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H. 4405

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Duckworth
Document Path: l:\council\bills\gt\5357cm18.docx

Introduced in the House on January 9, 2018
Currently residing in the House Committee on Education and Public Works

Summary: Authorized emergency vehicles and signals

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   11/9/2017  House   Prefiled
   11/9/2017  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
    1/9/2018  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 98)
    1/9/2018  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works 
                        (House Journal-page 98)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

11/9/2017

TO AMEND SECTIONS 56-5-2360 AND 56-5-4700, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE OPERATION OF A VEHICLE APPROACHING AN AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE AND AUDIBLE SIGNAL DEVICES AND SIGNAL LAMPS THAT MUST BE ATTACHED TO AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES, SCHOOL BUSES, AND POLICE VEHICLES, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE OPERATION OF A VEHICLE APPROACHING A PHYSICIAN RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY CALL WHILE DRIVING A PRIVATE PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE DISPLAYING AN OSCILLATING, ROTATING, OR FLASHING GREEN LIGHT.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 56-5-2360 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-5-2360.    (a)(A)    Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of an audible signal meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4970 and visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4700, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal or visual signal, or a physician responding to an emergency call while driving a private passenger motor vehicle properly and lawfully making use of a visual signal meeting the requirements of Section 56-5-4700(C)(2), the driver of every other vehicle traveling along a two-lane roadway shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible, to the right hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection and shall stop and remain in that position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police officer. A driver of a vehicle traveling along a multilane roadway shall yield the right-of-way and shall remain in, or move to a location that allows the emergency vehicle, or police vehicle, or physician to pass safely, except as otherwise directed by a police officer.

(b)(B)    This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, or a physician responding to an emergency call from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway."

SECTION    2.    Section 56-5-4700(C) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(C)(1)        All police vehicles when used as authorized emergency vehicles must be equipped with oscillating, rotating, or flashing blue lights. In addition to the blue lights, the police vehicle may, but need not be equipped with alternately flashing red lights as herein specified, and may, but need not be equipped with oscillating, rotating, or flashing red lights, white lights, or both, in combination with the required blue lights. The authorized emergency police vehicle lights described herein must be visible for a distance of five hundred feet in all directions in normal sunlight. It shall be is unlawful for any person to possess or display on any vehicle any blue light that is visible from outside the vehicle except one used primarily for law enforcement purposes.

(2)    Notwithstanding another provision of law, a private passenger motor vehicle operated by a physician when used to respond to an emergency call must be equipped with an oscillating, rotating, or flashing green light mounted on the vehicle's front dashboard. The authorized emergency physician vehicle light must be visible for a distance of five hundred feet in normal sunlight. It is unlawful for a person to possess or display on a vehicle a green light that is visible from outside the vehicle except one used primarily by a physician responding to an emergency call."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

This web page was last updated on January 10, 2018 at 11:18 AM