A Driver's Guide to Coping with Emergency Vehicles

Driving on today's busy and crowded roads can often be problematic. All sorts of hazards can confront you and get in your way. One such hazard, and I don't mean that in any negative sense of the word, are emergency vehicles. These often large and fast moving vehicles can cause havoc as they weave their way in and out of urban traffic. Dealing with them effectively however requires no great skill.

The first thing to do is keep calm. Don't rush into action or over-react. One unfolding drama is enough. Locate the direction of the approaching vehicle and then consider your options. Often a first instinct will be to brake, regardless of the traffic behind. This however can put you in danger and cause the traffic behind you to slow which in turn will hinder the progress of the emergency vehicle.

The correct response is to calmly think about your road position and deal with the problem in the same way that you would deal with any other potentially hazardous driving situation. You should consider the options available to you and take the safest. Don't cross red traffic lights, speed to get out of the way or break any other traffic laws. The emergency driver has legal exemptions you don't. You should look ahead and find the nearest safe place to pull over.

If the emergency vehicle is approaching you from the front then be prepared to pull over to make room for it to drive on your side of the road. If you are approaching a junction and can hear an emergency vehicle but are uncertain where it is coming from then hold back until you can see it.

If you are moving in urban traffic it may well be that you can continue at a reasonable pace and the emergency vehicle can follow you out of a pocket of congestion. In such a situation if you pull over too soon, or even just slow right down, you may cause a needless obstruction and hamper the progress of the emergency vehicle.

Always indicate you intention clearly and in good time. If you pull in or make any other manoeuvre make sure you indicate and warn other road users of your intentions. You should always think about where you are asking the emergency driver to overtakeyou. For example if you stop on the brow of a hill the emergency driver will have to overtake you there. This puts them in danger as they won't be able to see if traffic is approaching in the opposite direction.

It is not uncommon for there to be more than one emergency vehicle heading towards an emergency. With this in mind never move off without making sure no other emergency vehicle is approaching.