Look.
Move.
Stop.
- Always be aware of other roadway users, looking in all directions including behind you to see where an emergency vehicle is approaching from.
- Signal your intentions and move to the right to make room for the emergency vehicle to pass.
- Stop (not in an intersection) and make sure all emergency vehicles have passed. Signal to merge back into traffic when it is safe to do so.
“Our top priority is saving lives. Traffic and speeding are a significant concern when enroute to and from an emergency situation. We’re asking motorists to simply help us out, to not be an obstacle, obstrution or hazard” says Inspector Brad Mandrusiak of EPS’s Traffic Services Section.
SLOW DOWN AND MOVE OVER WHEN PASSING STATIONARY EMERGENCY OR OTHER HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE VEHICLES
Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act (TSA) requires drivers to slow down to 60 km/h or less in a lane next to a stopped ambulance, fire truck, police cruiser or tow truck. Or if possible, provide one lane of space on multi-lane roadways.
“Behind those flashing lights on emergency and roadside vehicles are real people—Albertans helping Albertans,” says Michelle Chimko, President & CEO, Alberta Motor Association. “Slowing down and moving over isn’t just the law and doesn’t just protect those who call the roadside their workplace, it also protects Albertans in need of assistance, ensuring everyone can get home safely—and that’s something we all deserve.”
Please be extra cautious on the following high-speed roads:
• Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216)
• Queen Elizabeth (QE) II Highway
• Whitemud Drive
• Yellowhead Trail
Kaylee Pfeifer from Emergency Medical Services says the priority will always be safety first.
“This includes the safety of our patients, our staff and the public at large. This also means that we all have a role to play in ensuring safety for everyone. Please help us work safely and efficiently by doing your part in making room for emergency vehicles.”
“We’ve had a summer of close calls. Every time we stop on a roadway we’re working just inches away at times from live traffic. This can be on roads where drivers are going 100 km/h or more. At higher speeds, the ability of a driver and vehicle to respond in time to avoid an accident creates very real risk – both for the driver and all the other people using the roadway including first responders. The margins are really quite thin. And it’s not enough to think or pretend it won’t happen to you. It’s a simple ask, if you see an emergency vehicle pulled over on the side of the road, please do your part, slow down and give us space to work safely,” says Insp. Mandrusiak.
Images: 2024 crash involving stopped patrol car
When emergency vehicles become the emergency: First-hand account from EPS Const. Coderre
In the late evening of December 20, 2024, West Branch officers were struck on the Anthony Henday northbound by a vehicle just before the Webber Greens exit. The patrol car was blocking a lane of traffic for a tow truck when both the tow truck and patrol car were hit by a vehicle, causing significant damage.
“My partner and I were sitting in the vehicle watching cars fly past us, even with our lights activated. I remember thinking no one is slowing down,” says Constable Chandler Coderre. “That’s when my partner looked at me and said he was going to put on his seatbelt even though we were stationary. Some time passed, and while we were sitting there, I heard a big bang behind us and then felt the collision.”
The officers then quickly tended to the injured driver before being taken to the hospital themselves with minor injuries. Luckily, no one was gravely injured. But luck should never be part of the equation.
Please pay attention and slow down when you see flashing lights.
Learn more about how EPS is taking traffic safety seriously—and you should too—at Dead Serious YEG | edmonton police.