The AA Populus poll also shows that 13% of the 18,026 AA members surveyed would not stop in a yellow box junction to allow emergency vehicles to pass, nearly one in five (19%) Londoners wouldn’t. London is the only part of the UK where yellow box junctions have been enforced with cameras.

Many UK cities fine drivers £60 (£30 if paid within 14 days) for entering a bus lane. In London, the penalty charge is £130, halved for early payment. Drivers in London face the same if they stop in a yellow box junction.

More drivers are prepared to carry out riskier manoeuvres to help emergency vehicles on their way, with 48% prepared to go through red lights and 31% to exceed the speed limit, although they lay themselves open to prosecution by the police.

Overall, 39% wouldn’t worry about bus lanes, red lights, box junctions, speed limits, or pulling up on to the pavement if an emergency vehicle needed to get past.

‘Drivers think: “But for the grace of God go we – because, the next time, that emergency vehicle could be for us.” And that is why most AA members and other drivers will risk the chance of a penalty charge to save a life,’ said Edmund King, the AA’s president.

‘In return, too many bus lane, yellow box junction and moving traffic offence enforcers will seize the opportunity to dish out a penalty charge. Inevitably, some drivers won’t take the risk and it only takes one to block and hold up an ambulance or fire engine.’

‘The firms and councils operating enforcement cameras say that they take the presence of an on-call emergency vehicle before issuing a penalty notice but, too often, that’s not the case.’

Examples where enforcers failed to exercise discretion and give drivers the benefit of the doubt for getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle:

Bradford Council scraps couple's fine over bus lane use after T&A intervenes

Busted in the bus lane

Motorist wins fight to have bus lane fine scrapped

Fined for getting out of the way

Driver fined for using bus lane to let fire engines pass