Time.

It’s the most critical factor when dealing with an emergency.

The sooner fire crews, police or ambulance officers can get to an incident, the better the chance they can resolve it.

And even the slightest delays could literally be the difference between life and death for someone.

That’s why if you are driving and an emergency vehicle with sirens on and lights flashing is heading to an incident it is CRITICAL you know how to respond – safely.

If it is safe to do so, move as far left on the road as possible to let the emergency vehicle pass.

If you cannot move over to the left, slow down and let the emergency vehicle pass.

If you are already in the left lane, allow vehicles in an adjacent lane to move into your lane if they need to.

Above all, don’t panic. Use your indicator to signal intentions to the emergency vehicle driver.

And, most importantly, DO NOT break the law (i.e. drive through a red light or speed) when giving way to an emergency vehicle.

What are the penalties if you DON’T give way to an emergency vehicle?

You can lose four demerit points and face a $400 infringement.

So do the right thing.

Move over and let emergency vehicles through.

They’ll thank you for it – and more importantly someone you probably don’t even know will thank you even more.

For more information, visit http://roadrules.rsc.wa.gov.au/road-rules/emergency-vehicles