(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Driving etiquette

Rules of engagement: what to do when an emergency vehicle approaches

Jul 30, 2021 | 6:00 PM

Ahead of the long weekend, and smack dab in the middle of a busy summer construction season in Prince Albert, a spokesperson for Parkland Ambulance is reminding drivers to give the right of way to emergency vehicles.

Lyle Karasiuk explained it’s an ongoing problem where it appears someone just does not know what to do when the flashing lights from an ambulance show up in the rear view mirror. He said one of the most important rules is to be aware of your surroundings and be able to react.

“And reacting means not just swinging to your right or left to get out of the way but remember there is a little arm on the side of your steering column, called a signal light,” he said.

Karasiuk explained by signalling, it allows the ambulance driver to know exactly which way you are going.

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Reflecting back on an incident Thursday, Karasiuk said he witnessed a driver pull into traffic, thinking that was the best way to give the ambulance room to get by. He explained what the driver should have done was signal her intention and pull to the right lane, and hopefully other drivers will one by one follow suit.

“I know that might take you to cut somebody off but that’s the right thing to do. You do not, whatever you do on a red light, dart out into traffic,” he said.

Karasiuk also explained if you cause an accident, the emergency responders will now have to stop and make sure you are safe, and then re-route another team to the call they were on. On top of this, you could be at fault for running a red light.

Construction zone

Karasiuk acknowledged it can be tough to know what to do if you are stuck in a construction zone and an ambulance is approaching from behind, or is ahead of you.

He said his team is really attentive and will do their best to avoid the high congestion areas, but added, depending on where the incident is, it’s not always possible.

“We get regular updates from the city and regular updates from highways on where construction is,” he said.

Karasiuk said if you are in a situation though, where there are only two lanes on traffic, and you see an ambulance approaching, don’t turn, but rather wait, and let the ambulance pass by and use the open lane. As a last resort, Karasiuk said the ambulance driver may drive into oncoming traffic, which is why it’s very important for everyone to be alert.

Highways

Karasiuk said on the highway, it can be a common mistake for a driver to respond to an emergency vehicle by pulling over to the shoulder while maintaining highway speeds.

“You don’t know whether the incident we are responding to is right over the crest of the hill you are approaching. You don’t know if the driveway you are approaching is where we need to turn into,” he said.

For this reason, Karasiuk explained it’s best to disengage your cruise, gracefully signal your intention to move to the right and just slow down.

“The same holds true if we are passing and you are in the oncoming traffic. Don’t just simply pull over to the side with your cruise on,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell