The Traffic Stop: Move Immediately to the Right & Stop

For the purpose of this article, an emergency vehicle is a police vehicle (to include a motorcycle), fire engine/truck and ambulance.

When an emergency vehicle is approaching you from any direction with their emergency lights/sirens or just lights activated, Oregon law (ORS 811.145) requires you to yield to it.

To do so, you must:

• Immediately drive to a position as near as possible and parallel to the right edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection, and
• STOP and remain so until the emergency vehicle(s) has passed you or the police officer concludes a potential traffic stop with you.

This applies to all lanes of travel. Do not stop in the middle of the lane or pull to the left-turn lane or center-turn lane. Emergency personnel are trained to always pass on the left because the law says you must yield to the right. This is for everyone's safety.

Traffic Stops

When a police officer is behind you (with lights activated), they expect you to pull immediately to the right and stop. If you delay doing so, you may elevate the officer's concern; potentially leading the officer to think there may be something more going on than just the moving violation.

ORS 811.145 - Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle is a $265 fine.

"But what if..."

I'm surrounded by other vehicles that are not moving and I have nowhere to go?"

Remain stopped and activate your emergency flashers to help responders know that you are aware of approaching emergency vehicles. If an opening to the right eventually presents itself, move around the vehicles to the right, but never go left to do it.

I'm in the left-turn lane at an intersection? Do I stay put or drive into the intersection and to the right to make room for the emergency vehicle?

Remain stopped and activate your flashers, as you cannot violate traffic control devices on your own. You may only do so if directed by a police officer. (e.g. An officer in the intersection at the scene of a crash telling you to come through and move out of the way).

Following an Emergency Vehicle with Activated Lights or Lights/Sirens

You must remain 500 feet behind any emergency vehicle that is traveling in response to a fire alarm or emergency. For reference, that is almost the length of two football fields. This is also a $265 ticket under ORS 811.150.