Page 34 - mv21

34 | Driver’s Manual

not get completely through the intersection. Move Over Law
Wait until traffic ahead clears, so you do not
block the intersection. This law requires every driver to exercise care
to avoid colliding with an authorized emergen-
• Be alert to cross-streets or offset intersec- cy or hazard vehicle that is parked, stopped or
tions, so that you don’t cause gridlock by standing on the shoulder or any portion of the
blocking another street. highway with its emergency lights or one or
more amber hazard lights activated. Drivers must
• A driver who approaches a traffic circle or reduce speed on all roads when encountering
rotary must yield the right-of-way to drivers such vehicles, but on parkways, interstates and
already in the circle. (For more information other controlled access roads with multiple lanes,
on how to drive in a rotary see “How to drivers are further required to move from the lane
Drive Through a Roundabout” in Chapter 8 adjacent to the emergency or hazard vehicle
of this manual.) unless traffic or other hazards prevent doing so
safely. Drivers are also required to move over
EMERGENCY VEHICLES for vehicles with blue and green lights which are
described in the next section. Violations of this
You must yield the right-of-way to fire, ambu- law are punishable as a moving violation.
lance, police and other authorized emergency ve-
hicles when they respond to emergencies. They BLUE, GREEN AND AMBER LIGHTS
will display lights that are flashing red, red and
blue or red and white and/or may sound a siren Personal vehicles driven by volunteer fire
or air-horn. When you hear or see an emergency fighters responding to alarms are allowed to
vehicle heading toward your vehicle from any display blue lights and those driven by volunteer
direction, safely pull over immediately to the right ambulance or rescue squad members can display
edge of the road and stop. Wait until the emer- green lights. Amber lights on hazard vehicles
gency vehicle passes before you drive on. If you such as snow plows and tow trucks warn other
are in an intersection, drive out of the intersection drivers of possible dangers. Flashing amber lights
before you pull over. are also used on rural mail delivery vehicles and
school buses to warn traffic of their presence. The
You must pull over and stop for an emergency vehicles that display blue, green or amber lights
vehicle even if it is headed toward you in the are not authorized emergency vehicles. Their
opposite lane of a two-lane roadway. drivers must obey all traffic laws. While you are
not required to yield the right-of-way, you should
If you hear a siren or air-horn close by but do yield as a courtesy if you can safely do so.
not know exactly where the emergency vehicle
is, you must safely pull over to the right-side edge TURNS
of the road and stop until you are sure it is not
headed toward you. Always signal before you turn or change lanes.
It is important that other highway users know your
An emergency vehicle that uses lights and a intentions. The law requires you to signal a turn or
siren or air-horn can be unpredictable. The driver lane change with your turn lights or hand signals
can legally exceed the speed limit, pass red lights at least 100 feet (30 m) ahead. A good safety tip
and STOP or YIELD signs, go the wrong way on is, when possible, to signal your intention to turn
one-way streets and turn in directions not normal- before you begin to brake or make the turn. The
ly allowed. Although emergency vehicle drivers proper hand signals are shown on the next page.
are required to be careful, you must be cautious
when an emergency vehicle heads toward you.