Drivers need to wake up and pay attention

'It's disappointing to hear our emergency services are being kept from responding to emergencies as quickly as they can by drivers failing to move aside'

NSW Ambulance and other emergency services need you to pull over. Picture: Trevor Veale/Coffs Coast Advocat

"WHEN we're under lights, we want to get somewhere in a hurry."

That's the message police want Clarence Valley drivers to heed, as they urge everyone to be aware of emergency vehicles and move to the left- hand side of the road when they've got their lights and sirens on.

It's disappointing to hear our emergency service personnel, the people who are paid (and sometimes volunteer) to keep us safe, are being kept from responding to emergencies as quickly as they can by drivers failing to move aside when they have their lights on and siren blaring.

Imagine if it was a member of your family or a friend who needed help, and help was late to arrive because someone failed to move to the side of the road and let that emergency vehicle pass?

It's those precious seconds or minutes that are lost which could prove to be the difference between life or death.

Unfortunately it's not a surprise that drivers aren't paying attention to emergency service vehicles. I'm on the Pacific Highway twice a day for most days to get to and from work, and I've seen a great deal of bad behaviour on our roads, from people using their mobile phones to overtaking more than two cars in one go on a two-lane section of road.

If only everyone would pay more attention to what they're doing on the road, we'd all be better off.

Originally published as Drivers need to wake up and pay attention