Has anyone gotten a red light traffic ticket on the job?

looker

Forum Asst. Chief
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Easier than that, infractions go against the driver, not the registered owner (traffic infractions in California are criminal violations, not civil). The registered owner has no obligation other than proving that they weren't the driver, including telling police who exactly was driving.

I might be misreading what you wrote. You're saying that register owner (company) have no obligation to tell police who was driving, correct? If that is what you are saying then it's basically why i said they usually do not send ticket to the company being judge just dismiss them.
 

akflightmedic

Forum Deputy Chief
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Sounds like someone needs a CEVO or EVOC course.

Someone mentioned "stale green" but also taught as stay green light. This means if the light is green for as long as you see it, then start anticipating a stop because it is getting ready to change.

A cautious, safe driver knows this and experienced motorcycle riders are very in tune with it. It does not matter what patient you have in back or whether or not you were doing the speed limit...common sense tells you the light is getting ready to change so you prepare for it by starting to decelerate by releasing the gas pedal and hovering over the break...ready to start gently applying if necessary.

The driver was in the wrong and jeopardized the patient, his partner and self by not adhering to safe guidelines.

No we are not perfect, but sharing in this forum might help someone else out there to become better and avoid situations like this in the future.
 

exodus

Forum Deputy Chief
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To be fair, if even the front 1 inch of the ambulance was past the line entering the intersection before it turned red he should not have gotten a ticket. Sounds like a close call at best for getting a ticket and should be easy to fight.



Now why he is in this situation at all is entirely his fault and easily solvable...


Also, hypothetical -

You are driving non emergent and an LEO gets behind you and flicks the lights on, you have a patient in the back that is clearly non emergent but does have a medical complaint. Lets say the hospital is about another 10 minutes out, what do you do? I would be half inclined to flick my lights on and off, continue transport and try and reach the LEO via radio to let him know he can follow me to the ER but I am not delaying transport unless he has an something of urgency for me. How would you guys handle this situation


You better pull your *** over unless you want a felony. You do whatever the cop says, even if it is not in the patients best interest. He gives you a lawful order, you are legally required to follow that order.
 

medic417

The Truth Provider
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We still need to see the video. Otherwise we are speculating and accepting a biased opinion as to where the ambulance was when lights went yellow and red.

AK is right on the money even with L&S you should be approaching intersections (even if you have green) prepared to stop in case some other moron runs a red light.
 

mycrofft

Still crazy but elsewhere
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Did they check the driver's hands for SPR*?


(Smart Phone Residue)
 

TraprMike

Forum Lieutenant
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Did he not see the light turn yellow? When the light turned yellow he should have been slowing down.

he ran a red light.

good pinch.. what are Yellow lights for again??
 

phideux

Forum Captain
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medic417

The Truth Provider
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We still need to see the video. Otherwise we are speculating and accepting a biased opinion as to where the ambulance was when lights went yellow and red.

AK is right on the money even with L&S you should be approaching intersections (even if you have green) prepared to stop in case some other moron runs a red light.

:unsure::unsure::unsure:
 

MagicTyler

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You better pull your *** over unless you want a felony. You do whatever the cop says, even if it is not in the patients best interest. He gives you a lawful order, you are legally required to follow that order.

I can't disagree more. How can you morally justify doing something that is not in the best interest of your patient? Im not sure that attempting to pull over an ambulance with a patient onboard is a lawful order.

If i were in that situation, I'd probobly call 911 and explain to the dispatcher that I have an urgent patient onboard and that we were going to x hospital where the officer is welcome to meet us.

Unless my patient is 100% stable, I'd tell my EMT not to stop.
 

Medic Tim

Forum Deputy Chief
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I can't disagree more. How can you morally justify doing something that is not in the best interest of your patient? Im not sure that attempting to pull over an ambulance with a patient onboard is a lawful order.

If i were in that situation, I'd probobly call 911 and explain to the dispatcher that I have an urgent patient onboard and that we were going to x hospital where the officer is welcome to meet us.

Unless my patient is 100% stable, I'd tell my EMT not to stop.

If you are not running code you are bound to the same rules as every other car or truck. If it was urgent enough that you dont have time to stop for the cop you should have been running code and not even been in the situation.
 

medic417

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MagicTyler

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If you are not running code you are bound to the same rules as every other car or truck. If it was urgent enough that you dont have time to stop for the cop you should have been running code and not even been in the situation.

Correct. If you have an urgent pt, you should be going code 3. I was more reponding to the comment:

exodus said:
You do whatever the cop says, even if it is not in the patients best interest.

Your work should always be in the patient's best interest. A person's life is more important than my cert.
 

chaz90

Community Leader
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If you were transporting emergently, then I sincerely doubt any cop would attempt a traffic stop unless there were some egregious violation of due regard. If this was the case, I'd still prefer a stop to encourage my driver to slow down, take it easy, and get there safely. What kind of patients are you transporting that a quick stop and explanation to the police that you need to reach the hospital is going to change whether they live or die? I really don't think it's in the patient's or anyone else's best interest to have a police chase on the way to the hospital.
 

WuLabsWuTecH

Forum Deputy Chief
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Wait? You think it's okay to go through a red light, when you're not traveling with lights and sirens, because you have a patient in the back?

What happened to maintaining a safe stopping distance and driving with due regard for traffic laws?

It doesn't matter if you're in a Uhaul, an ambulance or a bread truck, you have to STOP at a red light.

should have flicked on the lights and siren for it

This. There are times when I'm approaching a light that is yellow and I see my partner stand up. I can still stop safely before the light, but it might throw my partner. The lights go on in this instance. That way, I don't have to "floor it" to make it through, and even if the light goes red by the time I get to the stop bar, I'm still legally clearing it, but now at a reduced speed (since I'm just slowing down over a longer distance, I'm actually probably going about 20-25 through the light if even that). This happens a lot on rural highways with speed limits at 55+. but I can imagine the same would apply in an urban setting (I've never had to flick the lights on in the cuty for this kind of situation through).

To be fair, if even the front 1 inch of the ambulance was past the line entering the intersection before it turned red he should not have gotten a ticket. Sounds like a close call at best for getting a ticket and should be easy to fight.

Yes, if any part of the vehicle is over the stop bar at the time the light goes red, in most states, you are allowed "clearance of the intersection."

You are driving non emergent and an LEO gets behind you and flicks the lights on, you have a patient in the back that is clearly non emergent but does have a medical complaint. Lets say the hospital is about another 10 minutes out, what do you do? I would be half inclined to flick my lights on and off, continue transport and try and reach the LEO via radio to let him know he can follow me to the ER but I am not delaying transport unless he has an something of urgency for me. How would you guys handle this situation

I'd absolutely pull over and stop. I'd briefly explain to the officer that we had a patient in the back and request to continue on to the hospital and deal with whatever he pulled me over for there. 99.9% of cops would allow this, as most are decent people and would not want to risk that kind of publicity to themselves or their agency. Truthfully, how much time is wasted on that short stop and explanation? Probably no more than if you hit one more red light or a small traffic jam. I'm confident enough in my ability to handle the stable abdominal pain or difficulty breathing patient that is probably in the back with me for another few minutes.

I can't disagree more. How can you morally justify doing something that is not in the best interest of your patient? Im not sure that attempting to pull over an ambulance with a patient onboard is a lawful order.

If i were in that situation, I'd probobly call 911 and explain to the dispatcher that I have an urgent patient onboard and that we were going to x hospital where the officer is welcome to meet us.

Unless my patient is 100% stable, I'd tell my EMT not to stop.

If you were transporting emergently, then I sincerely doubt any cop would attempt a traffic stop unless there were some egregious violation of due regard. If this was the case, I'd still prefer a stop to encourage my driver to slow down, take it easy, and get there safely. What kind of patients are you transporting that a quick stop and explanation to the police that you need to reach the hospital is going to change whether they live or die? I really don't think it's in the patient's or anyone else's best interest to have a police chase on the way to the hospital.

For a citation, our cops usually note the ambulance that is making the violation and follow them in, or speak to the chief later. The department I'm on has only been cited once, and it was for not using the siren with the lights. There was a city ordinance that said use of the siren is optional after 9pm but the officer was brand new with the city and was going by state law. After some legal research, that ordinance is on hold for the time being, but the new guy certainly didn't make any friends quickly...

For everyone that is saying that you should just continue on--how do you know the cop isn't alerting you to a dangerous situation? Like your bumper falling off? Your medic being tilted to the right because of low tire pressure? Your rear light bar sparking? Fuel leaking and leaving a spot on the ground from that last red light you were at?

If the cops are trying to pull you over, then they have a REASON to do so. I would say that 9 times out of 10, if not more, it is a GOOD reason. If you are running code, then I would say it's 10 times out of 10, because they KNOW you're going somewhere emergently, and still decided that whatever the problem is, it outweighs your emergent problem.

The one time I was stopped by LEO, was after a bad storm where there were tress and branches everywhere. Turns out, somehow, a 20 foot section of tree got caught under our back bumper and we were about ready to drag it onto the interstate. Good thing the copper saw us and stopped us!
 
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