HB1550 Engrossed LRB094 07714 DRH 37890 b

1     AN ACT concerning transportation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by changing
5 Section 12-215 as follows:
 
6     (625 ILCS 5/12-215)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-215)
7     Sec. 12-215. Oscillating, rotating or flashing lights on
8 motor vehicles. Except as otherwise provided in this Code:
9     (a) The use of red or white oscillating, rotating or
10 flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited
11 except on:
12         1. Law enforcement vehicles of State, Federal or local
13     authorities;
14         2. A vehicle operated by a police officer or county
15     coroner and designated or authorized by local authorities,
16     in writing, as a law enforcement vehicle; however, such
17     designation or authorization must be carried in the
18     vehicle;
19         3. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
20     federal firefighting vehicles;
21         4. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as
22     ambulances or rescue vehicles; furthermore, such lights
23     shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency
24     call for and while actually conveying the sick or injured;
25         5. Tow trucks licensed in a state that requires such
26     lights; furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted on
27     any such tow truck while the tow truck is operating in the
28     State of Illinois;
29         6. Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management
30     Agency, vehicles of the Illinois Department of Public
31     Health, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety;
32         7. Vehicles operated by a local or county emergency

 

 

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1     management services agency as defined in the Illinois
2     Emergency Management Agency Act; and
3         8. School buses operating alternately flashing head
4     lamps as permitted under Section 12-805 of this Code; and .
5         9. 8. Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively
6     as organ transplant vehicles when used in combination with
7     blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights;
8     furthermore, these lights shall be lighted only when the
9     transportation is declared an emergency by a member of the
10     transplant team or a representative of the organ
11     procurement organization.
12     (b) The use of amber oscillating, rotating or flashing
13 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:
14         1. Second division vehicles designed and used for
15     towing or hoisting vehicles; furthermore, such lights
16     shall not be lighted except as required in this paragraph
17     1; such lights shall be lighted when such vehicles are
18     actually being used at the scene of an accident or
19     disablement; if the towing vehicle is equipped with a flat
20     bed that supports all wheels of the vehicle being
21     transported, the lights shall not be lighted while the
22     vehicle is engaged in towing on a highway; if the towing
23     vehicle is not equipped with a flat bed that supports all
24     wheels of a vehicle being transported, the lights shall be
25     lighted while the towing vehicle is engaged in towing on a
26     highway during all times when the use of headlights is
27     required under Section 12-201 of this Code;
28         2. Motor vehicles or equipment of the State of
29     Illinois, local authorities and contractors; furthermore,
30     such lights shall not be lighted except while such vehicles
31     are engaged in maintenance or construction operations
32     within the limits of construction projects;
33         3. Vehicles or equipment used by engineering or survey
34     crews; furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except
35     while such vehicles are actually engaged in work on a
36     highway;

 

 

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1         4. Vehicles of public utilities, municipalities, or
2     other construction, maintenance or automotive service
3     vehicles except that such lights shall be lighted only as a
4     means for indicating the presence of a vehicular traffic
5     hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking
6     or passing while such vehicles are engaged in maintenance,
7     service or construction on a highway;
8         5. Oversized vehicle or load; however, such lights
9     shall only be lighted when moving under permit issued by
10     the Department under Section 15-301 of this Code;
11         6. The front and rear of motorized equipment owned and
12     operated by the State of Illinois or any political
13     subdivision thereof, which is designed and used for removal
14     of snow and ice from highways;
15         7. Fleet safety vehicles registered in another state,
16     furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except as
17     provided for in Section 12-212 of this Code;
18         8. Such other vehicles as may be authorized by local
19     authorities;
20         9. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
21     authorities when used in combination with red oscillating,
22     rotating or flashing lights;
23         9.5. Propane delivery trucks;
24         10. Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail for
25     the United States Postal Service provided that such lights
26     shall not be lighted except when such vehicles are actually
27     being used for such purposes;
28         11. Any vehicle displaying a slow-moving vehicle
29     emblem as provided in Section 12-205.1;
30         12. All trucks equipped with self-compactors or
31     roll-off hoists and roll-on containers for garbage or
32     refuse hauling. Such lights shall not be lighted except
33     when such vehicles are actually being used for such
34     purposes;
35         13. Vehicles used by a security company, alarm
36     responder, or control agency;

 

 

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1         14. Security vehicles of the Department of Human
2     Services; however, the lights shall not be lighted except
3     when being used for security related purposes under the
4     direction of the superintendent of the facility where the
5     vehicle is located; and
6         15. Vehicles of union representatives, except that the
7     lights shall be lighted only while the vehicle is within
8     the limits of a construction project.
9     (c) The use of blue oscillating, rotating or flashing
10 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:
11         1. Rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire department
12     and vehicles owned or fully operated by a:
13             voluntary firefighter;
14             paid firefighter;
15             part-paid firefighter;
16             call firefighter;
17             member of the board of trustees of a fire
18         protection district;
19             paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad;
20             paid or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance
21         unit; or
22             paid or unpaid members of a local or county
23         emergency management services agency as defined in the
24         Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, designated
25         or authorized by local authorities, in writing, and
26         carrying that designation or authorization in the
27         vehicle.
28         However, such lights are not to be lighted except when
29     responding to a bona fide emergency.
30         Any person using these lights in accordance with this
31     subdivision (c)1 must carry on his or her person an
32     identification card or letter identifying the bona fide him
33     or her as a member of a bona fide fire department, fire
34     protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or
35     emergency management services agency that owns or operates
36     that vehicle. The card or letter must include:

 

 

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1             (A) the name of the fire department, fire
2         protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or
3         emergency management services agency;
4             (B) the member's position within the fire
5         department, fire protection district, rescue squad,
6         ambulance unit, or emergency management services
7         agency;
8             (C) the member's term of service; and
9             (D) the name of a person within the fire
10         department, fire protection district, rescue squad,
11         ambulance unit, or emergency management services
12         agency to contact to verify the information provided.
13         2. Police department vehicles in cities having a
14     population of 500,000 or more inhabitants.
15         3. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
16     authorities when used in combination with red oscillating,
17     rotating or flashing lights.
18         4. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
19     federal firefighting vehicles when used in combination
20     with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
21         5. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as
22     ambulances or rescue vehicles when used in combination with
23     red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights; furthermore,
24     such lights shall not be lighted except when responding to
25     an emergency call.
26         6. Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively as
27     organ transport vehicles when used in combination with red
28     oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights; furthermore,
29     these lights shall only be lighted when the transportation
30     is declared an emergency by a member of the transplant team
31     or a representative of the organ procurement organization.
32         7. Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management
33     Agency, vehicles of the Illinois Department of Public
34     Health, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety,
35     when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating, or
36     flashing lights.

 

 

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1         8. Vehicles operated by a local or county emergency
2     management services agency as defined in the Illinois
3     Emergency Management Agency Act, when used in combination
4     with red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights.
5     (c-1) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or
6 flashing lights permitted under subsection (c), and
7 notwithstanding subsection (a), a vehicle operated by a
8 voluntary firefighter, a voluntary member of a rescue squad, or
9 a member of a voluntary ambulance unit may be equipped with
10 flashing white headlights and blue grill lights, which may be
11 used only in responding to an emergency call.
12     (c-2) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or
13 flashing lights permitted under subsection (c), and
14 notwithstanding subsection (a), a vehicle operated by a paid or
15 unpaid member of a local or county emergency management
16 services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management
17 Agency Act, may be equipped with white oscillating, rotating,
18 or flashing lights to be used in combination with blue
19 oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights, if authorization by
20 local authorities is in writing and carried in the vehicle.
21     (d) The use of a combination of amber and white
22 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted or
23 unlighted, is prohibited except motor vehicles or equipment of
24 the State of Illinois, local authorities, contractors, and
25 union representatives may be so equipped; furthermore, such
26 lights shall not be lighted on vehicles of the State of
27 Illinois, local authorities, and contractors except while such
28 vehicles are engaged in highway maintenance or construction
29 operations within the limits of highway construction projects,
30 and shall not be lighted on the vehicles of union
31 representatives except when those vehicles are within the
32 limits of a construction project.
33     (e) All oscillating, rotating or flashing lights referred
34 to in this Section shall be of sufficient intensity, when
35 illuminated, to be visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight.
36     (f) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a manufacturer

 

 

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1 of oscillating, rotating or flashing lights or his
2 representative from temporarily mounting such lights on a
3 vehicle for demonstration purposes only.
4     (g) Any person violating the provisions of subsections (a),
5 (b), (c) or (d) of this Section who without lawful authority
6 stops or detains or attempts to stop or detain another person
7 shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
8     (h) Except as provided in subsection (g) above, any person
9 violating the provisions of subsections (a) or (c) of this
10 Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
11 (Source: P.A. 92-138, eff. 7-24-01; 92-407, eff. 8-17-01;
12 92-651, eff. 7-11-02; 92-782, eff. 8-6-02; 92-820, eff.
13 8-21-02; 92-872, eff. 6-1-03; 93-181, eff. 1-1-04; 93-725, eff.
14 1-1-05; 93-794, eff. 7-22-04; 93-829, eff. 7-28-04; revised
15 10-22-04.)