Right-of-way and intersections
A fire engine ahead of you has its siren and flashing lights on. How close behind it may you legally drive?
- No closer than 300 feet. Correct answer
- No closer than 200 feet.
- No closer than 100 feet.
Why
Following an emergency vehicle that is running its siren or flashing lights is against the law inside 300 feet, and the rule names them all: fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance or other emergency vehicle. Both wrong answers sit closer than that, and both are real distances from the handbook, which is exactly why they are tempting. Two hundred feet is as far as you may drive inside a center left turn lane. One hundred feet is the no-passing zone before an intersection, bridge, tunnel or railroad crossing. Two more duties sit beside this one on the same page: give the right-of-way to any emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights, and stay away from the scene entirely, because you can be arrested for driving to a fire, collision or other disaster.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is No closer than 300 feet.
The rule behind this one
Right of way in California: who goes first goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on right-of-way and intersections
- A tow truck is stopped on the shoulder ahead of you with its amber warning lights flashing. What does the law require of you?
- A person on a skateboard is crossing the street ahead of you. Under California right-of-way rules, how is that person treated?
- The car in the lane beside you has stopped at a crosswalk. Your light is green and your own lane looks clear. What should you do?
- A firefighter at the scene of a collision waves you through a red light. What should you do?