North Carolina driving lesson · General Driving Rules
Emergency vehicles & the Move Over law
A 3-minute lesson from the North Carolina course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Police cars, ambulances, fire engines and rescue vehicles using flashing lights and sirens always have the right of way. When one approaches, your job is to get out of its way and stay clear of emergency scenes.
When an emergency vehicle approaches:
Drive to the right-hand curb or edge of the road and stop completely (from ahead or behind)
Stay stopped until it passes or a traffic officer directs you to move
Don't park within 100 feet of an emergency vehicle stopped at an accident or giving help
Don't drive or park closer than one block from fire trucks answering an alarm
All vehicles, whatever their direction, must yield to an approaching emergency vehicle, except vehicles going the opposite way on a four-lane limited-access highway with a center median.
On I-40 you see a tow truck with flashing lights on the right shoulder helping a stranded car. Move into the left lane and stay there until you're safely past. If you couldn't change lanes safely on a one-lane-each-way road, you'd slow down instead.
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.
What should you do as an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches from behind?
Pull to the right edge and stop
Speed up to clear the way faster
Stop in your current lane immediately
Pull to the left shoulder
Answer: Pull to the right edge and stop
As the emergency vehicle approaches, drive to the right-hand curb or edge of the road and stop completely.