Disclaimer
This article was written by a contributing author, and is not meant to be taken as legal advice, nor is it intended to replace the state statutes. Do your due diligence, cross-check the statutes linked, and communicate with your local municipalities, registrar, or commissioner to ensure that you remain compliant and avoid costly fees.
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State Overview
Before delving into the various Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, it’s essential to go over some basic definitions. We will cover what counts as an authorized emergency vehicle, and what the difference is between emergency and warning lights.
According to section 121.1 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, an authorized emergency vehicle is identified as a vehicle driven or used by the fire, police, or sheriff department, an ambulance, or any vehicle used for responding to emergency situations and calls. These vehicles are most often allowed the use of emergency lights, which indicates to other motorists that the authorized emergency vehicle operates under different traffic laws than the average individual. Emergency lights are typically red, blue, or white. Most often they are only permitted to be used on the way to or from an emergency. Certain lights are used by certain emergency personnel. For example, most Pennsylvania state police are allowed the use of blue lighting.
Warning lights, on the other hand, are used by commercial vehicles as many of their drivers work very closely to the highway and are therefore at risk of being injured on the job. They typically are used to warn other drivers to slow down and proceed with caution and typically are amber lights.
Law Enforcement Statutes
Police and Sheriff Vehicles
Police, marshall, and sheriff vehicles are each considered an authorized emergency vehicle. According to the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, police, marshall, and sheriff vehicles are permitted the use of red and blue emergency lights, but are also allowed the use of white, amber, and/or yellow warning lights. These are flashing lights. This is in accordance with section 173.3 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes.
This section also clarifies exactly what the chromaticity has to be – the specifics can be found in the SAE standard J578D. The amber lights are also allowed to be in the form of a light bar. When using white lights, only one flashing light may be used, with the exception of a light bar containing 3 flashing lights. Flashing white lights are only allowed to be used in conjunction with flashing red and/or blue lights.
There are also rules and regulations in regards to what directions the lights may display to. For example, according to Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes the lightbars are only allowed to flash towards the front, and when standing aren’t allowed to do so to the rear. Non-flashing steady lights are only allowed to be used in conjunction with the flashing lights.
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Fire and EMT
Fire Truck & Fire Chief SUVs
A fire truck and/or fire chief SUV is considered an authorized emergency vehicle. According to section 4571 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, a fire truck and fire chief SUV are permitted the use of one or more red emergency lights. These must be turned on when responding to an emergency call and when on site.
Volunteer Fire Fighter Vehicles
A volunteer firefighter vehicle is considered an authorized emergency vehicle. In section 4572 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, volunteer firefighter vehicles are given permission the use of one or more blue flashing or revolving light. These lights should only be used in emergency situations, specifically on the way to and during an emergency, when driven by volunteer firefighters.
Ambulance & EMT Vehicles
Ambulance and EMT vehicles are each considered an authorized emergency vehicle. As such, they are allowed the use of one or more blue flashing or revolving light. These lights are only permitted to be used while driving to an emergency, and while at an emergency site. Outside of these times, the emergency lights may not be used. This is in accordance with section 4572 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes.
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Commercial and Amber Statutes
Security Vehicles
There is no mention of security vehicles in the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes. Please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to learn more about commercial vehicle lighting or contact our team here to learn more.
Wreckers and Tow Trucks
The lighting for a tow truck falls under the same section as an authorized emergency vehicle. In section 4572, it is described that a tow truck is permitted the use of flashing or revolving yellow or amber light.
Tractors
Tractors are considerably slow-moving vehicles. They usually are allowed to use warning lights, however the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes don’t mention details in this regard. It’s best to check with the Department of Transportation to see what the laws are regarding tractors and lighting.
Utility Vehicles
Utility vehicles are mentioned very minimally in the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes. In section 4309 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes it is mentioned that they are required the use of lighted head lamps. More information isn’t given in reference to what lighting is permitted. Since utility workers work so closely to the road, employees are prone to being injured during work hours. This is why most states permit warning lighting. In order to ensure that the same applies to Pennsylvania, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Pilot and Escort Vehicles
Pilot and escort vehicles typically accompany slow-moving vehicles with over-sized loads, as these drive differently and take wider turns. The Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes don’t go into detail about the accepted usage of lighting by pilot and escort vehicles. Typically, they are allowed to use warning lights, and to confirm this, it is critical to contact the Department of Transportation.
Construction Vehicles
With the high risk of construction worker injury on roadsides, many states allow for them to use a variety of warning lights to help signal to others that they should drive slower. However, there isn’t much information on construction vehicle lighting in the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes. As such, it’s best to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in order to find out what the correct usage of emergency or warning lights is. Doing so can save several lives and is your responsibility as an employer, as well as commercial business.
Funeral Procession
Cars participating in a funeral procession are usually given exemptions when it comes to abiding by traffic laws. Since this is often the case, many states require those vehicles to use warning lights to alert motorists of their presence on the road. Pennsylvania does allow for example vehicles in a funeral procession to go past a red light when the lead vehicle has already driven across the intersection. According to section 3107 of the Pennsylvania emergency vehicle light statutes, vehicles in a funeral procession must use lighted headlamps and emergency flashers.
