Differences in Drivers’ Attitudes and Behavior Towards Ambulances and Police Vehicles

Weibull, Kajsa; Odéen, Martina · 2026 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-88974-5_53

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates whether drivers’ attitudes and behaviors differ when interacting with ambulances versus police vehicles. While previous research suggests that public perception varies between emergency response organizations, no prior studies had compared the actual driving behaviors associated with these two specific vehicle types. The authors aimed to determine if differing attitudes toward ambulances and police influence a driver’s willingness to move over, a critical safety factor for emergency responders. The researchers conducted a driving simulator study involving 110 licensed drivers aged 18–61. Participants completed a 30-minute drive on a three-lane highway with high traffic density, during which they were approached by emergency vehicles with lights and sirens engaged three times. The experimental design varied the sequence of vehicle types (ambulance or police) to control for order effects. Data collection included objective simulator metrics and subjective self-reports. The primary behavioral metric was “EV hinder-time,” measuring the duration in seconds that a participant blocked the emergency vehicle’s path. Post-experiment questionnaires assessed participants’ stress levels, awareness, and attitudes toward the legitimacy and urgency of each organization. The results revealed a distinct dissociation between attitude and behavior. Simulator data showed no significant difference in driving behavior; participants hindered ambulances for an average of 3.40 seconds and police vehicles for 3.42 seconds ($p = .996$). All participants moved over regardless of the vehicle type. However, questionnaire data indicated significant differences in attitude. Drivers reported feeling significantly more stressed and more aware of their driving when approached by police compared to ambulances. Additionally, participants viewed ambulance missions as more urgent and important than police matters. They also perceived police vehicles as more likely to use lights and sirens unnecessarily, though they affirmed that moving over is important for both types. The study concludes that while drivers hold different attitudes toward ambulances and police—viewing the former as more urgent and the latter as more stressful—these attitudinal differences do not translate into different move-over behaviors in a controlled environment. The authors suggest that the lack of behavioral difference in the simulator may stem from the absence of legal consequences for non-compliance, which might influence real-world driving. The findings imply that despite varying perceptions of legitimacy and urgency, drivers generally comply with move-over requirements for both emergency services. Future research should include eye-tracking to understand visual scanning patterns and expand to other emergency vehicles, such as fire engines.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-09; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• traffic density

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, behavioral performance data