Driving past emergency vehicles

When an emergency vehicle approaches with flashing lights and siren, you are obliged to give way. This applies to ambulance, fire truck, and police.

What you should do

Rescue corridor

On multi-lane roads and motorways, drivers must create a clear corridor between the left lane and the right lane so that emergency vehicles can pass:

• Cars in the left lane move to the left.
• Cars in the right lane move to the right.
• Start forming the corridor as soon as you hear the siren or see flashing lights.

Read about motorway driving in driving on motorways .

Common mistakes

• Panic braking in the middle of the road instead of pulling over.
• Following an emergency vehicle through a red light or prohibited lane.
• Not checking mirrors and blind spot before moving aside.

After the emergency vehicle has passed

Wait until you are sure no more emergency vehicles are coming from behind. Check mirrors and blind spot before driving back into the normal lane.

At accident sites, several emergency vehicles may come one after another.

Further reading

• Warning signs and warning triangle
• Driving in traffic jams
• Right of way and intersections