by Paula Geister

Created on: December 03, 2008

Anyone who has ever driven or ridden in an emergency vehicle will tell you there is no rating to the importance of traffic pulling over for them. It's just plain important.

Probably the most obvious reason for pulling over is that the emergency vehicle is coming up on you fairly quickly. The nature of the condition requires this speed. Whether it's a police car, ambulance or fire truck, emergency medical professionals and police need to hurry to the traffic site or home they plan to rescue. Pulling over simply keeps you safe if you think of it that way. It also keeps the emergency vehicle from having to slow down because you are blocking traffic. Lives and property are at stake whenever someone turns on their siren and this should always be a consideration when you see an emergency vehicle speeding down the road.

Another reason for pulling over is because it's the courtesy of the road. No matter which side of the road you're on, pulling over simply shows that you're giving precidence to the vehicle that could very well be saving someone's life or property. While other traffic laws are for safety only, this particular practice means you are really paying attention to other people. Other people become more important than your present agenda and you pull over for the few seconds it takes the emergency vehicle to pass by. The Golden Rule of doing unto others what you would have them do for you is paramount here.

Lastly, it's pretty important to pull over for emergency vehicles because it's the law. Good sense tells us that we don't want to get hit by an oncoming car. It also tells us to be courteous, but sometimes good sense doesn't remember that we could get a traffic citation for not pulling over. Causing a hazard to emergency vehicles is a punishable offense. While you may have your own safety to think of while pulling over and you should always make sure you pull off the road with care, remember that your own driving record could be at stake while other lives are at stake as well.

I've ridden in an ambulance as a patient and traveled along with someone who was a patient on the way to the hospital more than once. I can tell from my own experience how important it is that people pull over in traffic for emergency vehicles. My life and the life of the other party were at stake. Consider every time you hear that siren in traffic that it could be you or a loved one some day and you'll never again keep driving without courtesy, safety and the law in mind.

Learn more about this author, Paula Geister.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.