Are you #BlueLightAware this Road Safety Week?

This Road Safety Week, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is urging all drivers to be #BlueLightAware and understand the needs of emergency service drivers. 

Ambulance and other blue light crews respond to calls for help at all times of the day and night and rely on the help of other road users when they’re on an emergency journey.  

EEAST provides lifesaving care across 7,500 square miles, in six counties – Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. This includes several major roads, such as the M25 and M11.  

By taking the time to familiarise yourself with safety advice, you will better understand the needs of emergency drivers.  

If you see blue lights or hear a siren, it’s important to remain calm. Look for a safe place to move left and stop. If approaching a bend or top of a hill, then keep going and pull over when there’s a better view ahead. Remember to always stay out of bus lanes, keep off kerbs and pavements, and don’t stop near traffic islands. 

At traffic lights, our ambulance vehicles will find a way around you. If you’re first in the queue at a red light, stay where you are, and leave the emergency vehicle to find its way around you. Do not go past the stop line. 

On a smart motorway, one or more lanes may be closed because of an incident ahead and this will be recognisable by red X signs above the carriageway. Emergency vehicles will use these lanes if they can, so remember to move to other lanes. If no lanes are closed, you can help form what’s known as an emergency corridor, so be prepared to move to the right or the left. 

Following these simple steps will reduce risks to other road users, while contributing to a safer environment and may even help you save a life. 

For more information, visit bluelightaware.org.uk.