Sharing the Road With Authorized Vehicles

Driving Safety Tips: Sharing the Road with Authorized Vehicles

Driving laws differ by state, but some rules of the road apply nationwide. Some of these pertain to sharing the road with police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, school busses and funeral processions. These vehicles change the rules of the road, and it’s important to respond correctly and safely when you encounter them.

1. Pull over for emergency vehicles.
Encountering police cars, ambulances and fire trucks on the road is fairly common. When one of these vehicles approaches at a high rate of speed with lights and sirens, it’s important to move out of the way quickly and safely for two reasons. First of all, you don’t want to obstruct the vehicle’s path. Secondly, you will receive a ticket and face penalties if you don’t obey these traffic laws. Check with your state on specifics, but in general, here are the rules of the road you should follow when you spot an emergency vehicle showing lights and sirens.

• Pull over to the right side of the road and come to a complete stop. If you’re on a multi-lane road, get as far right as you can. It may not be possible due to traffic congestion to move all the way to the right. The same rule applies whether you are on a road or highway.

• If you see an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of the road with lights flashing, change lanes to move as far away from the vehicle as possible. You must also slow down. All but three states (Hawaii, Maryland & New York) require you to react this way to a stopped emergency vehicle. [Full story]