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 has flashing lights, pull to the right curb and stop.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says you must yield to police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles that are sounding a siren, bell, or flashing red light. If traffic allows, you should pull to the right edge of the road and stop. If you cannot pull over to the right, then slow down and leave a clear path. That makes pulling to the right curb and stopping the proper response when you can do it.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Slow down and keep moving in your lane. — Slowing down but staying in your lane is only the fallback when you cannot pull over to the right, so it is not the required response.
- B. Keep driving in your lane. — Continuing in your lane does not yield to the emergency vehicle or clear a path for it.
- D. Stop exactly where you are. — Stopping exactly where you are can leave you in the emergency vehicle's path instead of moving to the right edge when traffic allows.
Remember it
Flashing lights mean yield: move to the right edge and stop when you can.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 4: Right-of-Way , p. 22