Section 32-26-15 - Yielding right-of-way to emergency vehicles--Duty of driver of emergencyvehicle not to exercise right-of-way arbitrarily--Violation as misdemeanor.
32-26-15. Yielding right-of-way to emergency vehicles--Duty of driver of emergency vehicle not to exercise right-of-way arbitrarily--Violation as misdemeanor. The driver of a vehicle upon a highway shall yield the right-of-way to police and fire department vehicles and ambulances if they are operated upon official business and the drivers give an audible signal by bell, siren, or exhaust whistle or visual signal by flashing, oscillating, or rotating beams of red light or combinations of red, blue, or white light visible one hundred eighty degrees to the front of the vehicle. The provisions of this section do not relieve the driver of a police, fire department vehicle, or ambulance from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway nor does it protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequence of an arbitrary exercise of such right-of-way. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Source: SDC 1939, § 44.0319; SL 1945, ch 189; SL 1989, ch 255, § 152; SL 2007, ch 186, § 4.