When you hear the siren or see the flashing lights of an approaching emergency vehicle, you must:
- Slow down until it passes you.
- Drive to the right side of the road and stop. ✓
- Motion for the emergency vehicle to pass you.
- Merge into the right lane and continue driving.
Answer: B. Drive to the right side of the road and stop.
You must drive to the right side of the road and stop when an emergency vehicle approaches with its siren or flashing lights.
Why this is the answer
The Texas handbook says you must yield to police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles that are sounding a siren or using a flashing red light. If traffic allows, you pull to the right edge of the road and stop. If you cannot pull over to the right, the handbook says to slow down and leave a clear path. So the normal response is to get to the right side and stop, not just slow down or keep driving.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Slow down until it passes you. — Slowing down and waiting for it to pass is not the main rule; the handbook says to pull to the right edge and stop when traffic allows, using slowing down only if you cannot pull over.
- C. Motion for the emergency vehicle to pass you. — The handbook does not tell you to motion the emergency vehicle to pass; it tells you to yield by pulling right and stopping.
- D. Merge into the right lane and continue driving. — Merging right and continuing to drive is wrong because the handbook says to stop after pulling to the right edge, not keep moving.
Remember it
Think: siren or lights, get right and stop; clearing the path is the point.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 4: Right-of-Way , p. 22