The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
001
:
GENERAL PROVISIONS
(Cite as: 23 V.S.A. § 1015)
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§ 1015. Authorized emergency vehicles
(a) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call
or when responding to, but not returning from, a fire alarm and a law enforcement
officer operating an authorized emergency vehicle in fresh pursuit of a suspected
violator of the law:
(1) may park or stand contrary to the provisions of this chapter;
(2) may proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as
may be necessary for safe operation;
(3) shall come to a full stop when approaching a school bus that is flashing red lights
and may proceed only when the flashing red lights are extinguished;
(4) may exceed the maximum speed limits; and
(5) may disregard ordinances governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions.
(b) The exemptions granted to an authorized emergency vehicle apply only when the vehicle
is making use of audible or visual signals meeting the requirements of this title.
(c) The foregoing provisions shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle
from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons nor shall such
provisions protect the driver from the consequences of his or her reckless disregard
for the safety of others.
(d) The operator of a school bus, upon the approach of an authorized emergency vehicle
as described in subsection (a) of this section, shall take action immediately to get
school-children out of the public highway and to a safe place and shall thereafter
extinguish the flashing red lights. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973; amended 1981, No. 97, §§ 1, 2; 2025, No. 18, § 42, eff. May 13, 2025.)