An ambulance is behind you using its siren and red lights, and you are not in an intersection. What are you required to do?
-
A.
Slow to half your speed and keep going in your lane.
-
B.
Stop where you are, regardless of your position in the lane.
-
C.
Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes. Correct
The answer is "Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes."
California requires you to pull to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicle passes. Choice B is the tempting miss: drivers reach for the red-light-stop reflex and freeze in whichever lane they are in, which forces the ambulance to weave through traffic instead of passing on a cleared right edge.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Slow to half your speed and keep going in your lane.
Slowing to half speed while staying in your lane still leaves you in the ambulance's path. This answer applies the move-over-and-slow rule meant for a stationary emergency vehicle on the shoulder to one closing from behind.
B. Stop where you are, regardless of your position in the lane.
Freezing in place forces the ambulance to weave through traffic instead of passing you on a cleared right edge. This answer applies the red-light-stop reflex, which trains drivers to halt wherever they are the moment they see a red signal.
This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Emergency Vehicles," p.45..
Related California questions
- At an intersection with no STOP or YIELD signs, you arrive before another vehicle. Who has the right-of-way? →
- What does the traffic term 'yield' require a driver to do? →
- You are on a road that ends at a T-intersection with no stop or yield signs. Who has the right-of-way? →
- You and another vehicle reach an uncontrolled intersection at the same moment on crossing roads. Which driver must yield? →
- As you approach a roundabout, what does California require you to do? →
You just took one California question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The California book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
$18.99 paperback, free companion included.