Spanish police explain how drivers should react to ambulances in a hurry

TRAFFIC police in Spain have explained how drivers should react if an ambulance or fire engine comes hurtling down the road with its sirens blaring – and point out that moving aside to let them past is not just about community spirit, but actually a legal requirement.

Whilst the overwhelming majority of motorists automatically react to let an emergency vehicle through, considering it their moral duty, if they failed to do so they could be fined €200 and lose points from their driving licences.

Spanish licences start off with 12 points, and these are deducted for breaches of traffic regulations, with an automatic ban at zero – the opposite system to countries such as the UK which start with zero and points are added, leading to a ban when the total reaches 12.

Unlike in the UK, though, where points are automatically 'spent' after a set period of time, recovering lost points in Spain means taking officially-approved courses at driving schools, which are State-run and physical premises.

National Police explain that if an ambulance or fire engine with the sirens and lights active is heading down a single-carriageway road, whether in a built-up area or an open trunk road, drivers should automatically veer towards the pavement or hard shoulder – their right-hand side, or the passenger seat side if they are in a standard continental car.

If the pavement is clear and the kerb sufficiently low to do so safely, drivers should ideally try to mount it to create even more space, especially where the road is narrow.

Ambulances and fire engines in a hurry will head down the middle of a road, and sirens and lights may only be flashed briefly if they need a driver to get out of the way – it is worth remembering that in some medical emergencies, such as heart attacks and strokes, ambulances are driven much more slowly and quietly; additionally, a TNA (non-assisted transport) ambulance may simply be taking elderly or disabled residents to a routine appointment, or a 'silent' and 'unlit' vehicle might merely be returning to base empty.

This will never be the case if the vehicle is headed down the middle section of a road, though, and motorists who see this must act accordingly.

On dual carriageway roads, which include most motorways, those in the outer lane – the right-hand or 'slow' lane – should squeeze farther towards the hard shoulder.

But those in the left-hand 'fast' lane or overtaking lane should not try to pull back into the right-hand one; instead, they should move even farther to the left.

In most cases, drivers should slow down a little, but not stop altogether, which could cause a pile-up; by leaving the middle section clear, speed reduction may not be necessary as the ambulance would not be impeded by being unable to overtake a car travelling at or just below the speed limit.

Some stretches of motorway have three lanes in either direction, and in this case, the vehicles using the middle of these are the ones that have to move.

Those in the middle should move to the right-hand lane, or the 'slow lane', and those already in it have an obligation to let them in – and to veer closer still to the hard shoulder.

Drivers in the left-hand or far overtaking lane should move closer to the central reservation, as the ambulance will normally need to use part of the left lane as well as the middle one to get through.

Moving aside for an ambulance on a single-carriageway road is normally self-explanatory, but confusion sometimes arises for those on dual-carriageway or three-lane highways, who are not sure whether they should try to get out of overtaking or middle lanes and, if so, where they should move towards.

Emergency vehicles, clearly, have special dispensation to break speed limits, jump traffic lights and park in 'forbidden' areas, since this is in keeping with their duty to respond swiftly to a life-or-death situation.

The same applies to police cars on duty.

Social media snaps of patrol cars in disabled bays or up against yellow kerbs whilst the officers are, for example, in a bar or café, often go viral, but police explain that, whilst they are entitled to scheduled breaks and need these to stay focused on their high-intensity rôles, they may have to suddenly drop everything and jump in their car to rush to a crime scene or emergency.

Clearly, they cannot do this efficiently if the nearest 'legal' parking space is a 10-minute walk away, so even during their free moments, officers have to be within easiest-possible reach of their cars – it does not mean that they consider themselves 'above the law'.

These responses have been given by the force in national news to calm collective outrage caused by 'caught-red-handed' photos of 'illegal parking' by police on coffee breaks.