Seen a green flashing light in a car?Here's what you are legally required to do

Hutt Hospital is equipping some doctors’ vehicles with green flashing lights as worsening congestion in Lower Hutt makes it increasingly difficult for on-call specialists to reach the hospital during medical emergencies, The New Zealand Herald has reported. 

Dashboard-mounted green beacons are being rolled out this month to anaesthetists, intensivists and obstetricians working at Hutt Hospital, along with signs displaying the word “DOCTOR”, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora said.

The move comes as extensive roadworks across Lower Hutt continue to cause significant congestion, with disruption expected to persist for years as work progresses on the long-awaited Melling interchange.

Under the New Zealand Road Code, green flashing lights may be used by doctors, nurses and midwives travelling on urgent medical business or responding to an emergency.

Drivers who see a vehicle displaying a green flashing light must give way and stop if necessary to allow it to pass.

Health NZ told Herald that the beacons were being introduced because roadworks were making it harder for on-call specialists to reach the hospital quickly enough when their expertise was urgently required.

“The beacon can only be used in very limited situations, such as when doctors are responding to immediate situations where a person’s health or life is at risk and getting to the hospital quickly is critical,” the agency said, as quoted by Herald. 

Hutt Hospital’s Dr Adam Hollingworth said the lights would only be used in the most serious circumstances.

“The beacons can only be used when there is an “immediate threat to life and timely attendance at hospital by an on-call specialist is critical”,” Hollingworth told Herald.

However, the green lights do not give doctors permission to disregard ordinary driving rules.

“They don’t give doctors any special driving privileges, including driving above the speed limit,” Hollingworth said.

“Their purpose is simply to help other road users recognise that a doctor is responding to a life-threatening situation and, when it’s safe to do so, make way," Herald quoted. 

Senior specialists can currently remain on call from home outside normal working hours, provided they are able to reach the hospital within 20 minutes when urgently required.

Hollingworth said the ongoing roadworks in Lower Hutt were making it increasingly difficult for specialists to meet that timeframe.

Police have been made aware of the rollout, Health NZ said.

Previous Hutt case highlighted green-light issue

The use of green flashing lights by medical staff has previously been raised following the death of a Hutt woman whose doctor was delayed while travelling to the hospital.

Jacqueline Senibuli died after suffering a cardiac arrest at Hutt Hospital on July 28, 2008.

Her son raised concerns at the time that the doctor responding to the emergency had been delayed after being stopped by police, Herald reported .

Dr Kevin O’Connor, an intensive care specialist, had been urgently called back to the hospital to treat Senibuli. He was stopped by police after being recorded travelling at 118km/h.

At an inquest, O’Connor said he had attempted to explain the urgent nature of his journey but did not have his doctor’s identification with him. He was also breathalysed after being rude to the officer.

The officer’s superior told the coroner’s inquest that the doctor had found himself in an “unsatisfactory situation” and suggested that a flashing green light, which is already permitted for medical personnel, could have helped identify him as responding to an emergency.

Coroner Ian Smith subsequently supported the idea.

“A green light does not allow the driver to speed, but other traffic, on seeing the green light, should make way for it,” he said, as quoted by Herald.

Smith said the delay of between two and five minutes would not have saved Senibuli’s life, but said he was concerned at the time that a similar situation could occur again.