Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles
Driver Behaviour and Road Safety
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS ON THE ROAD – SLOW DOWN MOVE OVER
Overview
B.C. has a regulation under the Motor Vehicle Act to protect emergency workers – police officers, fire and ambulance personnel, tow truck operators, special police constables, conservation officers and park rangers -- when they are attending incidents on the road. Drivers must ‘Slow Down Move Over’ when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle, from either direction, when it is on or beside an undivided highway and has its lights flashing. (If the highway is divided – for example, by a concrete median – vehicles travelling in the opposite direction are not required to slow down.)
If there is another lane going in the same direction drivers must move into the other lane to pass, if it is safe to do so and a police officer has not directed them to do otherwise. This gives emergency workers as much space as possible.
Drivers must slow their speed to:
- 70km/h when in an 80km/h or over zone
- 40km/h when in an under 80km/h zone
Drivers must always yield the right of way to approaching emergency vehicles that have their lights and siren on. Drivers who fail to yield to a moving emergency vehicle face a fine and penalty points.
Fines and Penalties
Failing to adjust your speed appropriately or failing to yield to the right-of-way (move over) of approaching emergency vehicles that have their lights and siren on can result in a fine and penalty points. To see the associated points and fines, go to ICBC’s webpage Fines and Penalty Points for B.C. Traffic Offences.
Resources
Top