Approaching emergency vehicles can be intimidating, especially when drivers are uncertain of how to react.  A note from reader D.D reflects this quandary.

He wrote, “I was first in line at a left turn lane, at a red light, with traffic also stopped in all lanes to my right.  A fire engine with lights only came behind me the first time, and the second time, I could see a fire engine, lights and siren, approaching me.  And I am stuck with no where to go but to run the red light to get out of the way.”

And he continued, “I lucked out in these two instances.  In the first one, there was no siren, and I did not even know the fire engine was there until the light turned green (because of the low configuration of my car, I never saw his lights till I moved on).  In the second instance, the light turned green before the fire engine got to where I was, and I was able to get out of the way.  I suspect that this was because the fire engine turned on its doodad to force all his lights to turn green.  But, what is one to do in these cases, since it seems that all possible options violate some law?”

There are many considerations to such scenarios, but none of them dictate proceeding through a red light.  RCW 46.61.210, pertaining to operation of vehicles on approach of emergency vehicles, reads:  1) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of audible and visual signals or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection and shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.  2) This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway.
Section 2 would prohibit an emergency vehicle driver from “forcing” a vehicle to proceed through an intersection against a red-light indication, as any resulting crash would subject the emergency vehicle operator to potential liability.

In a very critical emergency, the emergency vehicle operator would overtake a stationary vehicle to the left or right and proceed into the intersection if deemed clear.  As D.D mentioned, many emergency vehicles use a strobe-activated system, causing lights to turn green; in that case, drivers ahead can simply proceed through the intersection and to the right.  Another situation would be sitting at a red light facing a one-way street to the left, where one could take the allowed “free” left and immediately pull to the left curb.

In his first scenario, the fire engine sounded no siren, so its driver must have been content to wait for the light to change so D.D. could get out of the path.  If the driver wanted D.D to proceed, the siren would have undoubtedly been activated (still not cause to enter the intersection illegally).  In the second scenario, the light changed before the fire engine arrived, so that driver might have eventually turned off the siren so as to not intimidate drivers into moving into the intersection; or, as D.D. surmised, the green-light “doodad” may have been in use.  Once again, in the first scenario, the driver of the fire truck either did not have the strobe system, or the emergency was not deemed critical enough to use it.

In a situation where you are in the left lane sitting at a red-light indication and you cannot take a free left to a one-way street, then you should sit still as long as the light is red, which allows emergency vehicles to make desired maneuvers. If you are in the right-hand lane and an emergency vehicle approaches, lights and sirens ablaze, then it would be advisable to take the free right and pull to the curb.

Readers may contact Bill Love via e-mail at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.

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