Emergency Protocol

Welcome to our May blog! This month, we wanted to talk about Emergency Protocols on your drive. With summer coming and more people out on the road, we hope you are doing your best to make driving safe for you and others. 

We all know that flashing lights means that emergency vehicles are in the area. Those vehicles try to keep us safe and help people in trouble or stop people who are a danger to us on the road. It’s crucial that we know this and that we teach our kids this as they begin to approach the age where they are driving, too.

But it helps to remember that there are steps we can take both, as someone in an emergency situation and as someone passing one, to help out. These steps are essential to making sure we remain a safe element in an emergency situation:

• Change lanes safely. Most states have a law now that says you must shift to the left when an officer pulls someone over on the highway and clear the lane near them. This avoids officers getting clipped by passing cars as they walk to a vehicle they are assisting (or ticketing) and protects the people on the side of the road, too. Respect that emergency light and move over safely and gently.
• Don’t rubberneck. We all have a sense of morbid curiosity when we come across an accident or a police situation. But slowing down to get a look makes you a distracted driver AND a driver impeding the safe flow of traffic. It’s a great way to rear-end another driver, potentially.
• Give way. Pull off the road and stop to let emergency vehicles by in stopped traffic or when the car will need to drive through your right-of-way. Fire engines, ambulances, squad cars-- all of these cars have enormous pressure on them to get to an emergency scene. Take thirty seconds out of your commute to pull over and let them safely by.
• Don’t take advantage of the situation. I can’t believe how many cars will follow an emergency vehicle through a swerved opening in traffic merely to make their commute a little faster. It isn’t the fast lane at the DMV. It’s illegal and yet still a persistent issue. Don’t be that guy or gal, please!

We hope you’ll agree with these recommendations and help us make Cincinnati roads a safer, more caring place. At Avid Autowerx, we wish you the best and invite you to schedule service for your car at any time!