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92_HB3725
LRB9211783DHgc
1 AN ACT in relation to vehicles.
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
5 changing 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
13 local authorities;
14 2. A vehicle operated by a police officer or county
15 coroner and designated or authorized by local
16 authorities, in writing, as a law enforcement vehicle;
17 however, such designation or authorization must be
18 carried in the vehicle;
19 3. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
20 federal firefighting vehicles;
21 4. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
22 as ambulances or rescue vehicles; furthermore, such
23 lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an
24 emergency call for and while actually conveying the sick
25 or injured;
26 5. Tow trucks licensed in a state that requires
27 such lights; furthermore, such lights shall not be
28 lighted on any such tow truck while the tow truck is
29 operating in the State of Illinois; and
30 6. Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management
31 Agency, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety.
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1 (b) The use of amber oscillating, rotating or flashing
2 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except
3 on:
4 1. Second division vehicles designed and used for
5 towing or hoisting vehicles; furthermore, such lights
6 shall not be lighted except as required in this paragraph
7 1; such lights shall be lighted when such vehicles are
8 actually being used at the scene of an accident or
9 disablement; if the towing vehicle is equipped with a
10 flat bed that supports all wheels of the vehicle being
11 transported, the lights shall not be lighted while the
12 vehicle is engaged in towing on a highway; if the towing
13 vehicle is not equipped with a flat bed that supports all
14 wheels of a vehicle being transported, the lights shall
15 be lighted while the towing vehicle is engaged in towing
16 on a highway during all times when the use of headlights
17 is required under Section 12-201 of this Code;
18 2. Motor vehicles or equipment of the State of
19 Illinois, local authorities and contractors; furthermore,
20 such lights shall not be lighted except while such
21 vehicles are engaged in maintenance or construction
22 operations within the limits of construction projects;
23 3. Vehicles or equipment used by engineering or
24 survey crews; furthermore, such lights shall not be
25 lighted except while such vehicles are actually engaged
26 in work on a highway;
27 4. Vehicles of public utilities, municipalities, or
28 other construction, maintenance or automotive service
29 vehicles except that such lights shall be lighted only as
30 a means for indicating the presence of a vehicular
31 traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching,
32 overtaking or passing while such vehicles are engaged in
33 maintenance, service or construction on a highway;
34 5. Oversized vehicle or load; however, such lights
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1 shall only be lighted when moving under permit issued by
2 the Department under Section 15-301 of this Code;
3 6. The front and rear of motorized equipment owned
4 and operated by the State of Illinois or any political
5 subdivision thereof, which is designed and used for
6 removal of snow and ice from highways;
7 7. Fleet safety vehicles registered in another
8 state, furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted
9 except as provided for in Section 12-212 of this Code;
10 8. Such other vehicles as may be authorized by
11 local authorities;
12 9. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
13 authorities when used in combination with red
14 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights;
15 10. Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail
16 for the United States Postal Service provided that such
17 lights shall not be lighted except when such vehicles are
18 actually being used for such purposes;
19 11. Any vehicle displaying a slow-moving vehicle
20 emblem as provided in Section 12-205.1;
21 12. All trucks equipped with self-compactors or
22 roll-off hoists and roll-on containers for garbage or
23 refuse hauling. Such lights shall not be lighted except
24 when such vehicles are actually being used for such
25 purposes;
26 13. Vehicles used by a security company, alarm
27 responder, or control agency, if the security company,
28 alarm responder, or control agency is bound by a contract
29 with a federal, State, or local government entity to use
30 the lights; and
31 14. Security vehicles of the Department of Human
32 Services; however, the lights shall not be lighted except
33 when being used for security related purposes under the
34 direction of the superintendent of the facility where the
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1 vehicle is located.
2 (c) The use of blue oscillating, rotating or flashing
3 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except
4 on:
5 1. Rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire
6 department and vehicles owned or fully operated by a:
7 voluntary firefighter;
8 paid firefighter;
9 part-paid firefighter;
10 call firefighter;
11 member of the board of trustees of a fire
12 protection district;
13 paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad; or
14 paid or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance
15 unit.
16 However, such lights are not to be lighted except
17 when responding to a bona fide emergency.
18 2. Police department vehicles in cities having a
19 population of 500,000 or more inhabitants.
20 3. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
21 authorities when used in combination with red
22 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
23 4. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
24 federal firefighting vehicles when used in combination
25 with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
26 5. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
27 as ambulances or rescue vehicles when used in combination
28 with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights;
29 furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except when
30 responding to an emergency call.
31 6. Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively
32 as organ transport vehicles when used in combination with
33 red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights;
34 furthermore, these lights shall only be lighted when the
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1 transportation is declared an emergency by a member of
2 the transplant team or a representative of the organ
3 procurement organization.
4 7. Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management
5 Agency and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety,
6 when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating,
7 or flashing lights.
8 (c-1) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or
9 flashing lights permitted under subsection (c), and
10 notwithstanding subsection (a), a vehicle operated by a
11 voluntary firefighter or a paid or unpaid member of a rescue
12 squad may be equipped with flashing white headlights and blue
13 grill lights, which may be used only in responding to an
14 emergency call.
15 (d) The use of a combination of amber and white
16 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted or
17 unlighted, is prohibited, except motor vehicles or equipment
18 of the State of Illinois, local authorities and contractors
19 may be so equipped; furthermore, such lights shall not be
20 lighted except while such vehicles are engaged in highway
21 maintenance or construction operations within the limits of
22 highway construction projects.
23 (e) All oscillating, rotating or flashing lights
24 referred to in this Section shall be of sufficient intensity,
25 when illuminated, to be visible at 500 feet in normal
26 sunlight.
27 (f) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a
28 manufacturer of oscillating, rotating or flashing lights or
29 his representative from temporarily mounting such lights on a
30 vehicle for demonstration purposes only.
31 (g) Any person violating the provisions of subsections
32 (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this Section who without lawful
33 authority stops or detains or attempts to stop or detain
34 another person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
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1 (h) Except as provided in subsection (g) above, any
2 person violating the provisions of subsections (a) or (c) of
3 this Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
4 (Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 92-138, eff. 7-24-01;
5 92-407, eff. 8-17-01; revised 9-12-01)