Emergency vehicles

By the end of this topic you can

• You can recognise emergency and incident support vehicles by their lights and sirens.
• You can stay calm and work out where the vehicle needs to go.
• You can pull over safely when it helps, avoiding bends, hill brows and narrow sections.
• You can let a vehicle pass without breaking traffic rules.
• You can respond correctly if the police signal you to stop.

What you need to know and understand

• Emergency vehicles may use flashing blue, red or green lights, sirens or flashing headlights.
• Traffic officer and incident support vehicles use flashing amber lights.
• Do not panic. Think about the vehicle's route and let it pass, while still obeying traffic signs and signals.
• If you need to, pull to the side of the road and stop, but not just before a bend, the brow of a hill or a narrow section.
• Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians, and avoid mounting the kerb.
• Do not brake harshly on the approach to a junction or roundabout, as the vehicle behind may not see what you have seen.
• If the police want you to stop, they may use flashing blue lights, headlights, a siren or point to the left. Pull over and stop as soon as it is safe, then switch off your engine.

Look, listen, then decide

Sirens can be hard to place, especially with the windows closed or music on. Check all your mirrors and look ahead to see where the vehicle is and which way it is heading. It may be coming towards you, from a side road or from behind.

Once you know where it is, ask yourself what would help most. Often the best move is to carry on steadily to a place where it can pass easily, such as a wider stretch of road, then move left and slow down or stop.

Helping without breaking the law

• Do: signal and move left smoothly when there is a safe place.
• Do: keep checking mirrors in case more than one emergency vehicle is coming.
• Do: rejoin traffic carefully once it has passed, with mirrors and a signal.
• Do not: drive through a red light to get out of the way.
• Do not: stop on a bend, the brow of a hill or a narrow section where the vehicle cannot get round you.
• Do not: mount the kerb or pull onto the pavement where people may be walking.
• Do not: slam on the brakes, especially near a junction or roundabout.
• Do not: follow closely behind the emergency vehicle to get through traffic.

At traffic lights and in queues

If you are first in a queue at a red light, stay behind the stop line. The emergency driver can see you are stuck and will usually find another way, such as passing on the other side of the road. Edging over the line into a junction could put you in the path of crossing traffic.

In a queue, small moves to the left can create a gap down the middle, but only if there is room and it is safe to do so. Stay alert after the vehicle passes, as other drivers may move unpredictably.

Common mistakes

• Panicking and stopping dead in the road. Keep calm and plan where to pull over.
• Pulling over on a bend or the brow of a hill. Carry on to a place with a clear view.
• Moving through a red light to clear the way. Stay put and let the driver find a route.
• Forgetting there may be a second vehicle following. Check mirrors before rejoining traffic.
• Mounting the kerb onto the pavement. Pedestrians may be there.

Test yourself: Emergency vehicles

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• How to Let Emergency Vehicles Pass Without Breaking the Law