JennyCop
Member
Yeah, they've basically thrown out any kind of regulation with blue. Its actually kind of bad... I've seen plenty of traffic units with blue to the rear, red to the rear is technically only legal if they flash together and are parallel, white to the rear is explicitly illegal, but I've never seen any of these enforced and its becoming a free-for-all on pretty much every light color except red to the front lol.Blue has become a free for all in NJ it seems
What's the reasoning behind that?Not really.
Missouri law list tow trucks (and a few others you wouldn't think) as emergency vehicles in the same law that make fire trucks, police cars and EMS emergency vehicles. Has nothing to do with who is on scene.
What's the reasoning behind that?
Who knows, as far as I think it has been like that since the 1950's. I guess one of those things, if it's not broke don't fix it. Ive never heard of it being a problem.What's the reasoning behind that?
MoRS said:Emergency vehicle defined--use of lights and sirens--right-of-way--stationary vehicles, procedure--penalty.
304.022. 1. Upon the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle giving audible signal by siren or while having at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of such vehicle or a flashing blue light authorized by section 307.175, the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as far as possible to the right of, the traveled portion of the highway and thereupon stop and remain in such position until such emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police or traffic officer.
2. Upon approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying lighted red or red and blue lights, or a stationary vehicle owned by the state highways and transportation commission and operated by an authorized employee of the department of transportation displaying lighted amber or amber and white lights, the driver of every motor vehicle shall:
(1) Proceed with caution and yield the right-of-way, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the stationary vehicle, if on a roadway having at least four lanes with not less than two lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle; or
(2) Proceed with due caution and reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes would be unsafe or impossible.
3. The motorman of every streetcar shall immediately stop such car clear of any intersection and keep it in such position until the emergency vehicle has passed, except as otherwise directed by a police or traffic officer.
4. An "emergency vehicle" is a vehicle of any of the following types:
(1) A vehicle operated by the state highway patrol, the state water patrol*, the Missouri capitol police, a conservation agent, or a state park ranger, those vehicles operated by enforcement personnel of the state highways and transportation commission, police or fire department, sheriff, constable or deputy sheriff, federal law enforcement officer authorized to carry firearms and to make arrests for violations of the laws of the United States, traffic officer or coroner or by a privately owned emergency vehicle company;
(2) A vehicle operated as an ambulance or operated commercially for the purpose of transporting emergency medical supplies or organs;
(3) Any vehicle qualifying as an emergency vehicle pursuant to section 307.175;
(4) Any wrecker, or tow truck or a vehicle owned and operated by a public utility or public service corporation while performing emergency service;
(5) Any vehicle transporting equipment designed to extricate human beings from the wreckage of a motor vehicle;
(6) Any vehicle designated to perform emergency functions for a civil defense or emergency management agency established pursuant to the provisions of chapter 44;
(7) Any vehicle operated by an authorized employee of the department of corrections who, as part of the employee's official duties, is responding to a riot, disturbance, hostage incident, escape or other critical situation where there is the threat of serious physical injury or death, responding to mutual aid call from another criminal justice agency, or in accompanying an ambulance which is transporting an offender to a medical facility;
(8) Any vehicle designated to perform hazardous substance emergency functions established pursuant to the provisions of sections 260.500 to 260.550; or
(9) Any vehicle owned by the state highways and transportation commission and operated by an authorized employee of the department of transportation that is marked as a department of transportation emergency response or motorist assistance vehicle.
5. (1) The driver of any vehicle referred to in subsection 4 of this section shall not sound the siren thereon or have the front red lights or blue lights on except when such vehicle is responding to an emergency call or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected law violator, or when responding to, but not upon returning from, a fire.
(2) The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
(a) Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of sections 304.014 to 304.025;
(b) Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;
(c) Exceed the prima facie speed limit so long as the driver does not endanger life or property;
(d) Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions.
(3) The exemptions granted to an emergency vehicle pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection shall apply only when the driver of any such vehicle while in motion sounds audible signal by bell, siren, or exhaust whistle as may be reasonably necessary, and when the vehicle is equipped with at least one lighted lamp displaying a red light or blue light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of such vehicle.
6. No person shall purchase an emergency light as described in this section without furnishing the seller of such light an affidavit stating that the light will be used exclusively for emergency vehicle purposes.
7. Violation of this section shall be deemed a class A misdemeanor.
(L. 1953 p. 587 § 304.020, A.L. 1969 p. 418, A.L. 1971 H.B. 113, A.L. 1981 H.B. 183, A.L. 1986 S.B. 523 merged with H.B. 1428, A.L. 1991 S.B. 265, A.L. 1995 H.B. 424, A.L. 1996 H.B. 1047 merged with H.B. 1369, A.L. 1997 H.B. 244, A.L. 2002 H.B. 1270 and H.B. 2032, A.L. 2004 S.B. 757 merged with S.B. 788, A.L. 2005 H.B. 353 merged with H.B. 487 merged with H.B. 618, A.L. 2006 S.B. 872, et al., A.L. 2007 S.B. 82 merged with S.B. 352, A.L. 2012 S.B. 470 merged with S.B. 568 merged with S.B. 611)
*"State water patrol" changed to "water patrol division" by 306.010, 2010.
(2006) Section does not abolish, abrogate, provide, or in any way modify common law doctrine of official immunity. Davis v. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, 193 S.W.3d 760 (Mo.banc).
Have you guys ever run into police departments running only red blue on their tow trucks while towing a car? There are a few of those around here and its really confusing because they're running all red blue but not responding to an emergency, just towing a car from whatever scene and people are pulling over from them. I imagine it's also confusing at stoplights...
Colorado - Red is the official emergency color of the state. Police, Fire and Ambulance can and most do run combos of Red/Blue/White. Aurora has a new contract ambulance service and they have all new equipment in Red/White. Funeral escort vehicles here run the three colors, these are POVs with permits. Yes, CDOT has blue BUT the rule is written (not always followed) Blue to be activated only during plow operations, otherwise only Amber will be illuminated. As a dealer/installer, I am allowed to display any color warning lights on my vehicle as well, no permit required, for demo purposes. This is written into the Colorado Revised Statues (CRS).
Colorado - Red is the official emergency color of the state. Police, Fire and Ambulance can and most do run combos of Red/Blue/White. Aurora has a new contract ambulance service and they have all new equipment in Red/White. Funeral escort vehicles here run the three colors, these are POVs with permits. Yes, CDOT has blue BUT the rule is written (not always followed) Blue to be activated only during plow operations, otherwise only Amber will be illuminated. As a dealer/installer, I am allowed to display any color warning lights on my vehicle as well, no permit required, for demo purposes. This is written into the Colorado Revised Statues (CRS).
Matt,
What was the application for the amber/red? Don't think I've ever seen that combination before.
thanks for that info, I am always interested in hearing about color combos. Never understood red for wreckers, wouldn't that make people pull over?
New Mexico police use red/blue mostly, and the state police uses all red. Mostly I think it's just a matter of what the vehicle looks like - a sedan with a red light is one thing, but a flatbed truck with a red light and a car on the back is clearly another. Whether it has a siren or not is probably a factor as well.WOW, So what do police and fire use, amber?
Mostly I think it's just a matter of what the vehicle looks like - a sedan with a red light is one thing, but a flatbed truck with a red light and a car on the back is clearly another. Whether it has a siren or not is probably a factor as well.
ExactlyA tow truck or flatbed truck with red lights could very easily be mistaken for a fire or EMS vehicle from a little bit of distance, especially at night.
Just because we Internet forum warriors can think straight about what different colors mean, doesn't mean the actual users can as well.A tow truck or flatbed truck with red lights could very easily be mistaken for a fire or EMS vehicle from a little bit of distance, especially at night.
Running red and blue on wreckers doesn't bother me, as long as they are sensible about it. Getting their faster in a wrecker can clear the scene faster and prevent less accidents from backups. Their are also times where a wrecker is needed to assist rescue workers. Here is a youtube channel of one in Missouri that runs sometimes with red/blue lights and siren, however they are very responsible and only use it when needed, mainly when requested by officers to step up their response. https://www.youtube.com/user/TowmaterEthan/videos
Light colors mean nothing in Texas. There could be a wreck by your house, you could look out the window, see emergency lights, and think help has arrived, and it can just be a construction worker with blue lights, or a wrecker pulling his buddy out before the cops show up.
Light colors should be regulated to their purposes, but some people get really butt hurt over the idea.
I surely don't see the point in blue lights on non-emergency vehicles. In Ohio, the amber and green works great. They've definitely made ODOT's trucks more visible. Green is a very effective color.