[NLips]

Why doesn't the signal set all lights to red, leaving the junction clear for the ambulance to go through?

The best reason I can think of is if the idea is to improve traffic flow in general in favour of the ambulance (e.g. allow cars in front of the ambulance to move on through the lights), but that quicklt becomes a much more complex problem.

[Hoff]

Former EMS provider...

The laws on whether ambulances must stop at red lights and stop signs vary by locality.

It's almost always legally your mess if you don't stop at a traffic control device and are then involved in a collision — most laws and various insurance or service policy requirements tend to require "due care" or "prudent" or other such wording, and collisions are usually considered an adverse indication.

I've always wanted the traffic signal in front of me to be green on approach.

This reduces the numbers of stopped cars in my path.

Some of the drivers of the stopped cars at intersections will attempt or will perform odd or normally-unexpected maneuvers, sometimes leading to collisions. But mostly the herd in front of me scatters short distances, and generally resulting in intersection gridlock.

It's common practice in some areas to avoid using the siren in certain situations, such as when passing to the right of the bulk of (stopped) traffic waiting on a red, using the breakdown or turn lane at an intersection, for instance. Some folks will hear the siren and immediately block that lane, or they might turn into and collide with me.

The local traffic preemption systems all include a flashing indicator — a rotating red beacon on a cross-arm or a pole, for instance — indicating that the preemption request has been accepted and is occurring. This tells me that the other lights are all red. Or it tells me that I'm approaching a non-preempted light, and that the green in front of me might go red.

If the traffic lights are red and there's no preemption and no open and no bypass lane, then some of the folks at the front of the herd will inevitably not break that red, meaning local traffic gridlock, meaning that the ambulance waits (with the siren off) for the light to change.

[bryondowd]

Just curious what you mean by 'some of the folks at the front of the herd will inevitably not break that red'. I often wonder what I should do when I find myself stuck someplace where I'm possibly in the way of an ambulance at a light.

Most of the time it's as simple as everyone pulling to the right and letting the ambo through the middle, but there's many situations where it just isn't obvious what everyone should do.

It would be great if there was an illustrated guide out there somewhere. I may have to look around.

[DanBC]

In England: http://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/?p=239

When you're driving you either pull over and slow down (if it's safe to do so); or you keep driving at a safe speed and pull over when it's safe to do so.

If you're at a traffic light you can either try to move to the side without crossing the line; or you can stay where you are and allow the emergency vehicle to sort it out; or you can cross the line if a police officer directs you to do so (and blue lights is not a direction).

[imroot]

That's why EMS drivers love Opticomm and other traffic preemption devices -- The direction that you are traveling gets a green light -- keeping traffic in the direction that you're moving flowing (so, in theory they merge to the right, but, that's another topic for another day) -- and you get protected turn signals (so that traffic ahead pays attention to the red lights at the signal, not your red lights that they may not be able to see or notice.

[JshWright]

The short answer is that we will expect you to move forward and to the right whenever possible. Above all, we don't want you to put yourself into a dangerous position.

If you're at a red light with an emergency vehicle behind you, the best course of action might be to make a (safe!) right on red and then go around the block to get back on your original course.

[JshWright]

Because I can proceed directly through a green light. The other directions will never be green at the same time. If the light is red, I know nothing about the other directions, and have to stop and 'clear' the intersection before proceeding through.

[coldpie]

One answer would be green lights indicate that it's red in the crossing direction, since the ambulance driver can't see those lights.

[DanBC]

You generally don't want vehicles in the way to stop. You want them to keep moving, at a safe speed, and get out of the way. It's easier for a car to get out of the way if it's moving (it can pull to the side of the road and slow down or stop) rather than if it's stopped at a junction.