If you are driving on a one-way street and an emergency vehicle using its flashing lights approaches your vehicle, you must:
- Drive with your flashers turned on.
- Drive toward the nearest roadside and stop. ✓
- Speed up and take the nearest exit.
- Slow down until the vehicle passes you.
Answer: B. Drive toward the nearest roadside and stop.
You must drive toward the nearest roadside, pull over to the closest edge of the roadway, and stop.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says drivers must yield to law enforcement, fire, and other emergency vehicles that are using sirens or flashing lights. When one approaches, you should move to the closest edge of the roadway right away and stop until it has passed. You should also avoid blocking an intersection. That is why the correct action is to head for the nearest roadside and stop, rather than keeping your current speed or continuing on.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Drive with your flashers turned on. — Turning on your flashers does not yield the right-of-way; the handbook directs you to move to the edge and stop.
- C. Speed up and take the nearest exit. — Speeding up and taking an exit keeps you in the emergency vehicle's path and does not follow the instruction to pull over and stop.
- D. Slow down until the vehicle passes you. — Slowing down alone is not enough; you must pull over to the closest edge and stop until the emergency vehicle passes.
Remember it
When you see flashing lights or hear a siren, think edge and stop, not slow and keep going.