VC 21806TBWD eligibleRight of way
Failure to yield to emergency vehicle
Failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle sounding a siren and displaying a red lamp, by pulling to the right-hand edge of the roadway and stopping until the vehicle has passed.
Vehicle Code 21806 — statutory text
Official source ↗Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle which is sounding a siren and which has at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light that is visible, under normal atmospheric conditions, from a distance of 1,000 feet to the front of the vehicle, the surrounding traffic shall, except as otherwise directed by a traffic officer, do the following: (a)(1) Except as required under paragraph (2), the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the highway, clear of any intersection, and thereupon shall stop and remain stopped until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed.
Quoted from the California Legislative Information website. The full section may contain additional subdivisions not reproduced here — click “Official source” for the complete text as currently in force.
Base fine
$490.00
Does not include court fees or assessments.
DMV points
1
Points raise your insurance.
Filing window
30 days
From citation date, use form TR-205-2024.
You can file a Trial by Written Declaration
Under CA Vehicle Code § 40902, infractions may be contested in writing. If the officer fails to respond within their required window, your ticket is dismissed. California requires a bail deposit equal to the fine; it is refunded if dismissed.
Also known as
failure to yield ambulancedid not pull over for sirenblocking emergency vehicle
Defenses our AI considers (12)
- Equipment fixed — correctable violationhistorical success ~80%Equipment violations (window tint, exhaust, lights, plates, wipers, etc.) are correctable in every supported state. Proof of repair signed by a qualified inspector resolves the citation administratively.
- Documentary cure — proof on date of citationhistorical success ~75%Many "failure to produce" charges (insurance, registration, license) are dismissed on proof the document existed and was valid on the date of citation. This is codified in most state fix-it / correctable-violation statutes.
- Sign obscured, missing, or recently changedhistorical success ~50%A driver cannot be held to a regulation that was not reasonably communicated. An obscured, damaged, missing, or recently-changed sign at the cited location is both a mistake-of-fact defense and a due-process notice defect.
- Statute of limitations / speedy-trial violationhistorical success ~45%Every state imposes statutory deadlines between citation, arraignment, and trial. When the state misses a jurisdictional deadline — including officer-declaration deadlines in TBWD proceedings — dismissal is mandatory, not discretionary.
Our AI drafts 3 options per case, tailored to your ticket's facts. You choose or regenerate.