A 4-minute lesson from the New York course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
When a fire truck, ambulance or police car is responding to an emergency, every second counts. New York also requires you to slow down, and on bigger highways move over, for emergency and hazard vehicles stopped along the road.
Know the rule
Yield to fire, ambulance, police and other authorized emergency vehicles responding to emergencies. They show flashing red, red and blue, or red and white lights and/or sound a siren or air-horn. Police, Sheriff and State Trooper vehicles are not always required to use a siren.
When an emergency vehicle heads toward you from any direction, pull over safely and immediately to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes. If you are in an intersection, drive out of it first.
If you hear a siren or air-horn nearby but can't tell where it is, pull safely to the right edge and stop until you're sure it isn't heading toward you.
With lights and siren on, emergency drivers may legally exceed the speed limit, pass red lights and STOP or YIELD signs, go the wrong way on one-way streets and turn where it's normally not allowed. Be cautious around them.
Requires care to avoid hitting emergency or hazard vehicles stopped on the shoulder or roadway with emergency, amber, amber-and-blue, or blue and green lights on.
On all roads, reduce speed for these vehicles. On parkways, interstates and other controlled-access roads with multiple lanes, also move out of the lane next to the vehicle unless traffic or other hazards make it unsafe.
You must also move over for any motor vehicle parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder or any part of a parkway or controlled-access highway. Violating the Move Over law is a moving violation.
Vehicles with blue, green or amber lights are not authorized emergency vehicles; their drivers must obey all traffic laws. You aren't required to yield to them, but you should as a courtesy if you can do so safely.
On a three-lane interstate, a tow truck with flashing amber lights is stopped on the right shoulder. Slow down and, if traffic allows, move out of the right lane into the next one until you've passed it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
When an emergency vehicle approaches from any direction with lights and siren, what must you do?
Speed up to clear the intersection first
Pull right safely and stop
Stop wherever you are immediately
Pull to the left edge and stop
Answer: Pull right safely and stop
When you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching, safely pull over to the right edge of the road and stop.