While driving one should expect and be prepared for emergency vehicles on the road any time of the day. This includes ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, etc. For a complete description of the emergency vehicles and their identification refer to the MTO website. As an essential part of the training, teachers at Young Star Driving School instruct students to look from left to right before going through the crossing every time the light goes green. They further emphasize the importance of such a check to accommodate emergency vehicles, who one should not forget, are permitted to go through red lights. Other than using common sense, Young Star Driving School recommends some proper emergency vehicle etiquette to its students.
Pull Over and Stop
Whenever you hear sirens or see flashing lights, look for the emergency vehicles and make sure that you know exactly which direction it is going. Sometimes, just the sound of the sirens will not give you the direction of its travel. Therefore, it is important to locate the emergency vehicle in front of you, or on the sides or in the rearview mirror. Sometimes the emergency vehicles drive on the wrong side of the road as this is the only available space in rush hour or during road closures.
Irrespective of the direction of the emergency vehicle, you should pull over and stop unless you’re on a divided road like a highway or wide boulevard. Watch the distance between you and the vehicle in front and on the sides of your vehicle. Then watch the vehicle immediately behind you to make sure that if you slow down, you won’t be rear-ended. Slow down and pull over to the closest curb and completely stop the car safely as soon as you can do so. You may have to change lanes in the process. Do not panic or haste in changing lanes as it can make things worse and awkward for the other vehicles and less helpful for the emergency vehicles to navigate.
Be Helpful
If you are stuck in traffic and cannot move your car or cannot change lanes for any reason, then just safely stop wherever you are. Once the driver of the emergency vehicle sees you stopped, he or she can hatch a plan to navigate around you. On the other hand, if you try to move around, even with good intentions, you may make your car unpredictable for the personnel in the emergency vehicle and may confuse them. If you keep moving it will be difficult for them to figure out a quick way to get around you. Try to be agile and situation smart otherwise your mismanagement can result in a waste of precious time.
If you find yourself immediately ahead or in the wings of an emergency vehicle, you may need to get out of the way as quickly as possible. In case the emergency vehicle is right behind you and there is a traffic jam ahead, you might need to turn right or left depending upon the circumstances. In short, free the way for the emergency vehicle to go through and do not become a hindrance.
Driving around emergency vehicles can be critical. For more information on how to react to an approaching emergency, check MTO website. Young Star offers especially designed accident prevention and defensive driving training courses. If you have any questions regarding the services offered by our driving school, please feel free to call us or email us.