Over the past six months we have been investigating and
querying the legislation currently in place governing
the use of emergency warning beacons on specialist vehicles.
Our intention is to raise the public profile of the Veterinary
Ambulance by having it included in the Green Light Scheme
that currently allows doctors to make use of the flashing
beacon when en route to and at the scene of an incident.
We strongly believe that as critical response drivers,
vets, paravets and nurses who operate these ambulances
should have the right to alert other road users to their
presence when in an emergency situation.
We fully acknowledge that the use of green lights affords
no legal priority on the road, nor does it allow the user
to travel above the speed limit, but what it does do is
make the vehicle more visible to other road users, both
whilst in motion and when attending a patient. This can
only improve the safety of the driver, the patient and
others on the road.
At the current time we have been in discussions with
the Department of Transport, and we are in a position
to proceed to the Houses of Parliament to push for changes
to existing legislation in order to allow our vehicles
to carry green flashing warning beacons. We have MP support
in the form of Ian Liddell-Grainger who is willing to
take our case to Parliament, however we are also appealing
for public support in the form of a petition.
What you can do to help
We collected over 500 signatures at BSAVA congress this
year, but need as many as we can to take to Mr. Blair…
If you feel you can help, contact us and we will send
you some petition sheets – perhaps you could get
your clients, partners, staff and any reps you see to
sign them before sending back to us, or alternatively
use the contact
form on this site to express your support; we will
then print off all the messages and use them to lobby
parliament.
