Hi Seal Beach,
Although we didn’t receive any questions this week, Sgt. Joe Garcia asked me to write about an important topic.
Recently, Sergeant Garcia and our patrol officers responded with lights and sirens to an emergency medical aid call involving a child. I can assure you that there are just about no calls we try to get to faster than a child suffering from an emergency.
However, as Sgt. Garcia drove with lights and sirens to the call, a vehicle in front of him refused to pull to the right and yield to an emergency vehicle. Generally, we cannot pass vehicles on the right and must wait for the other car to pull over before passing and continuing to the call. This can significantly increase our response times to emergencies.
California Vehicle Code §21806 states (in part):
a. “the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the highway, clear of any intersection, and thereupon shall stop and remain stopped until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.”
b. “The operator of every street car shall immediately stop the street car, clear of any intersection, and remain stopped until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.”
d. “All pedestrians upon the highway shall proceed to the nearest curb or place of safety and remain there until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.”
We understand that sometimes drivers panic when they see lights and hear sirens, but it is so important to remember to pull to the right when there is an emergency vehicle behind you. The delay could have serious consequences if we cannot get to the call as fast and safely as possible.
Keep your questions coming Seal Beach! Email us at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today.
