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92nd General Assembly

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Public Act 92-0407

HB0161 Enrolled                                LRB9201494DHmg

    AN ACT in relation to vehicles.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section  5.   The  Illinois  Vehicle  Code  is amended by
changing Section 12-215 as follows:

    (625 ILCS 5/12-215) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-215)
    Sec. 12-215.  Oscillating, rotating or flashing lights on
motor vehicles. Except as otherwise provided in this Code:
    (a)  The use of red or  white  oscillating,  rotating  or
flashing  lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited
except on:
         1.  Law enforcement vehicles of  State,  Federal  or
    local authorities;
         2.  A vehicle operated by a police officer or county
    coroner   and   designated   or   authorized   by   local
    authorities,  in  writing,  as a law enforcement vehicle;
    however,  such  designation  or  authorization  must   be
    carried in the vehicle;
         3.  Vehicles  of local fire departments and State or
    federal firefighting vehicles;
         4.  Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
    as  ambulances  or  rescue  vehicles;  furthermore,  such
    lights shall not be lighted except when responding to  an
    emergency  call for and while actually conveying the sick
    or injured; and
         5.  Tow trucks licensed in  a  state  that  requires
    such  lights;  furthermore,  such  lights  shall  not  be
    lighted  on  any  such  tow  truck while the tow truck is
    operating in the State of Illinois.
    (b)  The use of amber oscillating, rotating  or  flashing
lights,  whether  lighted  or unlighted, is prohibited except
on:
         1.  Second division vehicles designed and  used  for
    towing  or  hoisting  vehicles;  furthermore, such lights
    shall not be lighted except as required in this paragraph
    1; such lights shall be lighted when  such  vehicles  are
    actually  being  used   at  the  scene  of an accident or
    disablement; if the towing vehicle  is  equipped  with  a
    flat  bed  that  supports all wheels of the vehicle being
    transported, the lights shall not be  lighted  while  the
    vehicle  is engaged in towing on a highway; if the towing
    vehicle is not equipped with a flat bed that supports all
    wheels of a vehicle being transported, the  lights  shall
    be  lighted while the towing vehicle is engaged in towing
    on a highway during all times when the use of  headlights
    is required under Section 12-201 of this Code;
         2.  Motor  vehicles  or  equipment  of  the State of
    Illinois, local authorities and contractors; furthermore,
    such lights  shall  not  be  lighted  except  while  such
    vehicles  are  engaged  in  maintenance  or  construction
    operations within the limits of construction projects;
         3.  Vehicles  or  equipment  used  by engineering or
    survey crews;  furthermore,  such  lights  shall  not  be
    lighted  except  while such vehicles are actually engaged
    in work on a highway;
         4.  Vehicles of public utilities, municipalities, or
    other construction,  maintenance  or  automotive  service
    vehicles except that such lights shall be lighted only as
    a  means  for  indicating  the  presence  of  a vehicular
    traffic hazard requiring  unusual  care  in  approaching,
    overtaking  or passing while such vehicles are engaged in
    maintenance, service or construction on a highway;
         5.  Oversized vehicle or load; however, such  lights
    shall  only be lighted when moving under permit issued by
    the Department under Section 15-301 of this Code;
         6.  The front and rear of motorized equipment  owned
    and  operated  by  the State of Illinois or any political
    subdivision thereof,  which  is  designed  and  used  for
    removal of snow and ice from highways;
         7.  Fleet  safety  vehicles  registered  in  another
    state,  furthermore,  such  lights  shall  not be lighted
    except as provided for in Section 12-212 of this Code;
         8.  Such other vehicles  as  may  be  authorized  by
    local authorities;
         9.  Law  enforcement  vehicles  of  State  or  local
    authorities   when   used   in   combination   with   red
    oscillating, rotating or flashing lights;
         10.  Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail
    for  the  United States Postal Service provided that such
    lights shall not be lighted except when such vehicles are
    actually being used for such purposes;
         11.  Any vehicle displaying  a  slow-moving  vehicle
    emblem as provided in Section 12-205.1;
         12.  All  trucks  equipped  with  self-compactors or
    roll-off hoists and roll-on  containers  for  garbage  or
    refuse  hauling.  Such lights shall not be lighted except
    when such vehicles  are  actually  being  used  for  such
    purposes;
         13.  Vehicles  used  by  a  security  company, alarm
    responder, or control agency, if  the  security  company,
    alarm responder, or control agency is bound by a contract
    with  a federal, State, or local government entity to use
    the lights; and
         14.  Security vehicles of the  Department  of  Human
    Services; however, the lights shall not be lighted except
    when  being  used for security related purposes under the
    direction of the superintendent of the facility where the
    vehicle is located.
    (c)  The use of blue oscillating,  rotating  or  flashing
lights,  whether  lighted  or unlighted, is prohibited except
on:
         1.  Rescue  squad  vehicles  not  owned  by  a  fire
    department and vehicles owned or fully operated by a:
              voluntary firefighter;
              paid firefighter;
              part-paid firefighter;
              call firefighter;
              member of the  board  of  trustees  of  a  fire
         protection district;
              paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad; or
              paid  or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance
         unit.
         However, such lights are not to  be  lighted  except
    when responding to a bona fide emergency.
         2.  Police  department  vehicles  in cities having a
    population of 500,000 or more inhabitants.
         3.  Law  enforcement  vehicles  of  State  or  local
    authorities   when   used   in   combination   with   red
    oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
         4.  Vehicles of local fire departments and State  or
    federal  firefighting  vehicles  when used in combination
    with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
         5.  Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
    as ambulances or rescue vehicles when used in combination
    with  red  oscillating,  rotating  or  flashing   lights;
    furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except when
    responding to an emergency call.
         6.  Vehicles  that are equipped and used exclusively
    as organ transport vehicles when used in combination with
    red   oscillating,   rotating,   or   flashing    lights;
    furthermore,  these lights shall only be lighted when the
    transportation is declared an emergency by  a  member  of
    the  transplant  team  or  a  representative of the organ
    procurement organization.
    (c-1)  In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating,  or
flashing   lights   permitted   under   subsection  (c),  and
notwithstanding subsection  (a),  a  vehicle  operated  by  a
voluntary  firefighter  may  be  equipped with flashing white
headlights and blue grill lights, which may be used  only  in
responding to an emergency call.
    (d)  The   use  of  a  combination  of  amber  and  white
oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted  or
unlighted,  is prohibited, except motor vehicles or equipment
of the State of Illinois, local authorities  and  contractors
may  be  so  equipped;  furthermore, such lights shall not be
lighted except while such vehicles  are  engaged  in  highway
maintenance  or  construction operations within the limits of
highway construction projects.
    (e)  All  oscillating,  rotating   or   flashing   lights
referred to in this Section shall be of sufficient intensity,
when  illuminated,  to  be  visible  at  500  feet  in normal
sunlight.
    (f)  Nothing   in   this   Section   shall   prohibit   a
manufacturer of oscillating, rotating or flashing  lights  or
his representative from temporarily mounting such lights on a
vehicle for demonstration purposes only.
    (g)  Any  person  violating the provisions of subsections
(a), (b), (c) or (d)  of  this  Section  who  without  lawful
authority  stops  or  detains  or  attempts to stop or detain
another person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
    (h)  Except as provided  in  subsection  (g)  above,  any
person  violating the provisions of subsections (a) or (c) of
this Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A.  90-330,  eff.  8-8-97;  90-347,  eff.  1-1-98;
90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

    Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.
    Passed in the General Assembly May 23, 2001.
    Approved August 17, 2001.

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