Today on 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' State Police Troop I information officer Stephen Hammonds covered topics that included:

  • Passing on the right shoulder
  • Yielding to emergency vehicles
  • Police cars turning on lights and sirens just to get through an intersection

According to Hammons,

With wider shoulders being constructed it's so tempting to pass on the right of a vehicle turning left on a two lane highway but it is illegal...It's a major safety concern because when passing on the shoulder you may not be aware of a vehicle entering the traffic flow from a private driveway.  This could cause a serious accident.

We asked Trooper Hammons why sometimes police cars are seen turning on their emergency lights and/or sirens only to go through a red light and then turning them off once through the intersection.  Hammons said,

An officer may be on a call where he or she has been instructed not to use lights and siren that might alert a criminal but when far enough from the crime scene they will use lights and siren to quickly get through an intersection then turn them off to continue.

To hear more on these topics listen to the interview:

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