You are driving along a street and hear a siren. You cannot immediately see the emergency vehicle. You should:
- Keep driving until you see the vehicle.
- Pull to the curb and look to see if it is on your street. ✓
- Slow down. Don't stop until you see it.
- Speed up and turn at the next intersection.
Answer: B. Pull to the curb and look to see if it is on your street.
Pull over to the curb on the right and check whether the emergency vehicle is coming down your street.
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 or bell or showing a flashing red light. When traffic allows, you pull to the right edge of the road and stop. The handbook does not tell you to wait until the vehicle is in sight before acting, so pulling to the curb and looking for it matches the rule and keeps the lane open if it turns out to be on your street. If you truly cannot pull right, slow down and leave a clear path.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Keep driving until you see the vehicle. — Waiting until you spot the vehicle keeps you in its path, and the handbook tells you to yield as soon as you hear the siren rather than after you see it.
- C. Slow down. Don't stop until you see it. — The handbook only says to slow down and leave a clear path when you are unable to pull over to the right, so slowing without stopping is the fallback, not the first move.
- D. Speed up and turn at the next intersection. — Speeding up and turning does nothing to clear the way for an emergency vehicle and is not what the handbook describes for yielding.
Remember it
Hear the siren, get right and stop. Look after you have moved out of the way, not before.