On Fri, 26 Jan 2018 21:57:31 -0000, James Wilkinson Sword wrote:

Blue lights? A very rare sight in this part of the world. The last
lot of blue lights I saw around here (maybe two years ago) had me
speed up so I could get to a place I knew could safely pull into
and
let them past (ambulance) before they caught up with me.

I've never had to do that. Pulling half onto the pavement ...

Pavement? Can't be using the American meaning as "pulling half onto
the pavement" creats an obstruction.

... or a verge ...

Otherwise know as a ditch... if it exists at all before the drystone
walls. It would be a narrow gap to do at speed, in an ambulance, with
at most 50 yds visibilty before the next bend.

lets them past, as people the other side are doing the same.

People? The ambulance was the only other traffic I'd seen for the
previous 5 miles and saw the next 15...

It's a distraction, as you try and work out if they are moving and
if
so are they on a different road or not. With dark rural roads and
clean air, quite often the first "hint" you get of an oncoming
vehical is their main beam straight into you eyes as they round a
corner or crest a hill. Any hints you can pick up about oncoming
traffic is useful having that information diluted by distant
street
lights of building floods is not.

Seeing oncoming traffic as it is, instead of just a blinding light is
much better. You can more easily tell the size and speed of a moving
object that doesn't have million candlepower bulbs aiming at our
retinas.

Sheep, deer, hares, rabbits, phesants, etc don't have lights or
particulary good retro reflectors. Main beam is required to see
properly. The clean air means there is no scatter to see before hand.

--
Cheers
Dave.