I had 12 encounters with the cops, 6 as victim and 6 as normal guy trying to go about his day.
In the 6 times I needed the cops, they did NOTHING. In one case, I found the wallet of the thief who stole my car UNDER THE FRONT SEAT. They did nothing. Cops never pursue crime, in my experience.]
In the 6 times I was trying to legally go about my day, cops pulled me over for traffic violations, several of which nobody’s ever HEARD of. Did you know it is illegal to pass by a cop on the freeway who is on the shoulder with his lights flashing? NEITHER DID I! But $260 later I sure do. You have do evacuate the lane (which I tried to do out of chivalry but was aced out by a truck).
Cops are Revenuers for the Welfare State. They never prevent or solve a crime. They always jack up innocent civilians attempting to legally go about their day.
That’s my 52 years of experience. They can spend the next 52 years trying to overcome my impression by CHANGING.
In North Carolina it definitely is. Many other states have a ‘pull over’ rule ostensibly due to the number of LEO’s killed or injured by gawking drunk drivers.
V C Section 21809 Stationary Emergency Vehicle or Tow Truck
Freeway: Stationary Vehicles Displaying Emergency or Warning Lights
21809. (a) A person driving a vehicle on a freeway approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle that is displaying emergency lights, a stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, or a stationary marked Department of Transportation vehicle that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, shall approach with due caution and, before passing in a lane immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle, tow truck, or Department of Transportation vehicle, absent other direction by a peace officer, proceed to do one of the following:
(1) Make a lane change into an available lane not immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle, tow truck, or Department of Transportation vehicle, with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law.
(2) If the maneuver described in paragraph (1) would be unsafe or impracticable, slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing weather, road, and vehicular or pedestrian traffic conditions.
(b) A violation of subdivision (a) is an infraction, punishable by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50).
(c) The requirements of subdivision (a) do not apply if the stationary authorized emergency vehicle that is displaying emergency lights, the stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, or the stationary marked Department of Transportation vehicle that is displaying flashing amber warning lights is not adjacent to the freeway or is separated from the freeway by a protective physical barrier.
Some jurisdictions run a “speed trap” of sorts with 2 cars. One on the shoulder with lights on and another ahead of it to nab an unwitting driver.
In CA it is an emergency vehicle with flashing light.
On a FREEWAY.
If you can’t move to the next lane, you should slow and kind of try to be careful (sorry for the paraphrasing).
In CA you should have been OK.
But, it seems the cops are setting traps to use the ‘emergency vehicle’ flashing lights law to give tickets (revenue, who would have guessed?)