Unless your area is different, the only time you must yield to an Emergency Vehicle is when it is actually going to an Emergency - i.e. it has lights and sirens on, etc. Going to get gas does not seem to be an emergency.

Maybe it is a volunteer department? That might explain their lack of knowledge.

I would try maybe having a conversation with their supervisor or something - not a bitch session - but an opportunity to educate, etc.

It's all volunteer out here. Definitely not looking for a bitch session. My wife's family has been heavily involved in our local fire company ever since they had a fire. My wife and I even help out at the local fireman's picnic every year. I'll likely send a message through our local chief. I don't want to cause anyone trouble, I just want everyone to be safe. Like you said, an opportunity to educate.

What exactly is the story here? All you've told us is that a firetruck drove past you, driving under the speed limit, and you almost crashed.

Dude, seriously? It wasn't just a firetruck driving past me. The two trucks passed me in a 40 only to make a turn just a few seconds down the road. I was doing 36 mph. They pushed me to the point of going off the road. I recovered. Had I lost it, I would have been DEAD. They compounded things with their ignorance of the law.

You are very lucky... 36mph is no joke for a crash. You would have been in big trouble.

I don't really understand though... I assume you were on the right side of the road, or the shoulder... then the trucks passed you and turned left... which would be away from you. How did you almost crash? Was it the wind from the trucks??

I was on the right hand side of the road. They left me no room on the pass. There was just no reason to pass in that situation.

Lucky dude!!! Glad you are OK...

I can laugh now, but maybe I should have waited a bit before sharing. I did a crappy job of telling the story.

Thanks Donzo!

Yeah. Seriously. What exactly did they do? All you've told us so far is that they drove past you. Glad you managed not to crash, but I'm not sure (because you haven't told us), what they did that was so horrible?

You know what was horrible? Trying to regain control thinking I was an effing goner. Now if what you are really looking for is something by the legal definition, here you go:

The first truck pushed me towards the edge AS they were making the pass. The second truck gave me no room. Both passes were unsafe and reckless and the fact that they were going to make a turn just a short distance down the road made it downright idiotic.

Here is the PA code. They violated (1) and (3)

(a) General rule.--The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to the limitations, exceptions and special rules stated in this chapter:

(1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left of the other vehicle at a safe distance and shall stay to the left of the other vehicle until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.

(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall not increase the speed of the vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle and shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle on suitable signal.

(3) The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a pedalcycle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left of the pedalcycle within not less than four feet at a careful and prudent reduced speed.

Now also keep in mind their attempt to argue that:

1. I wasn't moving in the right direction of travel
2. I should have gotten out of their way.

Get it yet??? They didn't just drive by me.

Can you estimate the amount of distance they provided?

Since you don't give us any information, you could just be an overly dramatic paranoid person. Not saying that is the case but some numbers may help people understand your situation. i.e. They passed 6 inches off my left side.

I could have touched both trucks, especially the first one as I was being pushed towards the edge.

Were you riding down the center of the lane as if you were in a vehicle? That's really the only way 1&3 apply. Sounds like you were going too fast for yourself and got scared. Glad you didn't panic crash.

You're wrong on all points. Why do you feel the need to troll here?

Whatever, dude. I'd be interested seeing you actually articulate what happened. They "pushed" you off? How, exactly? Sounds like you got scared of the truck coming by too closely. You know what? I actually don't care. Glad you were another hysterical cyclist screaming at the mean men in the big truck - really helps the image.

I am very happy to see you are not a troll on a serious matter like this. My apologies, ST seems to be getting more and more pissy lately.

Be assured, I am not another hysterical cyclist and I am definitely not a drama queen. This is a route I ride multiple times per week. Through the stretch where this happened, I generally am going around 35-40 mph. I am used to speed as well as heavy truck traffic. It was not a matter of the wind of a heavy truck rattling me.

What I mean by "push" is that during its pass, the truck pulled over before it cleared me, leaving me no room. I could have leaned my shoulder on the side of the truck. If I wasn't calm, cool and collected in the moment, I would never have recovered.

It's a loosing battle. I was out for a ride on Thursday, guy in a truck buzzes me...around 1, may 2ft of space at most. No cars coming from the opposite direction so I sit up and give the hands out to the side "what's up with that" look. Truck stops in the middle of the road so I pull up beside the guy and politely just advise him out the 4' passing law. Guy just looks at me and speeds off flipping me the bird on his way. Seriously, there are just too many idiots out there to expect anything different.


Hell, today I approaching an intersection in the middle of nowhere - I have the right away two trucks approaching from the left with a stop sign. 1st truck rolls thru as expected, but the 2nd truck should stop and does. As I start rolling thru the intersection, the driver has her face in her phone and pulls out thru the intersection just missing hitting my rear wheel by inches. Once again I give the "what's up with that" look back to the driver......she flips me off and drives away.

So........this weeks tally in 4 days was to be almost run over twice by two drivers who were completely at fault and the know enough about their wrong deeds to flip me off - nice!

I've quit yelling and arguing at drivers because it just raises my blood pressure and not once has a driver learned a thing from it or acknowledge they were in the wrong. Not once!

I hear ya. Here's something interesting about today. I wasn't the one who started yelling at the gas station.

I asked if they were heading to an emergency and that's when the one driver started yelling at me that I should have been riding on the other side, against traffic. The young girl who was driving the other truck told him to shut up and then proceeded to yell at me saying I should have moved for their emergency vehicles.

Company vehicles or in your case emergency vehicles, I just plan on taking a picture of the truck and letting the driver know I'll be contacting their boss about the incident. Nothing will happen, but at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that the driver may at least be slightly worried for a day or two knowing that their job could be on the line.

I still have no idea how they ran you off the road...

And when you say "fire truck" are we talking about the gigantic fire engine weighing many tons that most of us are all picturing? Not to be sexist or whatever, but I don't think I've ever seen A "young girl" driving one of those. Wouldn't that be a job reserved for someone with a special license?

I have read this entire thread, if a car, truck, firetruck or whatever passes very close and then moves over as they make the pass so that you can lean your shoulder against the vehicle then I would say they nearly 'ran you off the road'.

How is this difficult to understand?

Agreed