If you find yourself in a situation where driving a patient to the hospital is the most immediate and urgent care you can provide, try to keep calm and make good decisions. Speeding, even in an emergency, is against the law but if your actions can save someone's life then the law has a provision to understand.
When passing a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing blue or red lights: if the speed limit is 80km/h or less, you must slow down to 40km/h. if the speed limit is over 80km/h, you must slow down safely and move over.
You must not exceed 40km/h when passing the vehicle and not increase your speed until a safe distance from the scene (more on this below).
Most ambulance services have a company policy that limits drivers from exceeding posted speed limits by more than 10 MPH when driving to a call with both their lights and sirens activated. Some may limit drivers to 5 MPH above the posted limit a few allow speeds as high as 20 above the posted limit.
Legally, you can't speed in an emergency. More importantly, you can reach help faster if you don't. According to National Library of Medicine research, on average, in urban areas, ambulances arrive at the scene just seven minutes after you place the 911 call.
The world's fastest ambulance has been revealed at the Gitex technology show in Dubai. The vehicle is capable of rushing to the scene of an incident at speeds of up to 300km/h (185mph). Mark Lobel got a close-up look at the car with one of its drivers.
Bottom line, if you are caught breaking the speed limit in an emergency, and wish to fight the charge, you'll need to go to court, plead 'not guilty' and present your case to a magistrate. You may have a defence if you had to speed because of an emergency, for example, if someone was critically ill in the car.
In other words, the police do not need to obey traffics laws, but only if they are exercising a power or performing a function as required. This means that the police are lawfully allowed to speed, drive through red lights and do other acts which would ordinarily be a traffic offence.
This duty will see police officers travel at speed well in excess of the posted limits and officers need to be reminded that the maximum permissible speed allowed during an intercept is 140 km/h.
If you hear the siren of a fire truck, ambulance, police car or other emergency vehicle, stay calm. Move as far left on the road as you can. If you can't move left, slow down or stop to let the vehicle pass. It's the law in South Australia to give way to emergency vehicles, and to slow down when you're passing them.
Where the speed limit is 80km/h or under, drivers are required to slow to 40km/h when passing stationary emergency response vehicles with flashing lights. In 90km/h or over zones, drivers must slow to a safe and reasonable speed, give plenty of space and change lanes if it is safe.
For the Current Question: Ambulances sometimes transport a patient with only emergency lights showing (i.e., no siren; Code 2). That does not mean the patient is dead. It's usually done to minimize stress on the patient being transported (and to a lesser extent, minimize stress on the medics).
The simple answer is 'no a driver must have the relevant licence because of the risk to themselves and to everyone else'.
Is it legal to drive through a red light to make way for police in VIC? In Victoria, the rules state that drivers must move out of the path of the emergency vehicle as soon as they can do so safely – meaning they may only drive into the intersection on a red light if it is safe to do so.
You must move over and slow down if you see any of these vehicles displaying flashing lights.
In New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, road users are required to safely slow down to 40km/h when approaching or passing emergency vehicles, including police cars, that are stationary or moving slowly, and have their lights flashing and/or an alarm sounding.
When setting maximum speed limits, most states and territories in Australia follow the model national road rules. Under these rules: Posted speed limits are capped at 110km/h. Where there is a no speed limit posted, default speed limits are 50km/h in built-up areas, and 100km/h in rural areas.
Speed limits in Australia range from 5 km/h (3.1 mph) shared zones to 130 km/h (81 mph). Speed limit signage is in km/h since metrication on 1 July 1974.
From pony cars to specialized SUVs, conventional police vehicles have come a long way to hit speeds up to 155mph. Most commuter cars can hit 120 mph, so cop cars need to match that speed or do better.
“While there is no specific offence committed in flashing lights to oncoming motorists to warn of a speed camera, police would generally warn motorists not to do this as it may unnecessarily distract other drivers, especially at night,” the spokeswoman said.
A lidar is powered by a battery pack or by being plugged into a power socket fitted to police cycles. The units can be hand held, mounted on a tripod or monopod. The steadier the platform the greater the range, however, for operational purposes speeds are generally detected in a 600 metre range.
Mobile Speed Cameras in NSW can either be equipped with a visible flash or an invisible infrared flash, depending on the specific camera model being used. Whether a mobile speed camera flashes during the day or night will depend on the type of flash it is using.
It is not illegal to wear headphones while driving in Victoria. However, Victorian road authorities still deem this behavior dangerous and warn it can result in prosecution in certain cases. For example, if a driver involved in a crash was found to be distracted by headphone use, this could result in penalties.
The maximum fine depends on how much faster than the speed limit you were driving. You can be fined: 10 penalty units for driving less than 35 km/hour over the speed limit. 15 penalty units for driving at 35 km/hour or more but less than 45 km/hour over the speed limit.
Unlike ambulance sirens, police vehicles have a siren that yelps with an effect of a short burst. Instead of a falling and rising loop, they shoot a loud bawling sound so that people easily understand if a police vehicle is arriving.