Drivers Test: Emergency Vehicles and School Buses
This content provides guidelines for safely responding to approaching emergency vehicles, including maintaining legal following distances, properly yielding, and understanding their potential use of the wrong side of the road. It emphasizes driver responsibilities to ensure a clear path for emergency responders.
What would you do when you are in an intersection and you see an emergency vehicle with sirens approaching?
drive through, safely move to the right, and stop
Emergency vehicles often use the wrong side of the street to continue on their way. If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection and then, drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop.
Key Terms
What would you do when you are in an intersection and you see an emergency vehicle with sirens approaching?
drive through, safely move to the right, and stop
What minimum distance should a vehicle maintain while following a fire engine or an ambulance with a siren or flashing lights?
100 yards (300 feet)
It is against the law to follow within 100 yards ...
Fill in the blank.
In California, it is a violation to follow within _____ feet behind an ambulance that has its siren on.
300 feet
As per law section CVC 21706, it is against the law to follow within 3...
True or False:
Emergency vehicles often use the wrong side of the street to continue on their way.
TRUE
Why shouldn’t you stop by an accidental fire scene, out of curiosity or just for sight-seeing?
You may interfere with the essential services of police, firefighter, ambulance crews, or other rescue ...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What would you do when you are in an intersection and you see an emergency vehicle with sirens approaching? | drive through, safely move to the right, and stop Emergency vehicles often use the wrong side of the street to continue on their way. If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection and then, drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. |
What minimum distance should a vehicle maintain while following a fire engine or an ambulance with a siren or flashing lights? | 100 yards (300 feet) It is against the law to follow within 100 yards (300 feet) behind any fire engine, police vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicles with a siren or flashing lights. |
Fill in the blank. In California, it is a violation to follow within _____ feet behind an ambulance that has its siren on. | 300 feet As per law section CVC 21706, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet behind any fire engine, police vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicles with a siren or flashing lights (CVC 21706). |
True or False: Emergency vehicles often use the wrong side of the street to continue on their way. | TRUE |
Why shouldn’t you stop by an accidental fire scene, out of curiosity or just for sight-seeing? | You may interfere with the essential services of police, firefighter, ambulance crews, or other rescue or emergency personnel. If you drive for sight-seeing purposes to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disasters, you may be arrested. |
True or False: Slowing down just to look at collisions or anything else out-of-the-ordinary causes traffic congestion. | TRUE Slowing down just to look at collisions can hold up the traffic flow and lead to traffic congestion. Never drive to the scene of an accident, fire, or other disaster just to look. |
Which color lights of a school bus warn you to slow down and prepare to stop? | yellow flashing lights |
In California, if a school bus has stopped ahead on your side of the road and is flashing its red lights, what should you do? | stop as long as the red lights flash The law requires you remain stopped as long as the red lights are flashing (CVC 22454). |
True or False: You must obey any traffic direction, order, or signal given by a traffic or peace officer, or a firefighter even if it conflicts with existing signs, signals, or laws. | TRUE |
What should you do if a school bus’ stop arm is extended out and the bus is stopped on the road ahead to load children? | Come to a complete stop, wait to proceed until the stop arm is withdrawn. Even after the bus begins to move again, do not proceed until you are sure there are no children crossing the road ahead of you. |
True or False: In California, you are required to stop on a divided highway or a multi-lane when a school bus is stopped on the other side of the road. | FALSE In California, you do not need to stop if a school bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway (two or more lanes in each direction). |
Can you be cited for driving too close to a fire truck when its flashing lights are on? | Yes, you can be cited for driving too close to an emergency vehicle. |
What consequences could you face if you fail to stop behind a stopped school bus that is unloading children? | You may be fined and could be suspended from your driving privilege for a year. If a driver fails to stop behind a stopped bus which is unloading children, he or she may be fined up to $1,000 and his or her driving privilege could be suspended for 1 year. |
Fill in the blank. A _____ cannot work as a school bus driver for pay and may not drive a school bus containing children. | minor A minor (under 18 years) cannot work as a school bus driver for pay and cannot drive a school bus containing children. |
True or False: If you are near a school, you must look for stopped school buses, children crossing the street, school safety patrols, and crossing guards. | TRUE |
Fill in the blank. For the crossing guard’s safety, allow them to safely get to the _____ before driving ahead. | For the crossing guard’s safety, allow them to safely get to the side of the road before driving ahead. |
When do school buses flash yellow lights? | when preparing to stop to let children off the bus |
An emergency vehicle driver may have to use a loudspeaker. Why? | to talk to drivers blocking his or her path. At times, the drivers of emergency vehicles have to use loudspeakers to talk to drivers blocking their path. |
True or False: You must yield the right-of-way to a police car, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicles that use a siren and/or flashing lights. | TRUE |
What should you do when you see a school bus stopped on the road ahead to load or unload children? | Come to a complete stop. Wait to proceed until the lights have stopped flashing. Observe if the stop arm is withdrawn. |