Drivers Needn’t Pull Over If Emergency Siren Isn’t On

Dear Street Smart:

On a recent drive, I noticed a police car a block behind me with emergency lights flashing, but no siren, obviously answering a silent call. Of the five vehicles in my immediate vicinity, mine was the only one that pulled over to the curb.

I am not surprised to see some drivers who do not obey the directive to pull over to the curb when emergency vehicles are passing, but I was very disappointed to see almost every driver ignore this police car, to the extent that the officer had to wait for a green arrow to make a left turn at the next intersection. Please remind your readers to yield to all emergency vehicles with flashing lights, with or without sirens.

Linda Everett, Anaheim

Like you, I’ve always assumed that pulling over for a patrol car, ambulance or fire engine was a basic tenet of the road, like wearing a seat belt or not flicking cigarette ashes out the car window while driving through a forest. But the California Department of Motor Vehicles dispels the commonly held notion that motorists always have to relinquish their right of way.

Motorists are not legally required to pull over for an emergency vehicle if that vehicle does not sound its siren and have at least one “lamp” lighted, said Sam Haynes, information officer for the DMV in Sacramento. It would be interesting to know, however, just how many of the unyielding motorists you witnessed knew of this technicality.

If a police car or other emergency vehicle flashes a light AND sounds its siren, surrounding traffic must respond appropriately or run the risk of receiving a fine, Haynes said. The law dictates that motorists must immediately pull over to the right-hand edge of a curb or highway and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed. Pedestrians are required to go to the nearest curb or place of safety and stay there until the emergency vehicle has passed.

If possible, emergency-bound police, ambulance drivers and firefighters jot down the license plate numbers of violating vehicles and report them to their dispatchers, Haynes said. Motorists who fail to yield can get nailed even after the fact.

Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle can result in a fine up to $100, and the court can tack on additional monetary penalties, Haynes said. The fees generated from these violations go into a state fund and back to the county where the violation occurred.

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Dear Street Smart:

It would appear that the current condition of Pacific Coast Highway, MacArthur Boulevard and Newport Boulevard, all state highways in Newport Beach, are at an all-time low because of potholes. I have seen no Caltrans personnel making any attempt to remedy the situation. Is Proposition M money available to assist in highway maintenance? What, if anything, is going to be done?

George J. Jeffries, Newport Beach

Measure M money is not intended for maintenance of state highways in Orange County, said Tom Almany, chief of maintenance for Caltrans. Caltrans is aware of the current condition of the roadways, but repair work was delayed because of the rainy weather Southern California has experienced since December, he said.

Maintenance crews began repairs in Newport Beach on March 3, and the work is expected to be completed by the end of May.

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Dear Street Smart:

When exiting the Garden Grove Freeway eastbound at Main Street in Orange, there is only a yield sign at the end of that exit. When traffic moves onto Town and Country, pedestrians cross from the Tishman Building at 1100 Town and Country to 1111 Town and Country. There is no crosswalk and no stop lights and every day a pedestrian almost gets hit by a car. I have talked to the city of Orange and Caltrans. Please look into this situation.

Arthur Berry, Orange

Caltrans checked its records and found no pedestrian accidents at the eastbound Main Street off-ramp on the Garden Grove Freeway. However, a field investigation did reveal an increase in traffic because of construction projects on Interstate 5.

Pat Ollervides, chief of traffic studies for Caltrans, said discussions between Caltrans and the city of Orange concluded that it would be desirable to remove the pedestrian crosswalk at the off-ramp as well as the crosswalk along the west side of the intersection. This would encourage more people to use the existing mid-block crosswalk, Ollervides said.

Talks are ongoing between Caltrans and city officials on ways to improve conditions at this intersection, Ollervides said.