In an emergency situation, it often feels like nothing else matters. For many people, this even includes the law.
For instance, you may have heard stories about people rushing to the hospital after someone goes into labor. They know they need to get there quickly before the baby is born, so they may consider doing things like running red lights, rolling through stop signs or breaking the speed limit. They may think this is justified because it is an emergency, and they are only doing what they have to do at that moment. They would not ordinarily break these traffic laws.
The traffic laws do not change
The thing to remember is that breaking the law is always illegal, whether or not it is an emergency. Just because someone is in labor or has been injured and needs to be rushed to the hospital does not mean that the driver can run red lights or speed excessively. If they get pulled over for doing so, they could still face traffic citations and other penalties.
Now, police officers may sometimes be understanding. An officer may pull someone over, realize what is happening, and then escort them safely and quickly to the hospital. But that is still up to the officer to decide, and the driver could face traffic citations after the fact. They have still broken traffic laws, even if they feel they had a valid reason to do so.
If you are facing significant traffic citations, your license may be in jeopardy and you could be facing substantial fines. Take the time to carefully look into all of your legal options.
