Police warn drivers to pull over and stop for sirens and flashing lights

Photo / File

Drivers who fail to pull over safely are proving a hazard for police.

Rotorua police acting area controller Inspector Brendon Keenan said an incident at the weekend could have ended badly after a vehicle travelling on the open road between Rotorua and Tauranga failed to pull over properly for police rushing to attend an emergency.

He said the police vehicle had sirens and flashing lights on and a car in front pulled over to the left but continued to travel at 100km/h on the open road in the left-hand shoulder.

He said the police had to travel extra fast to get past the vehicle and it was dangerous for the vehicle to be travelling at that speed on a shoulder.

He said it was a timely reminder for drivers who heard and saw sirens and flashing lights behind them to not panic, pull over and come to a stop.

He said another common mistake drivers made when they saw flashing lights and sirens behind them was to come to a complete stop in the middle of the road, which he said was also very dangerous.