An Australian paramedic’s viral story about watching an ambulance be tailgated by an angry driver prompted her to share a little-known rule that paramedics must follow. 

On Jan. 28, Skye Brownsea (@Skyebrownsea) posted a video on TikTok sharing insight into the rules paramedics follow after she saw an angry driver reacting to an ambulance. The post went viral and has received over 240,000 views as of this writing.

“The part I wanna talk about is the fact that there was a person behind the ambulance who was riding their [expletive] and flipping them off,” Brownsea shares.

Brownsea added that watching these events unfold led her to realize that most people don’t fully comprehend the rules that paramedics must follow. 

“A lot of people don’t realize the fact that, as paramedics, we are technically not meant to go over the speed limit,” she shared. 

According to the paramedic, emergency services are generally expected to obey posted speed limits. Unless there’s a clear, justifiable reason not to, such as a patient in cardiac arrest or facing a life-threatening emergency. In those cases, services may back a medic’s decision to exceed the limit and even absorb fines or license points. The speeding needs be justified after the fact.

She says that speeding without justification can have serious consequences. “If we choose to speed without a justifiable reason, we can actually face disciplinary action.”

She adds that lights and sirens are primarily tools for navigating traffic safely. It’s not a blanket permission to drive recklessly. “It’s not a flick-the-switch time to speed.”

Is Brownsea Correct In Saying That Ambulances Are Not Supposed to Speed In Australia?

Brownsea is generally correct that ambulances are not necessarily expected to speed. A though some might consider this to be an oversimplification. There isn’t a blanket rule in Australian road law that forbids emergency vehicles from exceeding speed limits when responding to legitimate emergencies. Instead, ambulance drivers are generally trained to balance response urgency with safety. These drivers must drive with due regard for conditions and public safety. 

Specific exemptions to traffic laws can apply when lights and sirens are used, but drivers are still accountable for reckless or dangerous conduct. The exact procedures can vary by state and agency policies, rather than a simple rule. 

Are Ambulances Allowed To Speed In The United States?

In the United States, most states give emergency vehicles, including ambulances, conditional exemptions to traffic laws during emergency responses. Under typical “authorized emergency vehicle” statutes, an ambulance may exceed the posted speed limit. Additionally ambulances can proceed through red lights, and exercise other privileges only when lights and sirens are active. This can be done if the operator does not endanger life or property. 

Drivers are still required to operate with due regard for safety, and reckless speeding can still result in liability or disciplinary action. Additionally, all 50 states have laws that require other motorists to yield or slow for stopped emergency vehicles. 

MotorBiscuit reached out to Skye Brownsea for comment via TikTok and Instagram direct message. We’ll update the story if she responds.

@skyebrownsea You may not know this! We can speed but only when it’s safe and justifiable to do so! ?Paramedics decide their speed based around the case information and criticality, the speed limit of the area we are in, the level of traffic etc ? Full disclaimer this is in AUSTRALIA and is state service specific #paramedic #ems #ambulance ♬ original sound – Skye ??