(Juneau) Dodge County authorities are reminding motorists to yield the right-of-way to emergency vehicles. It is the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office May law of the month.
Warming temperatures bring with it a rise in calls for emergency services such as fire, EMS, and law enforcement. This means there will be more emergency vehicles on the roadways, with the potential to turn on their lights and sirens at any moment.
“When you see those lights and hear those sirens you do need to pull over to the right and stop…that is the right-of-way law…that you just can’t keep going…let us go by…pull over to the right and stop,” says Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt. “Unless it’s a divided highway and we’re on the other side. It’s very, very important to let us get through and we don’t want to create an accident. We’re coming through probably a littler faster than the speed limit…so, you move over…other people will see you move over and take a note of what’s going on so we can avoid collisions.”
According to state statute, when emergency vehicles approach with audible sirens motorists must yield the right-of-way and move their vehicle as close as possible to the roadway’s right shoulder. The statute adds that emergency vehicle operators must still drive with caution for the safety of those using the road around them.
Those who violate this law could face fines between $30 and $300. Schmidt does note that there are exceptions.
“If you are unable to move out of the way you’re not going to get a ticket…if there’s other vehicles around,” says Schmidt. “Most of the time if we’re going to write a ticket we’ve been following you down the road and you’re not moving over and yielding to the right-of-way. Or you’re just not paying attention…that’s when you’re going to get a ticket. If you’re able to get out of the way relatively soon…you’re at a stop light and you have to pull through the intersection to get out of the way…we understand those things happen. We know when its an accident and maybe when its intentional or you’re just being negligent. When you’re negligent that’s when you’re going to probably be faced with that citation.”
Between 2017 and 2021, there were approximately 2,400 accidents involving emergency vehicles in Wisconsin with roughly 735 injuries and five deaths. Sheriff’s officials add that in the hopes of lowering those numbers and keeping everyone safe, it is important to know how to respond to an emergency vehicle on the roadway.
