Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.041 (2026)

Exceptions to traffic rules for emergency or public safety vehicle responding to emergency call

✓ current as of May 2026

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Effective:

April 20, 2012

Latest Legislation:

House Bill 349 - 129th General Assembly

PDF:

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Sections 4511.12, 4511.13, 4511.131, 4511.132, 4511.14, 4511.202, 4511.21, 4511.211, 4511.22, 4511.23, 4511.25, 4511.26, 4511.27, 4511.28, 4511.29, 4511.30, 4511.31, 4511.32, 4511.33, 4511.34, 4511.35, 4511.36, 4511.37, 4511.38, 4511.39, 4511.40, 4511.41, 4511.42, 4511.43, 4511.431, 4511.432, 4511.44, 4511.441, 4511.57, 4511.58, 4511.59, 4511.60, 4511.61, 4511.62, 4511.66, 4511.68, 4511.681, and 4511.69 of the Revised Code do not apply to the driver of an emergency vehicle or public safety vehicle if the emergency vehicle or public safety vehicle is responding to an emergency call, is equipped with and displaying at least one flashing, rotating, or oscillating light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of the vehicle and if the driver of the vehicle is giving an audible signal by siren, exhaust whistle, or bell. This section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle or public safety vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons and property upon the highway.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 9 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1996–2024 · leading case: Thompson v. Smith, 899 N.E.2d 1040 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008).

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Thompson v. Smith, 899 N.E.2d 1040 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008). “Pursuant to R.C. 4511.041, the requirement to operate a vehicle within the speed limit does not apply to an “emergency or public safety vehicle responding to emergency call” only “if the emergency vehicle or public safety vehicle is responding to an emergency call, is equipped…”

Mashburn v. Dutcher, 2012 Ohio 6283 (Ohio Ct. App. 2012). “12 CAE-01-0003 25 {¶1} R.C. 4511.041 states: Sections 4511.12, 4511.”

Gilbert v. Cleveland, 2013 Ohio 5252 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013). “Appellees submitted an authenticated expert report from an accident reconstructionist, Fredrick Lickert (“Lickert”), who concluded that Cotner was both speeding and failed to maintain an assured clear distance.”

Huber v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 2022 Ohio 3022 (Ohio Ct. App. 2022). “During a response to an emergency call officers may [R.C. 4511.041]: [(a)] Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation [R.”

Burlingame v. Est. of Burlingame, 2011 Ohio 1325 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “R.C. 4511.041 provides traffic laws do not apply to a driver of an emergency vehicle while responding to an emergency and gives immunity from prosecution for violating traffic laws.”

Harris v. Kennedy, 689 N.E.2d 53 (Ohio Ct. App. 1996). “202 states: “No person shall operate a motor vehicle * * * on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic without being in reasonable control of the vehicle * * *.”

State v. Simmons, 2019 Ohio 559 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019). “" R.C. 4511.041. Among other important safety purposes, that statute exists to prevent the type of confusion Simmons testified to in this case.”

Tony Woolfolk v. St. Louis Cnty. (Mo. Ct. App. 2024). “2 (North Dakota); Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.041 (Ohio); Okla. Stat.”

Lauren Neil v. St. Louis Cnty. (Mo. Ct. App. 2024). “2 (North Dakota); Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.041 (Ohio); Okla. Stat.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.