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Oregon Revised Statutes

Or. Rev. Stat. § 811.145 (2026)

Failure to yield to emergency vehicle or ambulance; penalty

✓ current as of May 2026
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      811.145 Failure to yield to emergency vehicle or ambulance; penalty. (1) A person commits the offense of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle or ambulance if an ambulance or emergency vehicle that is using a visual or audible signal in a manner described under ORS 820.300 and 820.320 approaches the vehicle the person is operating and the person does not do all of the following:

      (a) Yield the right of way to the ambulance or emergency vehicle.

      (b) Immediately drive to a position as near as possible and parallel to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection.

      (c) Stop and remain in such position until the emergency vehicle or ambulance has passed.

      (2) A person is not in violation of this section if the person is acting as otherwise directed by a police officer.

      (3) This section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle or ambulance from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway, nor does this section protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequence of an arbitrary exercise of the right of way granted under this section.

      (4) The offense described in this section, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle or ambulance, is a Class B traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §582; 1985 c.16 §289; 1995 c.383 §46]

 

      Note: The amendments to 811.145 by section 7, chapter 278, Oregon Laws 2025, become operative January 1, 2027. See section 24, chapter 278, Oregon Laws 2025. The text that is operative on and after January 1, 2027, is set forth for the user’s convenience.

      811.145. (1) A person commits the offense of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, organ transport vehicle or ambulance if an ambulance, organ transport vehicle or emergency vehicle that is using a visual or audible signal in a manner described under ORS 820.300 and 820.320 approaches the vehicle the person is operating and the person does not do all of the following:

      (a) Yield the right of way to the ambulance, organ transport vehicle or emergency vehicle.

      (b) Immediately drive to a position as near as possible and parallel to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection.

      (c) Stop and remain in such position until the emergency vehicle, organ transport vehicle or ambulance has passed.

      (2) A person is not in violation of this section if the person is acting as otherwise directed by a police officer.

      (3) This section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle, organ transport vehicle or ambulance from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway, nor does this section protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequence of an arbitrary exercise of the right of way granted under this section.

      (4) The offense described in this section, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, organ transport vehicle or ambulance, is a Class B traffic violation.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1995–2022 · leading case: Pomerenke v. Motor Vehs. Div., 896 P.2d 1214 (Or. Ct. App. 1995).
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Pomerenke v. Motor Vehs. Div., 896 P.2d 1214 (Or. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 6× “ORS 811.145. MVD has cited no authority, and we have found none, for the proposition that, when there is no evidence about whether a police officer believed that a traffic infraction had occurred before making a stop, the hearings officer may infer from other facts the officer’s…”
State v. Donaldson, 510 P.3d 943 (Or. Ct. App. 2022). · cites it 48× “Defendant argues that the trial court erred by convicting her of that offense, because the officer intended to stop her and never intended to pass her, and the requirement under ORS 811.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 811.145(1) — 2 cases
Pomerenke v. Motor Vehs. Div., 896 P.2d 1214 (Or. Ct. App. 1995). “ORS 811.145. MVD has cited no authority, and we have found none, for the proposition that, when there is no evidence about whether a police officer believed that a traffic infraction had occurred before making a stop, the hearings officer may infer from other facts the officer’s…”
State v. Donaldson, 510 P.3d 943 (Or. Ct. App. 2022). “Defendant argues that the trial court erred by convicting her of that offense, because the officer intended to stop her and never intended to pass her, and the requirement under ORS 811.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 811.145(1)(a) — 1 case
State v. Donaldson, 510 P.3d 943 (Or. Ct. App. 2022). “Defendant argues that the trial court erred by convicting her of that offense, because the officer intended to stop her and never intended to pass her, and the requirement under ORS 811.”
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