House Bill 49

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE ALL PUBLICLY OWNED FIRE TRUCKS WITH FIRE APPARATUS TO USE BLUE COLORED ELECTRIC LIGHTS ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY PERCENT OF THE VISUAL LIGHTS; TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-20, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PERSON OTHER THAN AN AUTHORIZED OPERATOR OF A PUBLICLY OWNED FIRE TRUCK WITH FIRE APPARATUS TO USE SUCH LIGHTS; TO INCREASE THE PENALTIES FOR SOMEONE VIOLATING SUCH; TO AMEND SECTIONS 63-7-13 AND 63-7-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 63-7-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-7-19. (1) (a) Except as otherwise provided for unmarked vehicles under Section 19-25-15 and Section 25-1-87, every police vehicle shall be marked with blue lights. Every ambulance and special use EMS vehicle as defined in Section 41-59-3 shall be marked with red lights front and back and also may be marked with white and amber lights in addition to red lights. Every emergency management/civil defense vehicle, including emergency response vehicles of the Department of Environmental Quality, shall be marked with blinking, rotating or oscillating red lights. Official vehicles of a 911 Emergency Communications District may be marked with red and white lights. Every wrecker or other vehicle used for emergency work, except vehicles authorized to use blue or red lights, shall be marked with blinking, oscillating or rotating amber-colored lights to warn other vehicles to yield the right-of-way, as provided in Section 63-3-809. Only police vehicles used for emergency work may be marked with blinking, oscillating or rotating blue lights to warn other vehicles to yield the right-of-way. Only law enforcement vehicles, fire vehicles, private or department-owned vehicles used by firemen of volunteer fire departments which receive funds pursuant to Section 83-1-39 when responding to calls, emergency management/civil defense vehicles, emergency response vehicles of the Department of Environmental Quality, ambulances used for emergency work, and 911 Emergency Communications District vehicles may be marked with blinking, oscillating or rotating red lights to warn other vehicles to yield the right-of-way. This section shall not apply to school buses carrying lighting devices in accordance with Section 63-7-23.

(b) Emergency response vehicles listed in this subsection (1) are also authorized to use alternating flashing headlights when responding to any emergency.

(2) Any vehicle operated by a United States rural mail carrier for the purpose of delivering United States mail may be marked with two (2) amber-colored lights on front top of the vehicle and two (2) red-colored lights on rear top of the vehicle and alternatively or additionally may be marked with a white, flashing strobe light on the roof of the vehicle so as to warn approaching travelers to decrease their speed because of danger of colliding with the mail carrier as he stops and starts along the edge of the road, street or highway.

(3) Any sanitation vehicle operated by a county, municipality or other political subdivision of this state or by a contractor under contract with a county, municipality or other political subdivision of this state to collect solid waste, refuse or recyclable material may be marked with flashing or oscillating white- or amber-colored lights so as to warn approaching travelers to decrease speed because of the danger of colliding with the sanitation collection vehicle as it stops and starts along the road, street or highway.

(4) Any nonlaw enforcement vehicle being used to lead and facilitate the movement of a military funeral procession may be marked with blinking, rotating or oscillating purple lights. "Military funeral procession" means two (2) or more vehicles accompanying the body of a deceased member of the United States Armed Forces, or traveling to the church, chapel or other location at which the funeral service or entombment is to be held.

(5) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, all publicly owned fire trucks with fire apparatus shall use blue colored electric lights. The lights shall be on the rear of the vehicle and shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the visual lights. Fire trucks with fire apparatus may be retrofitted to meet this requirement.

(b) For the purposes of this subsection (5), "fire truck" means any one of the following:

(i) A pumper fire apparatus, which is a vehicle equipped with a permanently mounted fire pump of 750 gpm (2850 L/min) rated capacity or greater, a water tank of at least 500 gal (1900 L), and hose body. The primary purpose of this type of apparatus is to combat structural and associated fires.

(ii) An initial attack fire apparatus, which is a vehicle equipped with an attack pump of 250 through 700 gpm (950 through 2650 L/min), a water tank, and minimum hose and equipment, this is designed primarily for rapid response and initiating a fire attack on structural, vehicular or vegetation fires and supporting associated fire department operations.

(iii) A mobile water supply fire apparatus, which is a vehicle equipped with a water tank of at least 1000 gal (3800 L) and designed primarily for transporting water to fire emergency scenes to be applied by other vehicles or pumping equipment.

(iv) An aerial ladder and elevating platform fire apparatus, which is a vehicle equipped with a permanently mounted, power-operated aerial ladder or with a passenger carrying platform attached to the uppermost boom of a series of telescoping, articulating or telescoping and articulating booms and designed to provide rescue capability from elevated positions and the positioning of firefighters and elevated master streams for fire suppression tasks.

SECTION 2. Section 63-7-20, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-7-20. (1) It is unlawful for any person, other than a law enforcement officer on duty or authorized operator of a publicly owned fire truck with fire apparatus on duty, to use or display blue lights on a motor vehicle as provided for in Section 63-7-19.

(2) It is unlawful for any person to use or display red lights on a motor vehicle except as provided for in Section 63-7-19. It is not unlawful for the red lights authorized for private or department-owned vehicles used by firemen of volunteer fire departments, as provided in Section 63-7-19, to remain mounted on such vehicles when the lights are not in use.

(3) It is unlawful for any vehicle to use alternating flashing headlights except an emergency vehicle as provided in Section 63-7-19.

(4) A person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of * * * Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) and may be imprisoned in the county jail for a term of not more than six (6) months.

SECTION 3. Section 63-7-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-7-13. (1) Headlamps on motor vehicles. Every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle shall be equipped with at least two (2) headlamps with at least one (1) on each side of the front of the motor vehicle, which headlamps shall comply with the requirements and limitations set forth in Section 63-7-31.

(2) Headlamps on motorcycles. Every motorcycle shall be equipped with at least one (1) and not more than two (2) headlamps which shall comply with the requirements and limitations set forth in Section 63-7-31.

(3) Rear lamps. Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer and any other vehicle which is being drawn in a train of vehicles shall be equipped with at least one (1) rear lamp mounted on the rear, which, when lighted, shall emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the rear. However, any antique automobile, as defined under Section 27-19-47, and any street rod, as defined under Section 27-19-56.6, may be equipped with one or more rear lamps that have been modified to emit a blue, violet or purple light resembling rear lamps appearing on some American automobiles originally manufactured in the 1940s and 1950s.

Either a rear lamp or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly readable from a distance of fifty (50) feet to the rear. Any rear lamp or tail lamps, together with any separate lamp for illuminating the rear registration plate, shall be so wired as to be lighted whenever the headlamps, cowl lamps or fender lamps are lighted.

(4) Lamps on bicycles. Every bicycle shall be equipped with a lighted white lamp on the front thereof visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of at least five hundred (500) feet in front of such bicycle and shall also be equipped with a reflex mirror reflector or lamp on the rear exhibiting a red light visible under like conditions from a distance of at least five hundred (500) feet to the rear of such bicycle.

(5) Lights on other vehicles. All vehicles not required in this chapter to be equipped with special lighted lamps shall carry one or more lights, lamps or lanterns displaying a white light, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred (500) feet to the front of such vehicle and shall display a reflex reflector or red light visible under like conditions from a distance of not less than three hundred (300) feet to the rear of such vehicle.

(6) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of blue colored electric lights in accordance with Section 63-7-19(5).

SECTION 4. Section 63-7-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-7-23. (1) The color of lighting devices shall be as follows:

(a) All front clearance lamps, and all side marker lamps, except the one on each side at or near the rear of any bus, truck, truck tractor, semitrailer, full trailer or pole trailer, shall when lighted display an amber color.

(b) No red lighting device of any character shall be mounted at any place other than on or near the rear of any bus, truck, truck tractor, semitrailer, full trailer or pole trailer. However, school buses owned by or under contract with a school district of this state may have affixed at or near the front end thereof red lighting devices that may be caused to blink when the school bus is stopped or in the process of stopping for the purpose of loading or unloading school children. A school bus also may be equipped with a white, flashing strobe light on the roof of the vehicle installed according to standards promulgated by the Mississippi Department of Education as authorized under Section 37-41-1(c).

(c) All rear clearance lamps, the side marker lamps on each side at or near the rear, and any other lamps mounted on the rear, on any bus, truck, truck tractor, semitrailer, full trailer or pole trailer shall when lighted display a red color. However, the stoplight or other warning device on the rear of any motor vehicle may be red or amber.

(d) Backing lights of any color may be mounted on the rear of any motor vehicle if the switch controlling such lights be so arranged that they may be turned on only when the vehicle is in reverse gear. Such backing lights when unlighted shall be so colored or otherwise arranged as not to reflect objectionable glare in the eyes of drivers of vehicles approaching from the rear.

(2) Auxiliary white lights mounted on or near the rear of a motor vehicle, or visible from the rear of the vehicle, shall not be prohibited under the provisions of this section if (a) the vehicle's gross weight is less than twelve thousand one (12,001) pounds, and (b) the lights are designed by the motor vehicle manufacturer or an after-market parts manufacturer so that they may only be illuminated whenever the vehicle is not in motion and the transmission of the vehicle is not capable of transmitting power to the wheels.

(3) No provision of this section shall be so construed as to prohibit the use of any white light or lights for the purpose of illuminating license plates.

(4) Any lamps illuminated when the vehicle is in motion, other than those expressly required or permitted by the provisions of this chapter or other law, shall, if visible from the front, display only a white or amber light; if visible from either side, display an amber light; and if visible from the rear, display a red light.

(5) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of blue colored electric lights in accordance with Section 63-7-19(5).

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.