Emergency Vehicles, Move Over and School Buses

Key points

1. When emergency vehicles approach with sirens or lights, yield, drive at once to the right side and stop until they pass.

   Source: Handbook p. 77

   “When police cars, fire engines, ambulances, or other emergency vehicles approach using sirens, emergency lights, or other warning devices, you MUST YIELD the right-of-way. DRIVE AT ONCE TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOP until the emergency vehicle has passed.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 77

2. Unless on official business, do not follow within 500 feet of a fire vehicle answering an alarm.

   Source: Handbook p. 77

   “Unless you are on official business, do not follow within 500 feet of any fire vehicle responding to an alarm.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 77

3. For a stationary vehicle with flashing hazard lights, slow down and move to a lane not next to it if practical.

   Source: Handbook p. 77

   “the driver shall reduce the speed of the vehicle, provide as much space as practical to the stationary vehicle, if practical and with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the stationary vehicle.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 77

4. A move over law conviction requires a 4 hour live defensive driving class within 90 days, or a 90 day suspension.

   Source: Handbook p. 77

   “you must attend a four hour live classroom defensive driving course within 90 days of conviction. If you fail to attend the defensive driving class, your license will be suspended for 90 days.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 77

5. For a school bus with flashing red lights, stop before reaching it and wait until the lights stop.

   Source: Handbook p. 36

   “Stop immediately before reaching the bus. Do not proceed until the flashing red light or signal has stopped.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 36

6. On a four lane road without a median, traffic in both directions must stop for the bus.

   Source: Handbook p. 36

   “Traveling on a four-lane roadway without a median, traffic in both directions is required to stop.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 36

7. On a divided highway with a median, only traffic behind the bus must stop.

   Source: Handbook p. 36

   “it is only necessary for the vehicles in both lanes behind the school bus to stop, not the traffic traveling in the opposite direction.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 36

8. Passing a school bus illegally can bring fines up to $3000.

   Source: Handbook p. 36

   “Fines can run up to $3000; remember, a conviction for passing a school bus illegally usually means an increase in insurance rates.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 36

Numbers to know

Recognize these signs

3 questions from the Utah practice test

1. 1. An ambulance approaches behind you with its emergency lights operating. Where should you wait for it to pass?

   1. Stopped at the right side of the road
   2. Moving slowly along the center line
   3. Stopped in the leftmost travel lane
   4. On the shoulder only after the ambulance overtakes you
   Show answer

   Stopped at the right side of the road. An approaching ambulance using emergency warning devices requires you to yield promptly, move to the right side, and stop until it passes. Merely creeping along the center line leaves your vehicle moving in an area the ambulance may need. Waiting until it overtakes you also delays the required response. Flashing emergency lights in your rearview mirror are the cue to check the space to your right and make room without competing for the roadway.

2. 2. A fire vehicle is responding to an alarm on a Utah road. How closely may you follow it if you are not on official business?

   1. No closer than 500 feet
   2. No closer than 100 feet
   3. As closely as traffic allows
   4. Within one car length
   Show answer

   No closer than 500 feet. Fire vehicles responding to an alarm stop suddenly, back into scenes, and are joined by other responders, so Utah law says that unless you are on official business you may not follow within 500 feet of any fire vehicle responding to an alarm. One hundred feet or a car length puts you inside the space the crew needs, and following as closely as traffic allows is the habit the rule was written against. Drop back, and never park or stop where you would block a fire hydrant or the scene.

3. 3. What must a Utah driver complete after a conviction for violating the move over law?

   1. A two-hour online class within 30 days
   2. A new road test within six months
   3. An eight-hour course before the next license renewal
   4. A four hour live classroom defensive driving course within 90 days
   Show answer

   A four hour live classroom defensive driving course within 90 days. A move over conviction requires a four hour defensive driving course in a live classroom, completed within 90 days of conviction. An online class lasting two hours misses both the required format and duration. Use the conviction date to identify the deadline and arrange the required class promptly. The handbook also specifies a 90-day license suspension for failing to attend, so this requirement is separate from simply paying a ticket.

Source: the Utah Driver Handbook, Sections 8 and 14: Emergency Vehicles and School Buses. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.