Emergency Lights Reminder

On Thursday, April 5 at approximately 9:30 a.m., Arvada Police Motorcycle Officer Dave Cantrell was responding to a call to assist on a stolen vehicle stop east of Wadsworth Boulevard on W. 52nd Avenue. With lights and siren on, Officer Cantrell approached Wadsworth Boulevard traveling east on W. 52nd Avenue; because he was against the light, he came to a full stop, caused traffic to stop in all directions, and then accelerated quickly through the intersection. Unfortunately, the eastern-most northbound lane of Wadsworth Boulevard was clear and a driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV), not seeing or hearing the siren and lights, did not stop. The SUV hit Officer Cantrell’s motorcycle at 40 mph.

The good news is Officer Cantrell will be back to work in the next few months after his broken bones, bumps, and bruises heal.

The bad news is that many drivers do not appropriately respond to emergency service personnel with lights and sirens activated.

Here are some tips regarding how a driver should respond to emergency vehicles:

React quickly and calmly and scan in all directions before pulling over. Always use a turn signal and don’t slam on the brakes or pull over suddenly.

Carefully pull your vehicle to the right side of the road and stop until the vehicle passes.

If at an intersection, or stopped in traffic, drivers should remain stopped and wait until the emergency vehicles have passed.

Once the emergency vehicle has passed remain 500 feet or more behind the vehicle.

Drivers on the opposite side of the road of the emergency vehicle should pull over as well, unless there is a raised divider in the street.