INDIANAPOLIS — If you don't move over when an emergency vehicle is trying to pass it could cost you up to $10,000.
RTV6 found out that the Indianapolis Fire Department is watching out for you - but are you watching out for them?
"We wanna make sure that in all four directions everyone’s paying attention," Rita Reith, with IFD, said.
In a video RTV6 captured, an engine from Station 29 is seen heading into on coming traffic in order to get around a back up of traffic near Raymond Street and Shelby Street.
"I would say it does occur quite a bit," Reith said. "It probably happens at every fire station at least once a day."
With 44 stations across the city, that's a lot of opportunities for something bad to happen. That's why IFD want's you to stay alert when you're on the road.
"Don’t have your radio up so high that you can’t hear the sirens," Reith said. "Don’t be texting, definitely don’t be dealing with something that’s happening in the back seat."
Reith explained that the big thing for IFD is simply to get people to pull over. But a lot of the time people freeze up and stop, instead of moving forward to pull over.
"If traffic stopped and you’re the only thing keeping the firetruck from moving just pull forward and pull off to the side," Richard Boyle, an engineer for Ladder Truck 7, said.
Indiana law requires you to pull as far to the right as possible. If you don't, that's a class A traffic violation and could result in fines up to $10,000.
As a reminder, if it's safe to do so, you're required to get over at least one lane for emergency vehicle that are stopped on the road. If you don't that is a class B traffic violation and could cost you $1,000.
