When should an ambulance driver use their sirens?

Using sirens while driving an ambulance is essential for alerting other road users to your presence, primarily when responding to emergencies. The use of sirens serves to signal that an emergency vehicle is approaching, which allows other vehicles to yield and create a clear path, enabling the ambulance to reach its destination as quickly as possible.

Activating sirens during emergency responses can help mitigate potential dangers that arise from traffic congestion, ensuring that the ambulance can navigate through intersections and busy areas safely and efficiently.

The other scenarios do not justify the need for sirens in the same way as a true emergency. For instance, using sirens only at traffic signals would not cover the full scope of situations where an ambulance needs to navigate through traffic urgently. Similarly, having them on during all shifts regardless of the context can lead to siren fatigue among other drivers and might diminish their effectiveness. Finally, using sirens only when the roads are clear does not take into account the unpredictability of traffic conditions during an emergency response and could delay critical care for patients in urgent need.