Q: Do the cars on my side of the road need to pull over when an emergency vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction? Are there different rules for two-lane vs multi-lane? How about if there’s a median?

A: I’d like to believe that when we see an emergency vehicle approaching with lights and siren, we all want to do the right thing. But as I’ve experienced, when an emergency vehicle does appear, not all drivers do the same thing, which suggests that we don’t know what the right thing is.

The law is pretty simple (and simple is good in emergency situations). Law requires that “upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle” all other drivers shall yield the right-of-way by pulling over to the right side of the roadway clear of any intersection and remaining stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed. You’ll notice that the law doesn’t specify the direction of travel of the emergency vehicle or have varying rules depending on the number of lanes. Coming up from behind or approaching from the front, two lanes or six, the same rule applies.

That is until you get to roadways divided by a median. And that isn’t an exception to the law; it’s more of a consistency. The law we’re discussing applies to drivers on a roadway, which is defined as the part of the highway “ordinarily used for vehicular travel.” When lanes are separated by a median, the law considers them separate roadways.

Now the simple interpretation I learned from an emergency responder: If pulling over creates more space for an emergency vehicle, you’re required to pull over. If pulling over will not create more room for the emergency vehicle, you’ll be fine staying in your lane.

Ultimately, that’s the goal, right? We want to give room to the people equipped to help in an emergency so they can get to their destination quickly and safely. Pulling over, even when you’re on the opposite side of the roadway, gives them a wider path (and room to navigate around that oblivious driver in front of them who hasn’t pulled over). If there’s some sort of barrier separating you from the emergency vehicle, pulling over isn’t going to create space for them, so you’re free to carry on. Just watch out for the folks who aren’t clear on the rules.

Doug Dahl writes a weekly column for this newspaper. He is with the state Traffic Safety Commission.