Stop for Sirens -- It Could Save a Life, Reminds the Auto Club
17 May 1999
Stop for Sirens -- It Could Save a Life, Reminds the Auto Club
LOS ANGELES--May 17, 1999--A few seconds during an emergency can make the difference between life and death.Motorists can help prevent a tragedy by remembering to give the right of way to emergency vehicles, reminds the Automobile Club of Southern California.
In recognition of Emergency Medical Services Week (May 16-22), the Auto Club is providing tips for motorists to help them remember what to do when they hear sirens or see flashing lights.
"People today lead hectic, busy lives and don't have the time for road delays," said Arline Dillman, Ph.D., the Auto Club's traffic safety manager.
"To save time, drivers may be tempted to ignore or beat approaching emergency vehicles trying to get through traffic. Don't do it -- it's illegal and dangerous. The few minutes it takes to pull over to let these vehicles through could save the life of a choking child or a heart attack victim. It could also prevent dangerous traffic collisions."
An Auto Club review of statewide statistics revealed that in 1997, emergency vehicles were involved in 21 fatal and 1,839 injury traffic collisions. Motorists were at fault in 75 percent of fatal collisions and in 63 percent of injury collisions.
The Auto Club offers these reminders for motorists when they see or hear an emergency vehicle sounding its sirens or flashing its lights:
-- If an emergency vehicle is close behind you, don't stop
abruptly in front of it. This will block its access and require a
potentially dangerous lane change.
-- Put your right turn signal on to let emergency vehicles know
that you see them. Safely pull over to the right, stop and wait
until the vehicle is 300 feet or about half a block away. Make
sure no additional emergency vehicles are approaching before
proceeding. If you're in the center lanes and can't get all the
way over, pull as far to the right as safely possible.
-- Don't block intersections. If you're already in an
intersection, proceed through, then pull over to the right. If
you're approaching an intersection, pull over to right and wait
until emergency vehicle(s) have passed before going through.
-- Don't second-guess what an emergency vehicle will do -- it may
turn when you think it's going straight. If you're at an
intersection and the light turns green, don't proceed until the
emergency vehicle has passed and the road is completely clear.
-- If your car is in the left turn lane and other lanes are
congested, you may be directed by emergency personnel to make a
U-turn or a sharp right turn in front of other traffic lanes and
then pull to the right.
-- On freeways, always pull over to the right, not the left or
center median, if an emergency vehicle has its headlights on. If
patrol cars are flashing their lights and cutting across lanes,
don't try to pass them -- they are trying to clear the way.
-- Don't play the radio so loud that you can't hear approaching
emergency sirens. Consider driving with the driver's side window
rolled down about 1/4 inch to make it easier to hear emergency
vehicles.
-- Pay attention to surroundings and what other cars are doing --
they may have detected an emergency vehicle that you can't see or
hear yet. Check your rear and side mirrors every three to five
seconds.
-- Don't follow emergency vehicles that are sounding sirens or
blinking lights to see where they are headed. It's against the
law.
Motorists should remember that emergency vehicles are exempted from certain rules of the road -- they are allowed to cross red lights, exceed the speed limit and use any lane if safe to do so.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, insurance services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.