What's happening
This bill allows hazard vehicles involved in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or towing to display blue lights in addition to amber lights for increased visibility and safety.
Why it matters
Improves roadside safety for highway workers and tow operators. by allowing them to use blue lights, which are more visible—especially at night or in inclement weather—than amber lights alone. This can help reduce accidents involving vehicles stopped for maintenance or towing.
Expands the authority of the Department of Motor Vehicles. to regulate the use and placement of blue lights on hazard vehicles, ensuring consistent standards and enforcement for these new safety measures.
Clarifies and strengthens "Move Over" law protections. by making it clear that drivers must exercise caution and, when possible, change lanes not only for vehicles displaying amber lights, but also for those displaying new blue or blue/amber combinations, further extending legal protections for roadside workers.
Responds to real-world risks faced by maintenance and tow crews,. who are often injured or killed by passing traffic, by making their vehicles more conspicuous and alerting motorists more effectively to slow down and move over.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Blue Lights on Hazards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Allow Blue Lights on Hazards
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Michael DenDekker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7853
IN SENATE
February 26, 2020
Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- 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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subparagraphs a and c of paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 465 of the laws of 2010, are amended to read as follows:
a. One blue light may be affixed to any motor vehicle owned by a volunteer member of a fire department or on a motor vehicle owned by a member of such person's family residing in the same household or by a business enterprise in which such person has a proprietary interest or by which he or she is employed, provided such volunteer firefighter has been authorized in writing to so affix a blue light by the chief of the fire department or company of which he or she is a member, which authorization shall be subject to revocation at any time by the chief who issued the same or his or her successor in office. Such blue light may be displayed exclusively by such volunteer firefighter on such a vehicle only when engaged in an emergency operation. The use of blue lights on vehicles shall be restricted for use only by a volunteer firefighter except as otherwise provided for in [subparagraph] subparagraphs b and b-1 of this paragraph.
c. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relating to the use, placement, power and display of blue lights on a police vehicle [and], fire vehicle, and hazard vehicle which is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway.
§ 2. Paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subparagraph b-1 to read as follows:
b-1. In addition to the amber light authorized to be displayed pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision, one or more blue lights or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05153-04-0
S. 7853 2
combination blue and amber lights may be affixed to a hazard vehicle which is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway provided that such blue light or lights shall be displayed on such a hazard vehicle for rear projection only. Such blue light or lights may be displayed on a hazard vehicle which is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway when such vehicle is engaged in a hazardous operation and is also displaying the amber light or lights required to be displayed during a hazardous operation pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision. Nothing contained in this subparagraph shall be deemed to authorize the use of blue lights on hazard vehicles which are engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or are designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway unless such hazard vehicles also display one or more amber lights as otherwise authorized in this subdivision.
§ 3. Subdivision (b) of section 1144-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 458 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
(b) Every operator of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with a hazard vehicle which is parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder or on any portion of such highway and such hazard vehicle is displaying one or more amber lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter or, if such hazard vehicle is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway and such hazard vehicle is displaying one or more amber lights or one or more blue or combination blue and amber lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three or subparagraph b-1 of paragraph four, as applicable, of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter. For operators of motor vehicles on parkways or controlled access highways, such due care shall include, but not be limited to, moving from a lane which contains or is immediately adjacent to the shoulder where (i) such hazard vehicle displaying one or more amber lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter or (ii) such hazard vehicle is engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or is designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway displaying one or more amber lights or one or more blue or combination blue and amber lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three or subparagraph b-1 of paragraph four, as applicable, of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter, is parked, stopped or standing to another lane, provided that such movement otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter including, but not limited to, the provisions of sections eleven hundred ten and eleven hundred twenty-eight of this title.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the display of amber and blue lights on certain hazard vehicles
Purpose or general idea of bill
To allow tow trucks, roadside service vehicles, and other hazard vehi- cles engaged in highway maintenance to display rear-facing amber and blue lights while engaged in a hazardous operation.
Summary of specific provisions
Sections 1-3 amend the vehicle and traffic law to authorize the use of blue lights in conjunction with amber lights during a hazardous opera- tion undertaken by hazard vehicles. This would apply specifically to hazard vehicles that are engaged in highway maintenance, ice and snow removal, or are designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles where such operation involves the use of a public highway.
Blue lights would only be rear-projecting, and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relat- ing to the use, placement, power and display of the blue lights. Also amends the vehicle and traffic law to clarify that these hazard vehicles displaying both blue and amber lights remain under the "move over" law.
Section 4 relates to the effective date.
Justification
Roadside workers are hit by cars on our highways at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, these accidents are shockingly common. On March 26, 2019, four highway maintenance workers were injured. The yellow maintenance vehicle was struck in a work zone despite displaying its amber lights. Along with resulting in serious causalities, there have also been numer- ous roadside accidents that have resulted in serious damage to the service vehicles themselves.
Currently, motorists are subject to the state's "Move Over" law, yet these collisions continue to occur as drivers simply cannot spot the amber lights quickly enough to safely navigate around them. Evidently, amber lights alone are not enough to ensure the safety of our highway workers. Blue lights, on the other hand, have proven to be far more visible than any other color. As such, blue lights have been installed on law enforcement vehicles and EMTs, for example, so that they may respond to dangerous conditions as smoothly as possible. Tow truck driv- ers and other maintenance workers are also tasked with responding to dangerous conditions, specifically road hazards. Yet, despite the fact that tow trucks often operate effectively as emergency vehicles, they are currently barred from utilizing the blue light.
Installing blue lights on the rears of tow trucks and other maintenance vehicles would give these workers peace of mind as they engage in a hazardous operation. The blue lights would give highway drivers ample warning to abide by the "Move Over" law and prevent other serious inju- ries from happening again. Most importantly, however, the blue lights would also go a long way toward reducing worker fatalities. Strictly as a matter of safety, it makes little sense to limit tow trucks and high- way maintenance vehicles to ineffectual amber lights while reserving the blue light to select emergency vehicles only. Our roadside workers perform very valuable work, and they are just as entitled to enjoying proper safety standards. They put their lives on the line to keep our highways safe for everyone else.
Prior legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.