Authorizes hazard vehicles engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles to display amber and blue lights for rear projection when such vehicles are engaged in a hazardous operation.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6271
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 20, 2021
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Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the display
of amber and blue lights on certain hazard vehicles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph c of paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 of section
2 375 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 1 of part C of
3 chapter 58 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as follows:
4 c. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
5 relating to the use, placement, power and display of blue lights on a
6 police vehicle, fire vehicle, and hazard vehicle which is engaged in
7 highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing
8 or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of
9 a public highway.
10 § 2. Subparagraph b-1 of paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 of section 375
11 of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by section 2 of part C of chap-
12 ter 58 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as follows:
13 b-1. In addition to the amber light authorized to be displayed pursu-
14 ant to paragraph three of this subdivision, one or more blue lights or
15 combination blue and amber lights may be affixed to a hazard vehicle
16 which is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is
17 designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles provided that
18 such blue light or lights shall be displayed on such a hazard vehicle
19 for rear projection only. Such blue light or lights may be displayed on
20 a hazard vehicle designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles
21 when such vehicle is engaged in a hazardous operation and is also
22 displaying the amber light or lights required to be displayed during a
23 hazardous operation pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision.
24 Nothing contained in this subparagraph shall be deemed to authorize the
25 use of blue lights on hazard vehicles which are engaged in highway main-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07947-01-1
S. 6271 2
1 tenance, ice and snow removal, or are designed for the towing or pushing
2 of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public
3 highway unless such hazard vehicles also display one or more amber
4 lights as otherwise authorized in this subdivision.
5 § 3. Subdivision (b) of section 1144-a of the vehicle and traffic law,
6 as amended by section 3 of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2020, is
7 amended to read as follows:
8 (b) Every operator of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid
9 colliding with a hazard vehicle which is parked, stopped or standing on
10 the shoulder or on any portion of such highway and such hazard vehicle
11 is displaying one or more amber lights pursuant to the provisions of
12 paragraph three of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seven-
13 ty-five of this chapter or, if such hazard vehicle is engaged in highway
14 maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or
15 pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a
16 public highway and such hazard vehicle is displaying one or more amber
17 lights or one or more blue or combination blue and amber lights pursuant
18 to the provisions of paragraph three or subparagraph b-1 of paragraph
19 four, as applicable, of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred
20 seventy-five of this chapter. For operators of motor vehicles on park-
21 ways or controlled access highways, such due care shall include, but not
22 be limited to, moving from a lane which contains or is immediately adja-
23 cent to the shoulder where (i) such hazard vehicle displaying one or
24 more amber lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three of
25 subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this
26 chapter or (ii) such hazard vehicle is engaged in highway maintenance,
27 ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disa-
28 bled vehicles displaying one or more amber lights or one or more blue or
29 combination blue and amber lights pursuant to the provisions of para-
30 graph three or subparagraph b-1 of paragraph four, as applicable, of
31 subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this
32 chapter, is parked, stopped or standing to another lane, provided that
33 such movement otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter
34 including, but not limited to, the provisions of sections eleven hundred
35 ten and eleven hundred twenty-eight of this title.
36 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.