Granted....I havent made a traffic stop in a marked patrol vehicle since the late 90's. I've been in plain clothes since around 1998. I remember back then you rolled code with your red and blues in the fast lane ONLY. This made it possible for people to yield to the right. It was policy back then. It was frustrating at times, but you literally remained in the fast lane until that person in front of you got over to the right. Now I routinely see officers weaving in and out of traffic rolling code. It would lead me to believe motorists cant safely yield to the right when you're weaving through traffic utilizing all the lanes while running code. Im curious what your agency's policy (if any) is while responding to emergencies while responding to code traffic.

I’m one of our driving instructors as a side responsibility.

The expectation is vehicles will pull to the right.

They don’t. Or can’t, in some of our traffic.

We hate driving emergency traffic. But it’s established that you do what you have to do if it’s a real emergency, with due regard. Here sitting in the left lane with your horn held down doesn’t accomplish much. Try to stay in the left lane. Look way ahead and predict the best route and watch out for people doing the opposite of what makes sense.

But usually we try to not run emergency traffic unless it’s a true priority call. People can’t drive here.

Not in LE here, but JSO and JFRD basically do what ever is necessary. Often times, especially on bridges, traffic will just move to the outside of the roadway and clear enough room for a lane down the middle. They will use the turn lanes to get past traffic stopped at a light and I've seen them use the oncoming traffic lane to get up to intersections and then get back into the travel lane.

I will say, I've never seen them do anything that I felt was dangerous, unsafe, or reckless. (Beyond just driving in Jax )


ETA: after reading some responses, I wanted to clarify, when I mentioned the 2 lanes of traffic moving to the outsides of the lanes, its a pull over onto the shoulder and stop until the EV passes. Not a rolling gap as shown below.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SpinZone,

Although not an answer here, drivers in Germany were required to clear the center of multilane divided roads for emergency vehicles: In the left lane, move to the left shoulder, in the right, move right.

That actually makes some sense because everyone would be moving to a clear area that’s not possibly already occupied by other traffic, and which is often true when left lane vehicles must move to the right lane. That of course, means that drivers must distinguish between clearing a divided highway versus one that’s not, and I’m not sure that isn’t an unrealistic expectation in this country.

For the agency I volunteer, the calls are "low code", code 2, and code 3. Code 2 is a particular assignment, requiring the officer to go directly to that scene, at no more than 10 mph over, without lights or siren. Code 3 is lights and siren. All Code 3 calls are initiated by the call taker's info, evaluated per department policies. But, on all Code 3, it is dispatched as "Unit A and Unit B, a code 3 medical emergency / fight / domestic / with Supervisor to copy." Following that alert dispatch, the nature of the all is given. And, the officers generally wait for the Supervisor to confirm Code 3. Many times he or she will revise the response to Code 2. The agency is risk averse! The policy is written to minimize the chance of inadvertent traffic crashes. And, for Code 3 at a traffic signal, the policy is to turn OFF the siren and wait on the signal, as the citizens tend to do stupid stuff trying to get out of the way of a Code 3 unit. Since we send two or more units, the policy is written so that the unit in heavy traffic does not feel burdened by trying to get to the scene.

The state police do NOT have a supervisory oversight, but in general leave the lights / siren / maximum speed decision to the trooper.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Although not an answer here, drivers in Germany were required to clear the center of multilane divided roads for emergency vehicles: In the left lane, move to the left shoulder, in the right, move right.

That actually makes some sense because everyone would be moving to a clear area that’s not possibly already occupied by other traffic, and which is often true when left lane vehicles must move to the right lane. That of course, means that drivers must distinguish between clearing a divided highway versus one that’s not, and I’m not sure that isn’t an unrealistic expectation in this country.

The good old Rettungsgasse, it only works when you have drivers that have taken a real drivers license exam. Good thing in Germany is the drivers that do not follow the rules usually lose their license really quick, 8 points in three years and you will be turning it in.

We have nothing in our policy that forbids it, and it's actually legal for anybody to do according to our state law, provided they keep their vehicle on the paved roadway surface while doing it. Legally, the slower vehicle in the left lane is always required to move over, but we all know that doesn't happen... sometimes even with lights and sirens behind them.

I will always try to stick to the left lane when running lights and sirens and give traffic an opportunity to move right. But if they absolutely will not get over, I'll go around on the right.

When I first started, Virginia's law was everyone pull to the right. Sometime before retirement in 2001, it was changed to pull onto the nearest side, as sigfreund said above. Don't know if it has changed since.

Where I am now, people are usually oblivious or don't care . But, they are supposed to move to the closest edge of the roadway.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 10-7 leo,

One of Montana's more ridiculous laws. We are required to pull as far to the right as possible (and this is the part that aggravates me) and come to a stop.

There is no good reason to come to a stop and I've dang near ran into the ass end of many people doing so. Pulling to the right and slowing down if need be is plenty of "yielding".

I spent years in the front and back of ambulances and this is all I ever requested that people do.

Left lane if running code, and cut your lights and pass with due caution, typically two or three lanes as they then suddenly remember to dive to the right into the lane you now occupy if you need to pass on the right.

While not policy, it is customary to mutter insults as you complete this highly synchronized ritual.

When running code on the freeway, our policy is to stay in the left lane as long as possible, and cutting across to exits at the last possible second. There are rare instances where we stay on the far-right (one exit/on-ramp followed by another close ramp/exit), or when traffic is stopped and there is space on the right shoulder, but not the left.

When running code on city streets, we are supposed to stay left as much as possible, but do the most practical/prudent when coming up to intersections with stopped traffic. May have to use the right shoulder, oncoming lanes, or split the middle between left turn lanes and regular lanes.

During pursuits our policy is to stay on the left until you are immediately behind the vehicle. Yes, it can be frustrating, but its much better than passing someone on the right at 130 mph as they try to yield at the last second.

That said, it still amazes me how many oblivious and idiotic people fail to yield, pull to the left, or dynamite their brakes when they see red & blues coming up behind them.

Sadly, my memory is melting cheese. However, I used to be good at remembering policy. I was “that guy” who was always saying, “well, policy says this…”

Just as another said above, policy didn’t specifically say you had to remain in the left lane(s) during emergency response. We, of course, were trained in Texas traffic law, and other than policy, our training officers were very important in the mix.

However, on a multi-laned roadway, we did stay to the left. If we did have to go right due to a driver failing to yield, we would turn our lights/siren off. We then turned them back on after returning back to the left after having passed the driver.

Is was strange just how many people failed to yield to our lights, siren, and/or airhorn. That’s when we’d turn them off to pass right just in case the finally reacted by going right all of a sudden. I was blessed I never got into a crash during response. And as far as I know, the people I passed during an emergency response never got into any, either.

Just for further clarification, at no point am I blowing past anybody on the right at 130 mph. For one, my Tahoe is governed at 112 (the Durango was 110) and I rarely see even those speeds, and two that's just crazy.

When I first started I had the mistaken impression that we needed to get to every emergency call as fast as humanly possible (and this was back in the Crown Vic days with a car that would do 140+). This behavior was quickly broken by my FTOs after one or two emergency runs, and I found myself back in the passenger seat for a while.

Eventually it sank in that you're no good to anybody if you're wrapped up in a wreck yourself. You're just going to divert resources from the original problem. There are also emergency calls and EMERGENCY calls. Some calls warrant an emergency response by policy, others are actual emergencies where my timely presence is critical, and we push it a little harder for those. Even then, you can't get so emotionally invested that you drive stupid.

You've gotta give other drivers time to react, and assume they're going to do something stupid. If that means slowing down behind them to serenade them with sirens and horn for a bit until they get over, then so be it. I'm only going around on the right if that doesn't work, and even then I'm not going to be flying past or weaving through a column of traffic at a huge speed differential.

Just like riding a motorcycle you've gotta assume that everybody else on the road is either a functional retard or actively trying to kill you. Head on a swivel, pay attention to what every vehicle around you is doing, and leave yourself an out.

Is the procedure different if the donut shop is on the left or right side of the road?

I still remember back in 1994 when I was a rookie in FTO. I was driving and turned the lights and sirens to get to some call. My old-school FTO looked over and said “is it one of us yelling for help?” Do you know these people on the call we’re going too?” Then turn the fucking lights off. I still remember that like it was yesterday. Same guy gave another bit of wisdom …. He said the badge will get you pussy, but the pussy will get your badge. Again, no more truer words have been said.

quote:

Originally posted by cajunmuscle:
My old-school FTO looked over and said “is it one of us yelling for help?” Do you know these people on the call we’re going too?” Then turn the fucking lights off.

Well that's comforting.

quote:

Originally posted by xd45man:
Is the procedure different if the donut shop is on the left or right side of the road?

If you've let the donut supply get so low that you need to run lights and sirens to get more, you've already failed .

When I watch police chase videos on YouTube, it blows my mind how oblivious people are to a cop behind them trying to get around.

^^^ Some of this could also be attributed to being frozen with indecision.