Bristol Drivers Quizzed About 999 Driving
Avon Fire Brigade are to quiz drivers about how they respond when they are faced with emergency vehicles on the road.
A survey has been launched by Avon Fire and Rescue to find out if drivers in Bristol know what to do if a fire engine is approaching them.
This comes after worries from some fire officers that motorists panic when an emergency vehicle is heading towards them.
There have been reports of some drivers speeding to let engines past or jumping red lights, putting themselves and others in danger.
The Fire Brigade has put the survey on its website to include questions like:
If an emergency service vehicle on blue lights approached you on a road where there was limited space, would you:
1: Continue driving at the legal speed limit until there is a safe place to allow it to pass
2: Speed up to get out of the way as quickly as possible
3: Try and pull onto the verge or kerb to allow it space to pass
4: Stop immediately to allow it to pass
5: Don't know
The results of the survey will form a public education and awareness campaign to help motorists aid the progress of emergency service vehicles.
You can check out the link at http://www.avonfire.com
But what is the correct reponse to the above question?
The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) told us:
"Good driving practice will alert you early to emergency vehicles: regular mirror checks (side and rear) for example, and keeping the windows slightly down around town, so you can hear sirens approaching.
Don’t panic and just brake. It’s natural to want to react. But instinctively putting your brakes on immediately in front of an emergency vehicle doesn’t help: it slows the progress of the emergency vehicle and jeopardises other road users.
Think about where you are on the road. You should deal with the problem in the same way that you deal with any other potentially hazardous driving situation. What is the safest option available to you?
Don’t cross red traffic lights or speed to get out of the way. The emergency driver has training and legal exemptions that you don’t have. Bus lanes and box junctions can be problems too, but let them resolve the problem of breaking the rules – not you.
If you are moving it may well be that you can continue at a reasonable pace and the emergency vehicle can follow you out of a pocket of congestion (such as a blocked one way system). In that scenario, attempting to pull over too soon, or slow down, might just cause a needless obstruction and so hamper the progress of the emergency vehicle.
Indicate your intentions clearly don’t pull in opposite other obstructions, such as centre bollards. If you are thinking about pulling over across an entrance to a school or factory, you may be unwittingly preventing the emergency vehicle reaching its destination. And do think about where you are asking the emergency driver to overtake you – on the brow of a hill or a blind bend can be placing him or her in a very difficult position.
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