Grande Prairie Enforcement Services is urging motorists to familiarize themselves with the rules of the road when it comes to pulling over for emergency vehicles. A fire truck, police vehicle, or ambulance with its siren on has the right of way over all other vehicles and it is important to be aware of your surroundings and be prepared to act.
Here is what to do when an emergency vehicle with its siren on approaches:
- Immediately pull over as close to the curb as possible, remaining parallel to the road. Typically, you should pull over to the right. Make sure you are not in the middle of an intersection and use your turn signal.
- Stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed and it is clear no other emergency vehicles are approaching.
- When the emergency vehicle has passed, be courteous and let drivers ahead of you back into traffic. Use your turn signal.
- Do not drive within 150 metres of an emergency vehicle with its siren and/or flashing lights on. For reference, 150 metres is nearly 1.5 times the length of a football field.
Community Peace Officers regularly see motorists take a long time to pull over, or not move over at all to make way for emergency vehicles.
“Any individual that is operating an emergency vehicle in any capacity understands that the average driver may panic or hesitate when they see an emergency vehicle with its lights and/or siren activated,” says Community Peace Officer Sergeant Bransen Balfour. “We expect this, and train consistently to ensure that we are driving in a capacity that is safe for both our staff and the public. It is imperative that drivers understand that it is their job to pull over safely and to the right side of the road. We want to ensure that our staff can get where they are needed most or are able to conduct traffic operations in the safest manner possible.”
Motorists also have an obligation to immediately pull over when being stopped by a police or peace officer. If an officer is stopping you and feels that where you are stopped is unsafe, it is the officer’s responsibility to direct you to a better location.
Under Alberta’s Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation, the fine for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle with its siren on is $405. Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act dictates that the fine for failing to immediately stop for a peace officer is $243.
Information provided by GP Enforcement Services