You’re driving down the road, minding your own business, when suddenly you hear it. Sirens. Then, you see the flashing lights of an emergency vehicle coming up behind you. What should you do?

 MOVE OVER.

Whether it’s a police car, ambulance or fire truck, you need to follow the “Move Over” law.

 What you need to do:

• When an emergency vehicle is behind you, slow down.
• Pull your vehicle over to the right shoulder.
• If you can’t get to the right shoulder, get to the nearest shoulder to create a pathway for emergency vehicles to go through.
• Stop and wait for the vehicles to pass.

 “Just because you see one come through, don’t always assume that’s it,” said SJRMC’s EMS Chief William Coker. “It could be a fire truck or an ambulance right behind them, or even a law enforcement vehicle. Once you see them go through, check your surroundings and make sure that’s the last emergency vehicle before pulling back into traffic.”

If a vehicle is coming towards you from the opposite direction, you should also pull over and come to a complete stop. For emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road with their lights on, slow down immediately and pass with caution. 

“When you see an ambulance, know that we are responding to a true emergency. Any time we turn on our lights and sirens, there’s a higher risk of danger,” said Coker. “Let’s help keep everyone safe by following the rules of the road and pulling over if you see an ambulance or hear emergency sirens.”