John Kirk: Hmm...that article does seem to suggest that the rules are different. Here, we are taught to pull over as soon as possible (on major highways, slowing to 20 below the limit in the far right lane until the vehicles are past generally suffices). If you are uncertain where the best place for you to move would be, you are advised to stop wherever you are and wait for the emergency vehicle to advise you via loudspeaker. So long as you don't do anything to put people in danger, you're generally exempted from any punishment. If all else fails, the traffic prosecutor can dismiss charges "in the interest of justice." As far as the medical system, there are admittedly gaps. Since all but the poor do have to pay for their medical care (and prices of those who can afford to pay are raised to compensate for those who can't pay), some choose to forego preventative care because it isn't free. I do wish there were more free preventative care available. In the States, here is what I have been told of national health care in the UK: Medical care and prescription medications are free of charge, but non-emergency visits can take weeks or more to get an appointment. Also, I have been told that medical staff are very underpaid, but I have also heard that you may be able to go to school for free or very low cost if you intend to work in a medical profession. I'm assuming that parts of this are true, while parts are not. Anyone able to help me out here? speravi (and anyone else from a country with a national health care system): I wonder, what is the perception in your country of the US's health care system? How much of your salary is taken out to go towards the health care system? (Personally, I pay about $20 US per doctor's visit for things like annual physical, and $5-15 US for a month's worth of prescriptions. If anyone in the US has medical costs that equal more than 7.5% of their pay, there are special tax programs that let you pay less tax-which to me sure seems like a government subsidy, although far less.) One clarification: I posted before that all "our" ambulance workers were firefighters. That's not true everywhere in the US, but it was in the city where I dispatched. Each city handles their structure differently, but there is generally a mimnimum level of medical training that all firefighters have to have as part of their certification.