You’re driving down the road and you start to hear the recognizable sound of emergency sirens in the distance and they are getting closer. Soon you see the flashing lights, but what should you do?
All drivers, regardless of where they are, should be immediately pulling over to the right side of the road they are on and stopping their vehicle, according Canmore Fire Chief Todd Sikorsky.
Sikorsky said in his experience drivers appear to be uncertain about what to do and continue to drive at a slower speed, when they should stop altogether.
“It is important for us (for drivers to stop),” he said. “Then we know exactly where people are heading and that they will not be pulling out in front of us.”
By stopping, Sikorsky said, drivers are communicating with emergency vehicles that they have seen and heard them approach. With all vehicles pulling to the right, he said it also provides a clear path for emergency vehicles through an intersection or street. When vehicles pull over to the left and the right, the emergency vehicle must navigate between them, which is not as safe.
“That really affects our lanes out, especially if we are pinched between two cars,” Sikorsky said. “During highway response we see people pulling over in the left lane and we end up between two vehicles, which is more dangerous.”
He added that when travelling on highways, drivers should not pass emergency vehicles that are trying to respond to a scene as well.
Canmore RCMP Sgt. Ryan Currie said drivers should move to the right any time they encounter lights and sirens. Under the Traffic Safety Act, he said, in the use of highway and rules of the road regulations section 63, subsection 2 states an emergency vehicle has the right of way when operating emergency equipment. Section 65, subsection 1 states drivers must yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle when approaching by moving to the right and stopping until passed.
Currie said a $233 fine comes with breaching those sections, however, he added for the most part those tickets are not issued because emergency personnel are on their way somewhere else in a hurry.
“A lot of the time what drivers don’t realize, especially on a highway, is they may not hear the siren over top of the noise of the road and they don’t look behind them,” he said. “You have to be aware of your surroundings as a driver.”
Currie said drivers can also help themselves by not getting too close to the vehicle in front of them. Having space between vehicles when stopped allows drivers to manoeuver out of the way if an emergency vehicle comes along.
“You should always have an exit or an out,” he said.
