You’re on the highway during rush hour. Then an ambulance, lights flashing and sirens a’blaring, needs to get by. So like everyone else you sigh and slow down even more, move over, and tell yourself that a few more minutes in traffic is certainly better than being in whatever situation is prompting a paramedic response. But then some hot shot hops right into the wake of the emergency vehicle and sails on by everyone, riding the wave of a stolen right-of-way.
So tempting, but so wrong — right? Right?!
Well…
Ralph Gilcreest of Mukilteo brought up this question of legality. The practice certainly isn’t limited to interstates. Take the free green lights emergency vehicles trigger at many intersections, for example.
“Are there any prohibitions to cars chasing fire trucks and ambulances in order to get the green lights that emergency vehicles get?” he asks. “I have not seen this done behind law enforcement vehicles!” he adds.
Turns out this isn’t as clear-cut as us moral high-grounders would like.
The closest thing on the books is RCW 46.61.635, which explicitly prohibits following a fire apparatus that is heading to an alarm by any closer than 500 feet.
If the staff inside an ambulance is attached to a fire unit, there might be some argument there — but it’s hardly practical to enforce, said Trooper Mark Francis of the Washington State Patrol.
“I think for (drivers following) ambulances the issue is going to be if they’re speeding or following too close in general,” Francis said. Those are both offenses that can get you pulled over and ticketed.
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