We make better drivers and riders

Responding to emergency vehicles

Blog post posted on 01/06/16 |
2 x
Advice

This week, we’re looking at how you can help an emergency vehicle reach the scene of an urgent situation quickly and safely. Here’s IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding Richard Gladman, to guide you through.

  • Whenever you hear the sound of an emergency siren mute your music so you can work out where the noise is coming from. Be prepared to plan your next manoeuvre if the emergency vehicle requires your help to get past.
  • Be sure to pull over and stop where it is safe to do so, giving the emergency vehicle a wide enough berth. Make your intentions clear and certainly avoid blocking any major junctions or stopping in the middle of the road, on the brow of a hill or before a bend.
  • Avoid stopping on kerbs, pavements and verges as they may mask hazards, damage your vehicle or put pedestrians at risk.
  • The vehicle trying to pass may be a plain looking car with emergency warning equipment such as lights fitted to it – be prepared to assist in the same way.
  • Going through a red light or using a bus lane to make way for an emergency vehicle is in fact breaking the law and cameras have no discretion. Avoid this at all costs and be sure to stop only where it is legal and safe to do so.

Richard said: “Emergency lights are not always easily visible and the sirens can be heard from different directions so be as vigilant as possible. Motorcycles are also used by all emergency services and they may be hard to see – be prepared to respond and plan your route before acting.

“To find out more about our advanced driving and riding courses take a look here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses.”

Notes to editors:

  1. Richard Gladman is IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards.
  2. IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety debates on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

 

Media contacts:

IAM Press Office – 020 8996 9777

press.office@iam.org.uk/ www.iamroadsmart.com

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On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAMroadsmart    

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamgroup 

 

ENDS