EMERGENCY RETURN Huh.
In the Netherlands, when emergency vehicles come to a traffic jam on a highway, drivers are required to clear the roadway, or else the shoulder lane will be used by the emergency vehicle. This is very STUPID, and here's why:
On the shoulder lane, there are sometimes cars with a punctured tire, or which were affected by a minor accident. Or worse, which had their load fall onto the lane. In those cases, the emergency vehicle will not pass at all, unless if there's another lane.
If it were police, fire or ambulance who are going to an accident, house fire or similar, KNOW you might one day need these services. They need a clear way to pass in case of traffic jams.
But it might not just be these vehicles who need to pass a traffic jam quickly and safely. For example, motorists can also pass the jam, but there needs to be a safer way to do so! And with the reformed education system (or at least my proposals), there needs to be an organization to quickly and safely transfer children from one region of the country to another. They thus also need to be able to pass traffic jams effectively. But HOW?
Germany seems to do things much better. They have had a law since the 1970s requiring drivers to create what they call a Rettungsgasse immediately when traffic starts to slow down. Basically, cars on the left lane must manoeuvre to the left, and all other cars to the right. This creates a free zone ONLY intended for police, fire and ambulance. They can thus go to their destination much more quickly.
And the law isn't just there in Germany. Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and even Belgium implemented a version of the Rettungsgasse. Some countries also allow motorists to use the Rettungsgasse, but they need to clear when emergency vehicles arrive. In countries implementing the reformed education system, student transit vehicles can be granted the same privileges as emergency vehicles.
Emergency services in the Netherlands don't even agree with each other on how to pass traffic jams. In the East of the Netherlands, they may employ the German Rettungsgasse, while in other areas and in other situations, they might instead opt to go for the shoulder. For this reason, unanimous laws are impossible even in the Netherlands, let alone the rest of Europe.
Even when a Rettungsgasse is mandatory by law, not all people follow it. Here's a video of the German police trying to pass a highway without Rettungsgasse: (by Rettungsgasse-JETZT). This is always STRICTLY ENFORCED in case of an emergency and those who don't make a Rettungsgasse when mandatory can get EXTREMELY HIGH FINES!