Pull over for ambulances

Q: What is the correct thing to do when an ambulance approaches? What if you are on a two-way road? With a median (left-turn lane)? Four-lane road? I’ve seen people pull over and I’ve seen people plow on.

A: The short answer is: Pull over.

The correct thing to do when a driver sees an emergency vehicle approaching is to pull to the right in a safe place and come to a complete stop, said Tim Novotny, operations manager at Bay Cities Ambulance in Coos Bay. If a driver is traveling on a one-way road, he should pull out onto the closest shoulder and come to complete stop.

“After they pass, you can safely go back to the lane of traffic,” Novotny added.

The rules sound simple, but Novotny said many people get it wrong.

“Generally, people frequently move to the right, but they maintain the rate of speed or they slow down. But, they don’t frequently come to a complete stop,” Novotny said. “It certainly puts the emergency vehicle operators, patients and bystanders in jeopardy.”

He said Bay Cities Ambulance has been involved in a number of collisions when vehicles have not yielded the right of way. But ambulance drivers have witnessed even more accidents when a vehicle pulls into a ditch or hits another vehicle while trying to get out of the way.

“The No. 1 issue in emergency vehicle operation is other vehicles not yielding appropriately,” he said.

There are legal ramifications to mishandling situations involving emergency vehicles. Oregon State Police Lt. Steve Smartt said the Oregon Revised Statute, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle or Ambulance, comes with a $242 fine. Drivers also can be fined for following less than 500 feet from an emergency vehicle traveling in response to a fire alarm or emergency; driving or parking a vehicle in a way that interferes with emergency vehicles responding to an emergency; and driving over an unprotected fire department hose laid down on any highway, private road or driveway to be used at any fire, fire alarm or emergency.

— Jessica Musicar, Staff Writer

(I Want to Know is a regular feature of The World, offering readers a chance to anonymously ask questions and have reporters pursue answers. Those interested can send questions to The World newspaper, P.O. Box 1840, Coos Bay Ore. 97420; or by sending e-mail to news@theworld link.com.)