Even the most seasoned drivers can go into panic mode when they hear an emergency vehicle, praying it’s not coming in their direction. But if it is, and you can see the blue lights flashing, it could make you stressed and unsure about how to handle the situation.
That’s why @vffdrivingschool shared a video about what to do if you’re a learner (or you’ve already passed and need a refresher) and an emergency vehicle is hurtling past you.
Whether it’s an ambulance, police, or fire engine, it’s important to make the right decision and get out of the way so they can quickly attend to the emergency they need to be at to potentially save lives.
In these situations, it’s important to make clear, concise decisions and actions, and not to stress. In the TikTok video, the instructor reiterated that it was “fine,” asking “what should we do here?”
She encouraged him to “move over and straighten up,” and then he did what she said, and the vehicle was able to move past. At the end of the video, the instructor said: “That was intense!”
In the caption, they reiterated what you should do if you find yourself in this situation.
They shared: “There are a few things to remember when dealing with emergency vehicles.
“You should pull to the side when possible and make sure you have left them enough room to get past.”
However, you must “avoid driving onto the pavement and curb, as it may be dangerous for pedestrians and other road users” for you to do this. You should also “not obstruct the road”.
You shouldn’t assume that once one vehicle has gone past that’s all of them, and you should “check for multiple vehicles,” as often there will be another one in tandem.
Once the vehicle you’re avoiding has “passed by,” you need to ensure you “move off safely” and that nobody is going past you.
If you fail to stop or pull over for an emergency vehicle during your driving test, you are very likely to fail.
This is considered a serious fault because it shows you do not understand or are not following the Highway Code, which states that you must give way to emergency vehicles using flashing lights or sirens.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which oversees driving tests in the UK, expects candidates to respond correctly to emergency vehicles.
According to the official Highway Code (Rule 219), you must take appropriate action to let emergency vehicles pass, and failure to do so can result in a serious or even dangerous fault on your test, which would mean an automatic fail.