Seeing flashing lights in your rearview mirror can be confusing and stressful. Should you pull over immediately, slow down, or stop? The rules are actually straightforward, and both Missouri and Kansas follow nearly identical laws about what drivers should do when an emergency vehicle approaches.
Under Kansas law (KSA 8-1530) and Missouri law (RSMo 304.022), drivers must move to the right and come to a stop. If you are in traffic and cannot fully pull over, slow down and create a clear path for the vehicle to pass. On highways, move safely to the right shoulder and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has gone by.
"If you are in traffic and cannot fully pull over, slow down and create a clear path for the vehicle to pass."
Missouri’s definition of an “emergency vehicle” is broader than Kansas’s. It includes ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, but also tow trucks, utility vehicles responding to emergencies, Department of Transportation motorist assistance vehicles, and even National Guard units dealing with hazardous material incidents. In other words, you may be required to yield even when the vehicle does not look like a traditional emergency responder.
Emergency vehicles with lights and sirens can lawfully break certain traffic rules, such as running red lights or exceeding the speed limit. However, police are not required to use lights or sirens during certain operations, including surveillance, crime response, or speed enforcement. So that unmarked SUV speeding down I-70 could indeed be operating within the law.
The bottom line:
When you see flashing lights, stay calm, move safely to the right, and stop. The law is designed to protect emergency responders so they can act quickly, and it depends on the rest of us to help them do that safely.
