HOUSE BILL NO. 15 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled November 27, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 46.2-1024 and 46.2-1028 of the Code of Virginia, relating to warning lights and auxiliary lights on vehicles owned by forensic crash reconstructionists. ---------- Patron-- Ware, R.L. ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 46.2-1024 and 46.2-1028 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-1024. Flashing or steady-burning red or red and white warning lights.

Any member of a fire department, volunteer fire company, or volunteer rescue squad, any ambulance driver employed by a privately owned ambulance service, and any police chaplain, and any forensic crash reconstructionist operating under a memorandum of understanding with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as a first responder K9 search and rescue asset may equip one vehicle owned by him with no more than two flashing or steady-burning red or red and white combination warning lights of types approved by the Superintendent. Warning lights permitted by this section shall be lit only when answering emergency calls. A vehicle equipped with lighting devices as authorized in this section shall be operated by a police chaplain only if he has successfully completed a course of training in the safe operation of a motor vehicle under emergency conditions and a certificate attesting to such successful completion, signed by the course instructor, is carried at all times in the vehicle when operated by the police chaplain to whom the certificate applies.

§ 46.2-1028. Auxiliary lights on fire-fighting, Virginia Department of Transportation and other emergency vehicles.

Any fire-fighting vehicle, ambulance, rescue or life-saving vehicle, vehicle owned by any forensic crash reconstructionist operating under a memorandum of understanding with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as a first responder K9 search and rescue asset, Virginia Department of Transportation vehicle or tow truck may be equipped with clear auxiliary lights which shall be used exclusively for lighting emergency scenes. Such lights shall be of a type approved by the Superintendent, and shall not be used in a manner which may blind or interfere with the vision of the drivers of approaching vehicles. In no event shall such lights be lighted while the vehicle is in motion.