Senate File 478 - Reprinted SENATE FILE 478 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1047) (As Amended and Passed by the Senate March 25, 2019 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to lighting devices and other equipment on 1 snow plows and authorized emergency vehicles, and making 2 penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 SF 478 (4) 88 ns/rh/mb
S.F. 478 Section 1. Section 321.393, subsections 4 and 5, Code 2019, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 4. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the 3 use of a lighting device or reflector displaying an amber light 4 when such lighting device or reflector is mounted on a motor 5 truck, trailer, tractor, or motor grader owned by the state, 6 or any political subdivision of the state, or any municipality 7 therein including any local authority , while such equipment is 8 being used for snow removal, sanding, maintenance, or repair of 9 the public streets or highways. 10 5. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the 11 use of a lighting device or reflector displaying an amber, 12 white, or blue light when the lighting device or reflector is 13 rear-facing and mounted on a motor truck, trailer, tractor, 14 truck-mounted snow blower, or motor grader owned by the 15 department state or any political subdivision of the state, 16 including any local authority, while the equipment is being 17 used for snow and ice treatment or removal on the public 18 streets or highways. 19 Sec. 2. Section 321.423, subsection 2, paragraph f, Code 20 2019, is amended to read as follows: 21 f. A flashing white light , including a flashing headlamp, is 22 permitted on a vehicle pursuant to subsection 7 . 23 Sec. 3. Section 321.423, subsection 3, paragraph a, 24 subparagraph (3), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 25 (3) An authorized emergency vehicle, other than a vehicle 26 described in paragraph “a” , subparagraph (1) or (2) , if the blue 27 light is positioned on the passenger side of the vehicle and is 28 used in conjunction with a red light positioned on the driver 29 side of the vehicle . 30 Sec. 4. Section 321.423, subsection 3, paragraph a, 31 subparagraph (4), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 32 (4) A motor truck, trailer, tractor, truck-mounted snow 33 blower, or motor grader owned by the department state or 34 any political subdivision of the state, including any local 35 -1- SF 478 (4) 88 ns/rh/mb 1/ 4
S.F. 478 authority, if the blue light is rear-facing and used in 1 conjunction with amber and white lighting devices or reflectors 2 while the equipment is being used for snow and ice treatment or 3 removal on the public streets or highways. 4 Sec. 5. Section 321.423, subsection 7, paragraph a, 5 subparagraph (4), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 6 (4) On a motor truck, trailer, tractor, truck-mounted 7 snow blower, or motor grader owned by the department state or 8 any political subdivision of the state, including any local 9 authority, if the white light is rear-facing and used in 10 conjunction with amber and blue lighting devices or reflectors 11 while the equipment is being used for snow and ice treatment or 12 removal on the public streets or highways. 13 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION . 321.424 Authorized emergency vehicle 14 lights. 15 Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary: 16 1. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with 17 a combination of interior and exterior lights, flashing 18 headlamps, and flashing tail lamps as provided in this section 19 and in this chapter. 20 2. An official law enforcement, fire department, or 21 emergency medical services vehicle owned by the state or a 22 municipality, as defined in section 670.1, may be equipped with 23 flashing headlamps. 24 3. An authorized emergency vehicle owned by the state, 25 a municipality, as defined in section 670.1, or a private 26 emergency medical services company delivering services to the 27 state, a municipality, or a hospital pursuant to a written 28 contract, or a privately owned vehicle designated as an 29 authorized emergency vehicle pursuant to section 321.451, shall 30 be equipped with a combination of operational red and blue 31 lights. However, a towing or recovery vehicle, unless owned 32 by the state or a municipality, shall not be equipped with red 33 and blue lights. 34 4. An authorized emergency vehicle equipped with an 35 -2- SF 478 (4) 88 ns/rh/mb 2/ 4
S.F. 478 interior or exterior light bar shall position front and rear 1 facing red lights on the driver’s side of the vehicle and front 2 and rear facing blue lights on the passenger’s side of the 3 vehicle. 4 5. An authorized emergency vehicle equipped with an 5 interior or exterior light bar with red and blue flashing 6 lights may be equipped with flashing or solid white lights 7 scattered among or between a clear or colored lens that 8 displays a red or blue flashing light. 9 6. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with one 10 or more lights capable of emitting a split red and blue steady 11 or flashing light, which may be mounted on or in the vehicle. 12 7. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with one 13 or more lights on the side of the vehicle capable of emitting 14 red and blue light, red and white light, or blue and white 15 light. 16 8. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with one 17 or more lights with a clear or colored lens. 18 9. An official law enforcement, fire, rescue, or emergency 19 medical services vehicle may be equipped with lights or 20 light bars containing one or more rear zone amber lights or 21 amber directional arrows, which shall be in addition to any 22 other required lighting equipment. An authorized emergency 23 vehicle shall not be equipped with an amber light positioned 24 on the front or side of the vehicle. However, an aerial fire 25 apparatus may be equipped with amber flashing lights on the 26 outriggers of the apparatus. 27 10. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with 28 one or more steady, oscillating, or flashing white lights, 29 flashing headlamps, or flashing reverse lamps, which shall be 30 in addition to any other required lighting equipment. A light 31 bar shall not be equipped or used to display flashing white 32 lights visible from the rear of the vehicle. This subsection 33 shall not be construed to prohibit an authorized emergency 34 vehicle owned by the state or a municipality, as defined in 35 -3- SF 478 (4) 88 ns/rh/mb 3/ 4
S.F. 478 section 670.1, from being equipped with or using a spotlight or 1 exterior light bar capable of displaying a steady white light 2 for use as a work light, alley light, search light, or take 3 down light. 4 11. An authorized emergency vehicle owned by a state or a 5 municipality, as defined in section 670.1, that is primarily 6 used as an incident command vehicle may be equipped with one 7 or more steady or flashing green lights, which shall be in 8 addition to any other required lighting equipment. A steady 9 or flashing green light equipped pursuant to this subsection 10 shall not be activated unless the vehicle is being used as 11 a stationary incident command post at the location of an 12 emergency incident, an official training exercise, or for 13 maintenance or demonstration purposes. 14 Sec. 7. Section 321.433, Code 2019, is amended to read as 15 follows: 16 321.433 Sirens, whistles, and bells prohibited. 17 1. A vehicle shall not be equipped with and a person shall 18 not use upon a vehicle any siren, whistle, or bell, except as 19 otherwise permitted in this section . It is permissible but not 20 required that any commercial vehicle be equipped with a theft 21 alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used 22 by the driver as an ordinary warning signal. Any authorized 23 emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or 24 bell capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions 25 from a distance of not less than five hundred feet, but the 26 siren, whistle, or bell shall not be used except when the 27 vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in 28 the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of 29 the law, and the driver of the vehicle shall sound the siren, 30 whistle, or bell when necessary to warn pedestrians and other 31 drivers of the approach of the vehicle. 32 2. A towing or recovery vehicle, unless owned by the state 33 or a municipality, as defined in section 670.1, shall not be 34 equipped with a siren. 35 -4- SF 478 (4) 88 ns/rh/mb 4/ 4