SANTA CLARITA ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù Too often, Santa Clarita Valley motorists fail to pull over when they see emergency vehicles coming.In response to the problem, the city is starting a public outreach campaign to convince residents of the need to clear a path for ambulances, patrol cars and fire trucks.

Presentations will be made to schools, bill inserts will be mailed out and a Web site will be created to educate the public. The message is simple: Pull to the right when an emergency vehicle is approaching.

“When someone’s not breathing or someone’s in crisis, a few seconds can make a very big difference,” said Stephanie English, a spokeswoman for the county Fire Department.

Instead of pulling to the curb, some drivers pull to the left, which makes it hard for emergency vehicles to navigate traffic, English said.

Motorists should also pull to the right even if the emergency vehicle is passing on the opposite side of a center divider, said Heather Leuning, a spokeswoman for the city. That’s because emergency vehicles will cross into the opposite lanes of traffic if they need to get by, she said.