What Happens if You Don't Yield to Emergency Vehicles in NJ?

We've all either seen or been in this situation while driving.

What do you do when you hear sirens and see flashing lights approaching your car? Depending on the situation, you either pull over, stop, or move as far to the right as possible clear the road for vehicle. But what if you don't?

It's called failing to yield to emergency vehicles - and it's a big no-no in the United States.

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Granted, sometimes it's not always possible to perfectly maneuver in order to yield for approaching emergency vehicles. The traffic could be too congested, for instance This could be a plausible defense, according to New Jersey Traffic Ticket Attorney.

But what about when a car just will not move, even when it's possible? We've all seen a situation when an ambulance or a police car with flashing lights and sirens is approaching, and the vehicle in front of them makes no effort to yield, forcing the emergency vehicle to maneuver around them, or blare their horn until the driver moves.

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It's incredibly frustrating just to watch, but imagine how the driver of the emergency vehicle must feel! They're professionals with a job to do, but it's got to be infuriating.

You MUST yield to emergency vehicles

It's illegal to fail to yield to emergency vehicles, as stated by New Jersey law:

"New Jersey law requires all motorists to yield to emergency vehicles sounding sirens or flashing red and/or blue emergency lights. Steer to the extreme right of the roadway and stop. Wait for the emergency vehicle to pass. After, keep at least 300 feet behind an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency call."

Tracy Fox

What happens if you fail to yield to emergency vehicles in New Jersey?

If someone fails to to yield to an emergency vehicle in New Jersey, you may assume that they'd get away with it, because there's obviously a more urgent event the officials are being called to. But don't assume you can't get in trouble anyway.

In New Jersey, failure to yield can result in a fine of $202 and two points on your driver's license.

Don't be that person. Just yield and get out of the way.