Relates to the operation of vehicles on approach of vehicles displaying a blue light; requires vehicles to pull over on approach of vehicles displaying a blue light.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2766
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the opera-
tion of vehicles on approach of vehicles displaying a blue light
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 1144 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
2 chapter 300 of the laws of 1960 and subdivision (a) as amended by chap-
3 ter 606 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
4 § 1144. Operation of vehicles on approach of authorized emergency
5 vehicles or vehicles displaying a blue light. (a) Upon the immediate
6 approach of an authorized emergency vehicle equipped with at least one
7 lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric
8 conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of such
9 vehicle other than a police vehicle or bicycle when operated as an
10 authorized emergency vehicle, and when audible signals are sounded from
11 any said vehicle by siren, exhaust whistle, bell, air-horn or electronic
12 equivalent or upon the immediate approach of a vehicle displaying a blue
13 light pursuant to the provisions of paragraph four of subdivision
14 forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter; the
15 driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right of way and shall
16 immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to
17 the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, or to either edge of a one-
18 way roadway three or more lanes in width, clear of any intersection, and
19 shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency
20 vehicle or such vehicle displaying a blue light has passed, unless
21 otherwise directed by a police officer.
22 (b) This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an author-
23 ized emergency vehicle or the driver of a vehicle displaying a blue
24 light pursuant to the provisions of paragraph four of subdivision
25 forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter from the
26 duty to drive with reasonable care for all persons using the highway.
27 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
28 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06135-01-3
