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?
- Move over into another lane and slow down as you go past. Correct answer
- Keep your lane and your speed; the rule only covers police, fire and ambulances.
- Stop and wait until the tow truck turns its flashing lights off.
Why
Move over and slow down is a two-part instruction, and the handbook's list of who it covers is wider than most drivers assume: stationary emergency vehicles and tow trucks displaying flashing amber warning lights, and road work vehicles at a standstill with emergency flashers or amber lights going. Tow trucks are named in it, so the answer that limits the rule to police, fire and ambulances fails on the list itself. Stopping and waiting for the lights to go off is the school bus rule, where flashing red lights mean you stop from either direction and remain stopped while they flash. A short way to hold it: amber means move over, and red on a school bus means stop.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Move over into another lane and slow down as you go past.
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 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?
- You are on an on-ramp, about to merge onto the highway. Who has the right-of-way?