Colorado Laws on Red Emergency Lights

Drivers have a long tradition of yielding and moving out of the way of ambulances or police cars. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 90 people were killed in accidents involving emergency vehicles in 2009. This has led many states to enact laws that codify the tradition into law and provide a penalty for failing to comply. In 2005, Colorado passed its "move over law," formally known as Colorado Revised Statute 42-4-705.

Vehicles Covered

• Colorado's law applies to several types of emergency vehicles. Ambulances, fire vehicles and police vehicles are all considered emergency vehicles. It also applies to slow-moving and stopped construction or repair vehicles. The law covers situations where the emergency vehicle is moving with light and sirens activated and also when stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights on. While many Colorado emergency vehicles have red lights, the law also encompasses blue and white lights and all combinations of these colors.

Moving Emergency Vehicle

• When an emergency vehicle with activated lights and sirens approaches any other vehicle, the Colorado law details the actions the other driver must take. The driver must yield the right of way and clear the left lane by moving to the right. The driver must then slow and stop, without blocking an intersection, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle passes. On a two-lane road, the driver must move and stop as far to the right as possible.

Stationary Emergency Vehicle

• If a driver approaches a stopped emergency vehicle that has its lights activated, the driver must first slow down. When two lanes are available for travel in the same direction, the driver must move, if possible, into the left lane. If this isn't possible due to traffic or weather, then the driver must exercise due caution. On a road with only one lane in each direction, the driver must slow down and pass carefully.

Penalties

• The Colorado law provides a range of penalties for failure to comply with the provisions of the move over law. Depending on the circumstances, the penalty can be a small civil fine with points against the drivers license up to a misdemeanor carrying the potential of one year in jail. The factors that make the penalty more severe include whether or not a serious bodily injury or death has occurred.