Driving Safety Tips
By Dan Deary, posted in Phoenix truck painting on August 28, 2013
Always remember, emergency vehicles ALWAYS have the right of way. They are called to act at many different scenes every day and it is imperative that they get to their destination in the quickest amount of time possible. In order for them to do that, you must know what to do when emergency vehicles are approaching. If it has been years since you were required to study for your driver’s license test, let’s review some of the rules of the road when dealing with emergency vehicles.
On a highway
- Signal and slow down to the right, but do not move onto the shoulder.
- Stop only when it is safe to do so but be cautious of other cars in neighboring lanes that are also moving to the right
On a one-way street and two lane road
- Signal and move to the right. Do not block an intersection.
At Intersections
- All vehicles in an intersection must yield to emergency vehicles.
- Like always, never block an intersection. If you are in the middle of the intersection and an emergency vehicle is coming from behind you, do not stop. Do not turn left but go straight through the intersection and where it is safe, pull off to the right and stop.
You should never assume that you know where emergency vehicles are headed, and is not only nice but it’s also the law to yield to them. It’s their job to answer the call when people are in need and it is our job as fellow drivers, to help them to get to where the need to go in the safest and quickest way possible.
As the owner of a truck body shop, I can attest that there are more accidents that you realize that caused by drivers who are too distracted, or preoccupied with their music or phone to hear or react to emergency vehicles approaching them. Driving many times is taken for granted until you or someone you know is involved in a serious truck accident.