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Move to the Right for Sirens and Lights!
June 2008
If you need emergency assistance, you want help to get there
right away. Did you know that there’s one thing everyone can do to
help the firefighters provide this emergency assistance as quickly
as possible? It’s as simple as: Moving to the Right for Sirens and
Lights!
 Annually in the United States, there are almost 16,000
collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles while
responding to or returning from incidents. These collisions result
in over 1,000 firefighter injuries and almost fifty deaths.
Many people panic or simply ignore the rules of the road for
approaching emergency vehicles. The law is very specific; drivers
must yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle, and failure to
do so can cause serious accidents or delays. Firefighters are
careful to avoid vehicle collisions by driving slowly when traveling
against traffic, or coming to a complete stop at intersections.
However, the cooperation of EVERY vehicle on the road is essential.
There are some simple rules to follow when you’re on the road and
see an emergency vehicle in your rearview mirror:
DO:
- Stay calm.
- Pull to the right (after checking your blind spot) and come to
a complete stop.
- When stopping on the right, do not block a driveway because
that driveway may be the destination of the emergency vehicle.
- If you’re traveling on a high-speed road and cannot stop, slow
down as much as possible.
- If you are in the left lane, pull over into the right lane as
traffic in the lane to your right moves over.
- If you cannot move to the right because of another vehicle or
obstacle, just stop. Your action will let the driver of the
emergency vehicle know what you are doing and allow the driver to
anticipate where to drive.
- When an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind while you
are stopped at an intersection, stay where you are unless you can
pull to the right.
- On a 4-lane highway or street without barriers, both sides of
traffic should pull to the right.
- Be careful when driving by or around a motor vehicle accident
or any situation where emergency vehicles are parked and the
public safety personnel are working.
- Remember in today’s economy many motorcycles, scooters and
bicycles are using roadways so always watch for them when pulling
over to the right.
DON’T:
- Don’t panic!
- Don’t slam on the brakes!
- Don’t play your radio so loudly that you are unable to hear
sirens.
- Don’t stop in the middle lane when there is room to pull to
the right.
- Don’t pull to the left in the center lane or left turn lane.
- Don’t race ahead to make the green light or turn before the
emergency vehicle gets there.
- Don’t turn quickly to the left onto a street or driveway.
- Don’t drive through a red light or stop sign when an emergency
vehicle approaches from behind.
- If an emergency vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction
of a divided highway, you do not need to pull over.
- Don’t disregard the presence of the emergency vehicle by
continuing to drive.
Help us help you !
Move to the Right for Sirens and Lights!
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