East Texans Still Ask: Should You Pull Over for Emergency Vehicles?

(KNUE-FM) Some East Texans are unsure of the proper response to passing emergency vehicles on our roads. The Tyler, Texas, Police Department has specifically addressed this.

How to Show Respect on the Road

Something I've always appreciated about living in East Texas—well, one of many things—is how most drivers show respect on the road whenever they see a fellow East Texan pull over and turn on their hazard lights.

Along those same lines, when a funeral procession is making its way down our East Texas streets, it's common practice to see other drivers slow down and, in many cases, stop completely or pull over to make the passage easier for the caravan of friends and family of the deceased.

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It wasn't until I had friends from Chicago, Illinois, in the car with me once that I learned this is not common practice nationwide. They were surprised to see how everyone in East Texas seemed to "know" that this was the right and courteous way to handle these situations.

Should You Pull Over When You See an Emergency Vehicle or Ambulance?

And what do you do when approaching an emergency vehicle, particularly when its lights are flashing? Many of us follow our instincts here. Similar to the scenarios above, we give as much space as possible to avoid adding to the danger and potential trauma of the situation.

Although now that I think about it, I never knew what the specific procedure should be, according to local authorities. The Tyler Police Department addressed this very thing on its Facebook page in the past. According to the people who know best, this is what we should do: 

It's called "Move Over/Slow Down." Many of us do this when approaching an emergency vehicle. But officially, the Tyler Police Department says Move Over/Slow Down "requires vehicles to move over a lane or slow down to 20mph below the posted speed limit when approaching an emergency vehicle with flashing lights that’s on the side of the road. If the speed limit is below 25 mph, you must slow down to 5mph."