dust cart, or pursuing some one going 5 miles over the speed limit. Sounds like emergency vehicles like ambulances are right up there as sources for irritation, doesn't it? Maybe emergency vehicles should carry a bag or two of donuts for these situations?

It does the same thing where we are. My husband will say 'whats the betting that there is a police car at the head of this lot?' and sure enough there will be. He is especially critical of our local 'bobbies' because he does reserve police work and gets to hear how they are supposed to conduct the traffic.

I think it's a law or an old charter because my dad always used to say whenever there was a traffic jam there would be a policeman directing the traffic. Maaybe they have too many arms and behave like a windmill.

dust cart? It happens because people do the lookyloo thing and have to slow down and stare at whatever's happening...

Out here this works differently. I can leave my house and reach work in 15 mins in the morning. I go through one set of lights. Anytime, I am in a traffic jam and sit waiting for twenty minutes with cars just backed up it is the police who caused this problem.It is not as if the light was not working.But some KMA (work that one out) little policeman decides to direct traffic. He does not even do it in the proper sequence. Result? Total havoc and I reach work late and my boss has left nasty messages on the phone. Day completely spoilt. In our case it is the police and not the motorists.

O sure, we have to face traffic jam very often. Actually it became a common affair to our everyday life. It has only one reason that vehicles are out in number of capability and most of road are not well designed. I think if we can have some well designed road for all the vehicles it may solved.

It probably does, I know one of our High Schools is right in middle of town and it is hard for the buses to get out so now a police officer helps the buses out buy parking his car in the middle of the three lane road, and stands in the way of traffic in the other lane leaving only one lane open and that is for the buses to shoot through.So basically for up to 30-45 minutes you don't wanna be caught in town in that particular area..he will sometimes let traffic through if no buses are ready for a few minutes..but there are times you end up waiting the whole time..seems it all depends on who is doing it that day..

It depends on what part of my country you are in. In some regions people don't pull over for emergency vehicles. In my state it is the law that if at all possible you must pull over and stop when one comes by--and if you see the flashing lights when you're on the freeway (no traffic lights, high speed limit) you must change lanes if at all possible so you don't pass close to them and put them in danger.

hi pikey here the cars are supposed to pull over and stop if possible to let the ambulance through. I said supposed to, a lot do not but they can get a pretty heft ticket for failing to yield to an ambulance. Yes sometimes they seem to stale mate a police car even when they do let an ambulance through. I am here in the states as you probably know. Garbage truck huh, here they also seem to get involved in being pulled over for some reason.Here so many want to see what happened and then the traffic just stops. lookie lous for sure, I hate it when I see them do that on the freeways, as they can cause another accident by simply just stopping. One police officer was killed by the actions of a lookie lou as she pulled up to look, the car behind her bashed into her car sending her car forward and knocking down the officer then running over him. I doubt if she was charged with anything b ut she should have been. she was drunk also and driving with a suspended license,oh yes I remember they did charge her as she had left the scene of the accident, she was living next door to our apartment at that time. I never will forget that night as her daughter came to see her just as the police came to arrest her for leaving the scene of the accident and also for driving at all , no license and she had been suspended. She tried to talk to me about how unfair it all was, and I told her there was nothing unfair about it, but she maintained she did not know she had run over the officer,she thought she had hit a dog. well look lady even if it had been a dog,in the US you do not run over even a dog and then just leave.

Hi p1key, I have seen this sort of things far too often, even when the traffic lights are not working, traffic goes on smoothly as taffice are giveing way to each each and as soon as the police starts directing the traffic, they cause traffic jams. Hugs. Tamara

i don't drive sweety so can't really comment but from being a passenger alot of the people behind the wheel tend to just lack complete common sense and any awareness of those around them. Your lot must have more brains that our lot but i do know from experience with mum that the ambulence crew are always struggling to get past when there police around. It's like people know what to do, know what they should do but panic in case the police catch them out even though alls they should be doing is pulling out of the way! it's a weird reaction lol Not sure why though because the majority of people nowadays don't view the police like they once did, theres been a huge loss of respect. We have a joke over here that the sirens only go on when they're late for their tea or when their brews ready.

I've certainly heard of this sort of thing. And I can't say it surprises me. But I don't remember actually witnessing it. I do remember once having a noisy emergency vehicle behind me as I cam out to a red light which was for pedestrians to cross. A man was waiting with a child to cross and I had no idea if they woudl step out to cross so I stopped. The man stood there and called me all sorts of names, then yelled at me to pull forward and get out of the way, which I was then able to do. But I had to stop for a while as I was shaking so much.