In an emergency situation you will normally hear a police siren
When you think of priority calls being responded to you immediately think police siren and flashing lights. It isn’t always the case that you will hear a siren or indeed see the lights.
There are some situations when police even in response to an emergency call will not use the police siren or any of the lights on the vehicle. Say in cases of prowlers or crimes in progress the police would in no way want to frighten off the intruder or lawbreaker. In such circumstances, the officers may use sirens and lights to clear a way through traffic but on approach to a scene would silence the siren and shut down all but essential lights. In other situations that could be classed emergency lights may be the only warning used. In many instances, the officer must make the final decision on how they proceed to any call regardless of the priority.
Even in the most serious of emergencies an officer still has the choice to use all of the warning signs available both audible and visible. A police vehicle responding with lights and police siren to a coded emergency will have state authority to utilize privileges authorized by law. Even in the direst of emergency, the officers should still drive with utmost regard for safety of themselves and all other road users. It may seem that we always, with regular monotony hear the wail of a police siren and the flash of lights but in many instances only lights will be used.
A police vehicle responding to a call without the use lights but not a police siren, will in most states, not be granted any immediate right of way. Using lights only will generally mean that the officer is granted no road privileges or immunities. It’s interesting to note that if we the public see flashing lights we would automatically grant right of way if the vehicle needed to pass, it’s just a knee jerk reaction for most drivers. Even with lights and police siren in operation at the same time, the officers need to take account of several different factors to determine if they can drive under emergency response conditions.
An officer when responding to a call will need to take into account the time of day, the type of crime in progress and general traffic conditions. An officer before using all means at his disposal such as police siren and flashing lights needs to consider any possible liability or hazard to themselves or other road users. We the public may assume an officer will always respond to a call with full lights flashing and siren blaring but in reality nothing could be further from the truth. In most cases, officers have to judge each situation before they decide how they respond.
At the scene of roadside accidents, the police siren and lights play an important role in helping clear a path through traffic. An officer will never endanger themselves or other officers in responding to calls and they will never put the public at risk. Using a siren and lights at the same time is often a last resort or the response to an extreme emergency. It isn’t a simple and clear-cut light and sirens go all of the time for our police officers. Informed judgment does have to be made before they speed off to a call.
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