Green Light Scheme

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.