Don’t do that unless it’s safe and required by the circumstances.
The safest response is to remain calm, observe what’s happening around you, and avoid making a sudden maneuver that could create another accident.
If the vehicle is clearly responding to an emergency and local law requires you to yield, give it room to pass as safely as possible.
Slow down when appropriate.
Check your mirrors.
Signal before changing lanes.
Move over only when you can do so safely.
And, most importantly, don’t panic.
A few seconds of patience can be far more helpful than an abrupt move that puts several drivers at risk.
Why Green Instead of Red?
This is where things get especially interesting.
Humans are remarkably good at recognizing visual patterns. We see a particular color and immediately associate it with a certain type of activity.
Red often means danger, stopping, or emergency.
Blue is commonly associated with law enforcement and emergency response.
Amber or yellow is frequently used for caution, roadside work, or slower-moving vehicles.
Green, meanwhile, is usually associated with safety, permission, or movement.
That makes green an unusual but potentially useful color for identifying certain types of medical or emergency-related activity.
Rather than simply blending into normal traffic, a vehicle displaying an authorized flashing light can become much easier for other motorists to notice.
And sometimes, being noticed is the entire point.
A Green Light Doesn’t Give Every Driver Permission to Ignore Traffic Laws
Here’s another important point.
Seeing a green light doesn’t mean you should suddenly assume that the vehicle can do absolutely anything on the road—or that you should do anything necessary to get out of its way.
Safety still comes first.
For example, if you’re sitting at an intersection and see a vehicle approaching with flashing lights, don’t blindly enter another lane or run a red light just because you’re trying to help.
