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Tips To Show That You Are Trying To Yield To An Emergency Vehicle

3 August 2018

Tracy Roberts

When you're driving and notice an emergency vehicle approaching you from behind, you're lawfully obligated to yield so that it can pass you. Doing so is easy in certain areas, but tight roads and heavy traffic may be factors that make it difficult to yield. You don't want to get a ticket for failing to yield and obey traffic law, so it's important to clearly demonstrate that you're trying to do so — even if you aren't fully able to move to the side of the road. Here are some tips that you can use to demonstrate your attempt to yield to the driver of the emergency vehicle.

Put Your Turn Signal On

The first thing that you should do when an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind is to put your turn signal on. Generally, you'll want to put your right turn signal on, although there may be specific road situations that compel you to use your left signal. If you're unable to yield right away — perhaps it's a narrow street and the curb is just inches from your vehicle's right-side tires — the use of your turn signal sends a clear message that you're aware of the emergency vehicle's presence and that you're trying to look for a place to pull over.

Reduce Your Speed

Reducing your speed can be another good way to show the driver of the emergency vehicle that you're aware of his or her presence and are looking for a safe way to yield. You generally want to be careful about how to decelerate, however. If you do so suddenly, it's possible that the emergency vehicle or another vehicle behind you may run into you. Additionally, if you slow down too much, you may force the emergency vehicle to also slow down if it cannot currently pass you, and this can be problematic.

Give As Much Room As You Can

Even if you're in a position on the road in which it's not possible to fully pull off the lane of travel, you should attempt to further demonstrate your desire to yield by giving the emergency vehicle as much room as you can. The driver of the vehicle may not wait until you're fully off the road before passing you, especially if such an environment isn't immediately present. The simple act of moving over even a foot shows that you're trying to get out of the vehicle's way, and this may help to reduce the risk of a ticket for failing to yield.

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