Emergency vehicles

According to the RVV 1990, an emergency vehicle is a motor vehicle used by emergency services (including police, fire brigade, and ambulance services) that uses the prescribed visual and audible signals (blue flashing lights, flashing lights or blinking lights, and a two-tone horn) to indicate that they are performing an urgent task. In addition to police, fire brigade, and medical emergency services, the Minister of Transport, Public Works, and Water Management has designated several other services that may use visual and audible signals.

When approaching a junction, the horn will often be switched to a faster frequency. On a quiet road without junctions—such as a motorway—the horn can be temporarily switched off.

Other traffic must yield to an emergency vehicle. If necessary, the road must be cleared as quickly as possible. If required to perform their duties, drivers of priority vehicles may deviate from traffic regulations, such as the speed limit.
Other road users are not permitted to break the law to make way, for example, by running a red light, using the hard shoulder, or using the closed rush-hour lane.
Other services with priority vehicles include:

• The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee
• The Lifeguard Brigade
• The Netherlands Red Cross
  Blood banks
• Services that provide organ transport for organ transplantation
• The Transport and Support Service (transport of prisoners and persons in pre-trial detention) of the Custodial Institutions Agency of the Ministry of Security and Justice
• Public transport company’s accident response
• National Institute for Public Transport’s Environmental Accident Response Service
• Defence Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service
• Urban Search and Rescue
• ProRail incident response
• Rijkswaterstaat (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)
• (Several) safety regions
  DCMR and South Holland South Environmental Agency