When you see an emergency vehicle with flashing lights, you must:
- Slow down and keep moving in your lane.
- Keep driving in your lane.
- Pull to the right curb and stop. ✓
- Stop exactly where you are.
Answer: C. Pull to the right curb and stop.
When an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, pull to the right curb and stop.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says drivers must yield to law enforcement, fire, and other emergency vehicles that use sirens or flashing lights. It instructs you to pull over to the closest edge of the roadway right away and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed. It also says not to block intersections. Pulling to the curb and stopping matches that rule; simply slowing down or staying in your lane does not.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Slow down and keep moving in your lane. — Slowing down but staying in your lane leaves you in the emergency vehicle's path, while the handbook requires you to pull to the edge and stop.
- B. Keep driving in your lane. — Keeping driving in your lane does not yield the right-of-way; you need to pull over and stop until the vehicle passes.
- D. Stop exactly where you are. — Stopping exactly where you are can block traffic or an intersection, while the handbook says to pull to the closest edge and not block intersections.
Remember it
When you see flashing lights or hear a siren behind you, think edge and stop, not slow and go.