Not pulling over and stopping when an emergency vehicle is coming with lights or siren activated.

"Failure" means a driver did not do what the law required in time. "Stop" usually means moving as close as practical to the right-hand edge or curb, yielding the right-of-way, and remaining stopped until the ambulance, fire truck, or police vehicle has passed. "Emergency vehicle" means an authorized vehicle responding to a call or emergency and using required visual or audible signals. A slow roll, sudden lane drift, or trying to beat the vehicle through an intersection can all lead to the same charge, especially on fast, narrow stretches of road where reaction time disappears quickly.

In Montana, this duty is set out in Montana Code Annotated § 61-8-346. A citation for violating it can become powerful evidence in a crash case because it may support negligence or reduce a driver's defense. If someone was hurt, the facts need to be locked down fast: dashcam footage, dispatch records, bodycam video, and witness statements can vanish or get overwritten.

The stakes go up when delayed emergency response made injuries worse. On isolated roads like US-2 across the Hi-Line, even a short delay can matter. If transport to a trauma center such as Billings Clinic was slowed, that delay may affect damages, causation, and the value of an injury claim.