Burnaby, British Columbia – Drivers know to pull over and stop when they hear a siren, but not all know to slow down and move over when encountering an emergency vehicle stopped at the side of the road. The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) Traffic Safety Foundation has produced an information card that tells drivers what to do around stopped vehicles.
“Drivers already know to pull over to the side of the road and stop when they hear a siren approaching,” said Allan Lamb, executive director of the foundation. “But laws now require drivers to slow down and move over when they approach a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights flashing.”
Slowing down and moving over improves the safety of emergency workers by leaving more space, and enables faster response times for emergency vehicle drivers to attend to the situation.
Provincial law requires drivers to slow to 70 km/h on highways where the speed limit is 80 km/h or higher, and to 40 km/h when the limit is below 80 km/h, when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle that has its lights flashing. If there is a another lane going in the same direction, drivers must also move into that lane, away from the emergency vehicle, if it is safe to do so. Drivers who fail to comply will face a $173 fine and three penalty points.
For more information, visit BCAA.
