EMERGENCY VEHICLE: LIGHTS ON ROOF S.B. 46:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 46 (as introduced 1-18-17)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to delete a requirement that an emergency vehicle's flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights be mounted on the roof of the vehicle.
Under the Code, the use or possession of flashing, oscillating, or rotating lights of any color is prohibited except as otherwise provided by law, or under certain circumstances. Under one of those circumstances, an "authorized emergency vehicle" may be equipped with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights for use when responding to an emergency call if, when in use, the lights are mounted on the roof section of the vehicle, either as a permanent installation or by means of suction cups or magnets and are clearly visible in a 360-degree arc from a distance of 500 feet when in use. The bill would delete the requirement that the lights be mounted on the roof but would retain the visibility requirement.
A person who operates lights under this provision except when responding to an emergency call is guilty of a misdemeanor. (As a rule, a misdemeanor violation of the Code is punishable by a maximum fine of $100, imprisonment for up to 90 days, or both.)
(The Code defines "authorized emergency vehicle" as vehicles of a fire department, police vehicles, ambulances, privately owned motor vehicles of volunteer or paid firefighters, or volunteer members of an emergency rescue unit if authorized by the chief of an organized fire department, a county sheriff, or the Director of the Department of State Police, or privately owned motor vehicles of volunteer or paid members of a life support agency licensed by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs if authorized by the life support agency. For purposes of the provision the bill would amend, "authorized emergency vehicle" also means, during an emergency, a vehicle owned and operated by a federally recognized nonprofit charitable organization that is used exclusively for assistance during that emergency.)
The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment.
MCL 257.698 Legislative Analyst: Drew Krogulecki
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State and would have an indeterminate, though minimal, fiscal impact on local government. Removing the requirement that lights be mounted on the roof of an emergency vehicle theoretically would reduce the number of violations. It is unknown whether those violations would occur in the absence of the bill. A decrease in
misdemeanor arrests and prosecutions could reduce resource demands on law enforcement, court systems, and jails. Any decreased fine revenue would reduce revenue dedicated to public libraries.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.