Malaga fines ambulance driver for running red light during emergency

Traffic

The CCOO union has denounced the sanctioning, while the city council has responded that such fines can be "waived" if there's proven emergency

José Antonio Sau

Malaga city council has fined an ambulance driver for running a red light while attending to a medical emergency in the city in January.

The CCOO union has now brought the case to light after filing a complaint.

The incident occurred on Avenida Valle-Inclán. According to the CCOO, the driver ran a red light "while driving with the emergency lights and sirens activated".

The complaint says the driver "acted with the utmost caution at all times and no traffic incident occurred".

Despite the fact that the ambulance was providing urgent medical assistance, "the driver subsequently received a fine and four points were deducted from his driving licence". For the CCOO union, "this is concerning due to the potential consequences for both ambulance drivers and the public at large".

In response, the city council said that "these fines issued to emergency service vehicles can be waived, provided the urgency is justified".

The city council, however, reminded drivers that "having emergency lights on does not exempt them from complying with traffic regulations".

"We find it incomprehensible that a worker responding to an emergency, driving safely using their alert systems, should be penalised for running a red light. If the city council does not rectify this situation, it will force drivers to stop at any red light for fear of losing their jobs, with the consequent risk this poses to the public," the CCOO said.

Traffic regulations

According to traffic regulations, drivers of emergency vehicles must still follow the rules on the road. However, they may be exempt from complying, under their own responsibility, with certain provisions, provided they first make sure they do not endanger any road user.

This exemption does not apply to instructions or signals from police officers, which are always mandatory.

The union's warning

The union warns that losing a driving licence can, in practice, make it impossible for employees to carry out their job duties. It also says that this type of penalty creates "uncertainty" and could lead to delays in responding to medical emergencies, directly affecting the quality of patient care.

The trade union also points out that the general traffic regulations explicitly state that "priority vehicles on emergency duty, with emergency signs activated, may pass mandatory stop signals when circumstances require it, provided they take the necessary safety measures".

The CCOO insists that the worker acted in line with current regulations and that the fine "stems from an incorrect interpretation" of the law. It therefore calls for the penalty to be reviewed.