Follow our tips when you see or hear an emergency vehicle on the road – stay safe and allow them to pass with the minimum of delay:
- Don’t panic!
- Stay alert to approaching emergency vehicles, keep music low enough to hear sirens
- Don’t brake suddenly – this could put yourself and other road users in danger
- Give yourself time to look for a safe place to stop and signal your intention
- Make sure there is enough room for the emergency vehicle to pass
- Keep going on the approach to a bend, hill crest or on a narrow section of road
- Avoid mounting the kerb, pavements and verges
- Don’t contravene road laws, or endanger yourself or other road users when pulling over
- After the emergency vehicle has passed wait until it’s safe to proceed, there may be more than one vehicle responding
Considerate parking
Every second counts when firefighters are responding to a 999 call. Time spent trying to squeeze between parked cars can put lives at risk. Consider our advice when parking:
- Don’t park too close to bends/junctions – fire engines need more room than a car to turn
- If you are parking opposite another vehicle leave at least two car widths
- Make sure you straighten your wheels when you finish parking
- If you can, fold your wing mirror in
- Always follow the highway code: “you must not leave your vehicle in a dangerous position, or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road.”
THINK it could by your family, your friends or your neighbours and colleagues that emergency vehicles cannot reach.