Bill Text: NY S00080 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Authorizes hazard vehicles 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.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S00080 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S00080-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           80
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  ROBACH -- 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. Subparagraphs a and c of paragraph 4 of subdivision  41  of
     2  section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 465 of
     3  the laws of 2010, are amended to read as follows:
     4    a.  One  blue  light  may  be  affixed to any motor vehicle owned by a
     5  volunteer member of a fire department or on a motor vehicle owned  by  a
     6  member  of  such  person's family residing in the same household or by a
     7  business enterprise in which such person has a proprietary  interest  or
     8  by  which he or she is employed, provided such volunteer firefighter has
     9  been authorized in writing to so affix a blue light by the chief of  the
    10  fire department or company of which he or she is a member, which author-
    11  ization  shall  be  subject  to  revocation at any time by the chief who
    12  issued the same or his or her successor in office. Such blue  light  may
    13  be displayed exclusively by such volunteer firefighter on such a vehicle
    14  only  when  engaged in an emergency operation. The use of blue lights on
    15  vehicles shall be restricted for use only  by  a  volunteer  firefighter
    16  except  as  otherwise provided for in [subparagraph] subparagraphs b and
    17  b-1 of this paragraph.
    18    c. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and  regulations
    19  relating  to  the  use, placement, power and display of blue lights on a
    20  police vehicle [and], fire vehicle, and hazard vehicle designed for  the
    21  towing or pushing of disabled vehicles.
    22    §  2.  Paragraph 4 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the vehicle and
    23  traffic law is amended by adding a  new  subparagraph  b-1  to  read  as
    24  follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05153-01-9

        S. 80                               2
     1    b-1.  In addition to the amber light authorized to be displayed pursu-
     2  ant to paragraph three of this subdivision, one or more blue  lights  or
     3  combination  blue  and  amber  lights may be affixed to a hazard vehicle
     4  designed for the towing or pushing of disabled  vehicles  provided  that
     5  such  blue  light  or lights shall be displayed on such a hazard vehicle
     6  for rear projection only.  Such blue light or lights may be displayed on
     7  a hazard vehicle designed for the towing or pushing of disabled vehicles
     8  when such vehicle is engaged  in  a  hazardous  operation  and  is  also
     9  displaying  the  amber light or lights required to be displayed during a
    10  hazardous operation pursuant to paragraph  three  of  this  subdivision.
    11  Nothing  contained in this subparagraph shall be deemed to authorize the
    12  use of blue lights on hazard vehicles designed for the towing or pushing
    13  of disabled vehicles unless such hazard vehicles  also  display  one  or
    14  more amber lights as otherwise authorized in this subdivision.
    15    § 3. Subdivision (b) of section 1144-a of the vehicle and traffic law,
    16  as  amended  by  chapter  458 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as
    17  follows:
    18    (b) Every operator of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid
    19  colliding with a hazard vehicle which is parked, stopped or standing  on
    20  the  shoulder  or on any portion of such highway and such hazard vehicle
    21  is displaying one or more amber lights pursuant  to  the  provisions  of
    22  paragraph three of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seven-
    23  ty-five  of  this chapter or, if such hazard vehicle is designed for the
    24  towing or pushing of disabled vehicles such hazard vehicle is displaying
    25  one or more amber lights or one or more blue  or  combination  blue  and
    26  amber  lights  pursuant to the provisions of paragraph three or subpara-
    27  graph b-1 of paragraph four, as applicable, of subdivision forty-one  of
    28  section  three  hundred  seventy-five  of this chapter. For operators of
    29  motor vehicles on parkways or controlled access highways, such due  care
    30  shall  include, but not be limited to, moving from a lane which contains
    31  or is immediately adjacent to the shoulder where (i) such hazard vehicle
    32  displaying one or more amber lights pursuant to the provisions of  para-
    33  graph  three  of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-
    34  five of this chapter or (ii) such hazard vehicle designed for the towing
    35  or pushing of disabled vehicles displaying one or more amber  lights  or
    36  one  or  more  blue or combination blue and amber lights pursuant to the
    37  provisions of paragraph three or subparagraph b-1 of paragraph four,  as
    38  applicable,  of  subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-
    39  five of this chapter, is parked, stopped or standing  to  another  lane,
    40  provided  that such movement otherwise complies with the requirements of
    41  this chapter including, but not limited to, the provisions  of  sections
    42  eleven hundred ten and eleven hundred twenty-eight of this title.
    43    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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