How to Share the Road with Emergency Vehicles
Some driving scenarios are simpler to navigate than others. For instance, if you see pedestrians using a crosswalk, it’s your responsibility as the driver to give them the right of way.
Other scenarios are a bit more confusing. For example, what do you do if you’re in the leftmost lane and you hear the wail of an ambulance as it approaches behind you? Should you put on the brakes or suddenly shift over a few lanes of traffic just to get to the right shoulder of the road?
Here’s a brief refresher on how to safely drive around first-responder vehicles.
Right lane
Pull over to the right shoulder of the road and come to a complete stop. Do this gradually and use your turn signal to notify the vehicles traveling behind you.
Left lane
Using your turn signal, pull over into the right lane. You should have sufficient room to do this since traffic from that lane should be moving over to the right shoulder.
Intersection
If you hear sirens when you’re paused at a stoplight and/or intersection, stay put. The only caveat to this is if you can move your vehicle over to the right to make more room for the approaching vehicle.
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Front approach, opposite direction
If an emergency vehicle approaches from the oncoming lane, it’s still best to use caution. Pull over to the right side of the road, as you would in the above scenarios.
Four-lane highway
If you’re traveling on a four-lane stretch of highway, drivers on both sides of traffic need to pull over to the right. This also applies if you’re driving on a street without barriers.
Unable to pull over
Sometimes space is limited or the speed of surrounding vehicles make it impossible to pull over to the right and bring your vehicle to a standstill. In this case, slow down your vehicle as much as possible.
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News Sources: WUSA9.com, esurance
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