Ambulances with Lights but No Sirens

Mintee on 02/06/2025 - 19:41
Last edited 02/06/2025 - 19:43

Hey everyone,

Bit of a Mintee special here, but I’ve noticed something while driving recently and a little concerning. It’s happened to me twice in the past fortnight, and I’m keen to hear from others, especially anyone in emergency services, or similar fields.

Scenario 1:
I was travelling on an 80 km/h road in the left lane, approaching a green light at an intersection probably doing approx 78km/h. It was dusk. An ambulance came from my left, up a freeway on-ramp, and proceeded through their red light (legally, of course) – with lights flashing but no siren.
Because of the hill and barrier on the ramp (from the left where the ambulance was coming), I didn’t see it until it was nearly at the intersection. I had to brake suddenly. Had the siren been on, I likely would’ve been more alert and slowed sooner. The lack of audible warning meant I didnt notice till it was up the hill. If the siren was on I feel I would have been more alert and slowed earlier.

Scenario 2:
Today, I was in the right-hand lane on a 60 km/h road. I saw flashing lights in my rear-view mirror about three cars (traffic was heavy but could see the lights through the cars windows behind me). I immediately indicated left to try to move over. The car to my left (who I was slightly ahead) sped up and didnt really let me in, I genuinely dont think he realized there was an ambulance. Again, no siren, and I feel that if it had been on, the other driver might’ve been more aware I was trying to give way to an emergency vehicle.

I’m not here to complain about ambulance drivers – I know they’re under pressure and doing crucial work. But I am curious:
- Why are sirens not being used in these situations anymore?
- Is it a new protocol or just discretion-based?

Would love to hear from anyone in the industry or others who’ve noticed the same.

Automotive

Comments

  • Wiadro on 02/06/2025 - 19:46
    +7

    in built up areas at night they dont have to have sirens on.
    if they dont see a hazard infront of them they wont activate it.

    • Mintee on 02/06/2025 - 19:48

      Scenario 2 was very heavy traffic….
      Scenario 1 wasnt a built up area; it was esentially where a freeway and main road meets. But good to know

  • Unorthodox on 02/06/2025 - 19:46
    +7

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/820291

    Can't win either way

    • Protractor on 02/06/2025 - 19:50
      -2

      Would love the author of that post be held up in an ambulance after hours due to selfish road users, and no siren situation.Hope their golden child is doing well on their way to becoming the chosen one.

    • pegaxs on 02/06/2025 - 20:58
      +3

      lol…. Came here to reference this exact post… :D

      “Because @dpk91 complained about sirens waking their child…”

  • Protractor on 02/06/2025 - 19:48
    +5

    Patient transfer. or Sensitive injury or condition patient onboard.Just let them through without diving off the road or into oncoming traffic. You are halfway there already.

    They may also have been doing a side hustle uber,door dash delivery.May as well keep busy during ramp events.Or fake ambulance in the middle of a bank heist.
    What imaginary scenarios came to mind ,for you,dear Muntee?

    • Mintee on 02/06/2025 - 19:54
      -2

      Is the choice to activate the siren based on the individual driver? I genuinely dont know how paramedics work, or do they have to use some sort of 'code' to tell their central base that theyre going lights and sirens?

      • Muppet Detector on 03/06/2025 - 14:42

        What did Google tell you?

        • Mintee on 03/06/2025 - 18:55

          'the decision of whether to activate lights and sirens is a combined effort between the paramedic/driver and the dispatch center' - I would actually love to hear from a paramedic….rather then google, shouldnt believe everything you read online you know

  • MS Paint on 02/06/2025 - 19:51
    +7

    Several reason why sirens aren't used:
    * Low priority call out
    * Traffic conditions are suitable
    * Reduces other road users from making dumb arse decisions when they panic when hearing a siren (like driving through a red light in Vic to make way for emergency vehicles)
    * Reduces stress for the ambulance patient
    * It's night time and the lights are very obvious
    * Reduces noise pollution to immediate residents

    • Protractor on 02/06/2025 - 19:58
      +4

      *broken siren
      *ambo driver, or offsider, badly hungover
      *football injury
      *messing with Montee

      • MS Paint on 02/06/2025 - 20:00
        +1

        In that case also:

        • Driver in front of emergency vehicle keeps making shifting errors in their manual car and they don't want to stress them any further
        • Car in front could be heading to a wedding and they haven't decided on their wedding attire yet and doesn't want them to rush their decision.
        • Car in front is appears to be using their paddle shifters full time and this will blow up their car
        • Car in front recently received a speeding fine and they don't want them to get another and trying to teach them to be a better driver
        • Car in front is known to have regular check engine lights and don't want to cause another with their siren
    • HamBoi69 on 02/06/2025 - 20:09
      +4

      Low priority call out

      This. My father is a paramedic in Vic (has been for 40 years), and has frequently stated that they are told what priority the incident is from the dispatch centre based on what the caller has said to 000. i.e "Chest pains" almost always go to priority 1, which is full lights and sirens. Priority 2 is just lights, priority 3 is like a stubbed toe, etc. Priority 0 does exist too and is life-threatening (i.e Heart Attack, etc). It could also be that another crew was at the scene and they were going as back-up and needed to get their fast, or taking the patient to the hospital who is in a critical condition, etc. Lots of variables @Mintee, and it is definitely not "a new protocol".

      • Mintee on 02/06/2025 - 20:35
        +3

        Must be a coincidence then, just noticed it to be more common.

      • CaptainJack on 03/06/2025 - 13:54

        I don't get what the priority has to do with it.

        As another road user, I don't need to know the priority of the incident; I do need to know that they may not be sticking to the normal road rules, and hence I need extra caution and may need to take additional actions to avoid a collision.

        I had a semi-near miss with a police car that had the lights on but no siren, and was doing a fair bit over the normal speed limit on a suburban street. If there was a collision, it would've ended quite badly (for me).

        • HamBoi69 on 03/06/2025 - 14:09

          So if you see lights get out the way?

          • CaptainJack on 03/06/2025 - 14:50
            +1

            @HamBoi69: No shit. But with the street in question, they were going fast enough that a) their lights weren't visible when I started turning onto the road and b) they would not have been able to stop in time when they first saw me.

            Siren's would solved that.

            Either way, physics does not care about their priority.

            • heal on 09/06/2025 - 11:12

              @CaptainJack: Light travels at approximately 300,000,000 meters per second while sound travels at about 340 meters per second. So if the ambulance is travelling 1236 kph you won't hear the siren. You should see the lights but the sonic boom would be more noticeable.

  • Davo1111 on 02/06/2025 - 20:42

    when an ambulance had to help me, it was lights no siren

  • sidesw1pe on 02/06/2025 - 22:29

    proceeded through their red light (legally, of course)

    Well if it's theirs I don't see the issue.

  • jv on 02/06/2025 - 22:51
    -4

    The stopped using the siren because of climate change.

  • jjjaar on 02/06/2025 - 22:55
    +2

    proceeded through their red light (legally, of course) –
    …
    I didn’t see it until it was nearly at the intersection. I had to brake suddenly.

    FWIW if a crash occurred, they would be at fault if they went against a red. They have to make sure intersections are safe before entering, yielding for traffic that does have the green, regardless of their lights and/or sirens.

    • try2bhelpful on 02/06/2025 - 23:41
      -2

      I think you are meant to stop and give way when you see an emergency vehicle flashing lights or sounding a siren. Legally people are meant to always drive safely to avoid a collision. You don’t have automatic right of way.

      • jjjaar on 03/06/2025 - 06:24
        +2

        Yes, of course you’re meant to give way to the emergency vehicle where safe and legal to do so (noting that general traffic can’t legally go through our own red to get off of the emergency vehicles way, but that’s a whole other discussion)

        What I am saying is the emergency vehicle doesn’t just get a free pass to go through a red light without any consequence. They can’t just assume everyone has seen/heard them in time and go through.

        Given OP had to slam their brakes on, the emergency driver may not have been approaching the red with enough due care of the other vehicles on the road. Hence, the ambulance may not have been driving safely enough to avoid a collision if it was the OP that had to react to avoid the collision.

        • try2bhelpful on 03/06/2025 - 08:34

          The general rule is everyone should drive to avoid an accident. This also involves everyone being aware of what is happening around them including flashing lights approaching the intersection they are about to enter. I think too many people are more concerned with ensuring they get through the intersection this cycle rather than drive in a manner they can react safely to stop. It reminds me of a line in the film Starman. “yellow light go very fast”. I’m not saying this necessarily applied to the OP in this case.

          I wasn’t there I don’t know what was actually happening. I think the take away from this is drive cautiously and stay alert.

        • Mintee on 04/06/2025 - 06:55

          No no, they took care approaching. Its because it was more a blind hill/corner rather then them approaching poorly.

  • Euphemistic on 03/06/2025 - 06:10
    +2

    Sirens are very noisy inside the ambulance so they are used aparingly.
    Ambos are very experienced and can determine whennans where sirens are necessary based on a whole range of factors - including not being used because drivers can respond in stupid ways.
    Ita entirely possible you noticed two together and have formed some sort of confimation bias amd its not really a 'new thing'.

  • Cheap Gamer on 03/06/2025 - 08:35
    +5

    Lights = Please get out of the way.
    Sirens = GET OUT OF THE F&*KING WAY!!!

    I've been in an ambulance with sirens and without them. The difference is huge and the sirens made it much more stressful.

  • Fredfloresjr on 03/06/2025 - 09:09
    +1

    First question to patient during rescue, lights on or off?

  • JIMB0 on 03/06/2025 - 11:40
    +1

    Sounds like a classic case of the lights being on but no one is home. Watching highway patrol it appears that a lot of drivers pay no attention to the sirens anyway, with the police often resorting to using their horns.

  • Muppet Detector on 03/06/2025 - 12:39

    I was travelling on an 80 km/h road in the left lane, approaching a green light at an intersection probably doing approx 78km/h.It was dusk

    Did you have your lights on? How about those special ones we learned about last week?

    Because of the hill and barrier on the ramp (from the left where the ambulance was coming), I didn’t see it until it was nearly at the intersection.

    I can't picture what scenario you are describing. Any chance of a road map or MS PAINT?

    I don't think we have lights for on road ramps to enter a highway from the left, and cannot imagine any scenario where an ambulance with flashing lights could just sneak up on a completely competent driver without them noticing.

    Even if approaching from behind, ambulances are pretty big, they are well marked and their flashing whirly lights not only reflect in your side and rear vision mirrors, they light up the surrounding area like an overdecorated Christmas tree with enough flashing lights to illuminate Times Square.

    Because of the hill and barrier on the ramp (from the left where the ambulance was coming), I didn’t see it until it was nearly at the intersection.

    What intersection? Wasn't the ambulance approaching the motorway from an on road ramp on the left?

    I had to brake suddenly.

    Why?

    There are reasons why ambulances use lights, sirens, lights and sirens or none at all.

    Your guys were probably following protocol requiring only lights and no sirens.

    I did think they were supposed to use sirens when running a red light (when safe to do so - still not an automatic right of way)

    But I still can't imagine how you couldn't have seen the lights only ambulance in the situation you described until it was so late you had to slam on your brakes to avoid it.

    • Protractor on 03/06/2025 - 12:47

      Brake suddenly?
      OP was probs on phone, at the time scanning Ozbargain. or playing with the touchscreen on the dash.
      Either way, not fully concentrating,period.Emergency lights are cast far & wide via high wattage output, easily visible for hundreds of metres.The darker it is ,the more obvious ( to competent alert drivers ) Daydreamers? Not so much.
      There's also a chance OP was rubber necking and got to the scene of the mystery distant lights to gander at the situation, and simply approached too fast. Or, it's a 'colourful' semi fictional auto-drama.

    • pjetson on 03/06/2025 - 14:12

      I don't think we have lights for on road ramps to enter a highway from the left

      @Mintee seems to be in Melbourne, where many/most freeway entry ramps have traffic lights.

      • Mintee on 03/06/2025 - 18:48

        Sorry, I worded this really poorly. not an on ramp, an off-ramp… the freeway ambulance coming upwards from the freeway

        I dont have any need to be on my phone… Android auto works fine… even then steering wheel and a heads up display means you need even need to look down….lights are auto…. so they are on…..

  • Muppet Detector on 03/06/2025 - 12:53

    If you're in the far right lane, you're supposed to move as far right off the road as you safely can. This means ones on left move left instead of everybody trying to move across several lanes to one specific lane.

    Then, as soon as it is safe to do so, stop your car so the ambulance trying to pass all the numptys up front can manoeuvre around/through them without worry they may make sudden movements.

    If you literally cannot safely move, that's ok, you're not breaking the law. The ambo can't put you at risk in preference to another. If you can't create a passageway for the Ambo, they just have to wait, use radio to communicate their situation in case another Ambo has better access and if the opportunity to access a thoughourfare eventually develops, the ambo can make their way through that then.

    Use of sirens is thought to cause people to panic and make knee jerk actions without thinking, assessing or acting.

    Deploying siren in heavy traffic will achieve very little. If the cars couldn't move before the siren, turning on the siren isn't going to change anything.

    Sirens are supposed to be used for life threatening emergency situations and I did think utilising intersections different than notified.

    • Protractor on 03/06/2025 - 13:05

      This is basic stuff.
      If an adult driver needs additional wet nursing, then perhaps they aren't fit to hold a drivers license?.

  • altomic on 03/06/2025 - 17:46

    Obviously it is a mobile silent disco

  • Gunnar on 03/06/2025 - 22:55
    +1

    For those of you who haven’t had the first hand pleasure being in an ambulance when a loved one is in a critical condition, sirens can be kept off (but the lights on) because the sirens aren likely to make them worse.

    It also can be why ambulances with lights only also don’t drive as quick as they can because it can exacerbate their condition

    Essentially they are trying to put as little stress on them as possible le but they really need you to GTFO of the way.

    • ID10T Error on 04/06/2025 - 17:46
      +1

      Gunnar said sirens can be kept off (but the lights on) because the sirens are likely to make them worse

      And that is exactly why. The driver will negotiate traffic as speedily and safely as he can while the attending ambo paramedic sees to the patient.

      Source: I drove non-emergency patient transport for years, with the first service of its type in Victoria. I worked alongside regular ambos/paramedics primarily as the driver and backup assistant when needed.

  • tryonthis on 09/06/2025 - 16:43

    I think you'll find they're called Paramedics, not 'ambulance drivers'.

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