Two in five motorists admit to feeling panicked when hearing emergency sirens

Key takeaways

• New MoneySuperMarket research found 41% of motorists, equivalent to more than 17 million drivers, panic when they hear an approaching emergency siren.

• Over one in four drivers (27%) admit making risky manoeuvres, such as harsh braking or swerving, when emergency vehicles approach.

• Younger motorists are significantly more affected, with 18 to 24-year-olds far more likely to feel anxious and react unsafely than drivers aged over 55.

According to the new survey by MoneySuperMarkert, an estimated over 17 million (41%) motorists say they panic when they hear approaching sirens from an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance, police car or fire engine.

More than one in four drivers (27%), equivalent to 11.5 million motorists, say they have made a risky manoeuvre, such as harsh braking, swerving or mounting a kerb, when an emergency vehicle approached, potentially increasing the risk for themselves and other road users.

When asked about knowing what to do when an emergency vehicle approaches with a siren going, less than a quarter (23%) say they know the correct way to react every time, and only 4% say they never know how to correctly react, and more than 2 in 5 (45%) report feeling anxious when they hear a siren. 

Younger drivers are the most affected group, with 18-24-year-olds twice as likely to feel anxious when they hear a siren compared to the over 55’s (66% vs 32%).

Drivers aged 18 to 24 were also more likely to say they had panicked and made a risky manoeuvre than drivers aged over 55, at 54% compared with 12%. 

Alicia Hempsted
Insurance Expert

Observe your surroundings before making a rushed action

Hearing a siren can make drivers feel under pressure, but sudden or unpredictable movements can create additional danger. Drivers should stay calm, check their surroundings, and make space only when it is safe and legal to do so.

Knowing how to respond before an emergency vehicle approaches can help motorists act confidently while protecting other road users and emergency crews.

What to do when a siren approaches

Rule 219 of the Highway Code advises drivers not to panic, to consider the route of the emergency vehicle and to take appropriate action to let it pass while complying with traffic signs.

In practice this means:  

1. Check your mirrors and work out where the emergency vehicle is likely to go 

2. Indicate and move to the side of the road in a controlled way, if it’s safe to do so 

3. Avoid stopping in a blind spot, bend, junction or narrow stretch of road  

4. Never mount the kerb, block a junction or break sharply in the middle of the road  

5. Do not break traffic laws to make way – running a red light, entering a bus lane, or driving into a yellow box junction are still offenses, even if you’re trying to help  

6. Once it’s passed safely, check your mirrors again before rejoining traffic  

_Sources

• ^{Data collected via a survey of 1,292 UK drivers (aged 18+) conducted by Censuswide, all data correct as of September 2026} 

• ^{Percentages based on over 42 million people currently possessing a complete UK driving licence, according to data from the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA): https://www.driving.org/record-high-uk-driving-licence-holders-soar/.}

• ^{Two in five respondents, 41%, said they felt panicked when they heard an approaching emergency siren. This is equivalent to an estimated 17 million motorists when applied to the stated license-holder population.}