Whether an ambulance, police car or fire engine dealing safely with an emergency vehicle can be taxing. Key judgments need to be made in what often is only a matter of seconds.
Rule number one is to stay calm. Never slam on the brakes as soon as you become aware of the vehicle as this is likely to result in a rear end shunt. Stay calm and give yourself time to assess your road position and that of the traffic around you. Consider your options and select the least dangerous. Never brake any road traffic laws in an attempt to get out of the way. You will not be exempt from prosecution. You should look ahead and find the nearest safe place to pull over.
If the emergency vehicle is speeding towards you from the front then you may need to pull up at the side of the road as this will 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.
When dealing with an emergency vehicle in a busy built-up area such as a town centre you may need to keep driving forward. Stopping may result in traffic behind you becoming queued which is likely to block the path of the emergency vehicle.
If you do need to stop and pull over make sure you signal your intentions as soon as you can and give other traffic time to react to your actions.
Always remember that by stopping the emergency vehicle will have to overtake you. It is essential therefore that you stop in a location where it will be safe to overtake. Never stop on the brow of a hill, near a blind bend or anywhere else it wouldn't be safe to overtake.
Quite often more than one emergency vehicle will be heading to the same location. With this in mind refrain from moving off as soon as one such vehicle has passed. Always give yourself time to check for other emergency vehicles.
