Senate File 68 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY HECKROTH Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act prohibiting the use of certain motor vehicle lights under 2 fair weather conditions during daylight hours and providing a 3 penalty. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1470SS 83 6 dea/nh/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 321.416 LIGHTING RESTRICTIONS 1 2 DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS AND FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS. 1 3 1. Except during the times specified in section 321.384, 1 4 subsection 1, a person operating a motor vehicle on a highway 1 5 shall not use the uppermost distribution of light, or 1 6 composite beam specified in section 321.409, subsection 1, an 1 7 auxiliary lamp, spot lamp, or any other lamp on the front of 1 8 the vehicle other than a lamp projecting the lowermost 1 9 distribution of light, or composite beam, specified in section 1 10 321.409, subsection 2, or a directional signal device 1 11 specified in section 321.317. 1 12 2. A person convicted of a violation of this section is 1 13 guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled 1 14 violation under section 805.8A, subsection 3, paragraph "d". 1 15 Sec. 2. Section 805.8A, subsection 3, paragraph d, Code 1 16 2009, is amended to read as follows: 1 17 d. For violations of sections 321.383, 321.384, 321.385, 1 18 321.398, 321.402, 321.403, 321.404, 321.409, 321.415, 321.416, 1 19 321.419, 321.420, 321.421, 321.423, and 321.433, the scheduled 1 20 fine is twenty dollars. 1 21 EXPLANATION 1 22 This bill limits the use of certain front=mounted lights on 1 23 motor vehicles to those times of day when the use of head 1 24 lamps is required. Currently, a driver must use head lamps 1 25 during the period from sunset to sunrise and at other times 1 26 when conditions such as fog, snow, sleet, or rain provide 1 27 insufficient lighting to render clearly discernable persons 1 28 and vehicles on the highway at a distance of 500 feet ahead. 1 29 Under the bill, the use of high=beam headlamps, auxiliary 1 30 lamps, spot lamps, or any lamp of greater intensity than the 1 31 vehicle's low=beam headlamps is prohibited from sunrise to 1 32 sunset under fair weather conditions. 1 33 A violation is a simple misdemeanor punishable by a 1 34 scheduled fine of $20. This is the same penalty that 1 35 currently applies for similar vehicle lighting violations. 2 1 LSB 1470SS 83 2 2 dea/nh/5