State Statutes

What is the Move Over Law? Every state in the US has its own move over law. The move over law describes how vehicles must respond when they see an authorized emergency vehicle approaching from the back with flashing emergency lights or when they see it ahead of them. Most states have it that you … Read more

State Overview Before diving into the individual statutes, it’s important to define certain terms, like authorized emergency vehicle, emergency lights, and warning lights.  According to West Virginia emergency vehicle light statutes, section 17C-1-6, an authorized emergency vehicle is defined as a vehicle being used by or belonging to one of the following: Fire department Police … Read more

State Overview In order to explain the Virginia emergency vehicle light statutes, however, it’s important to review some definitions. Authorized emergency vehicles are defined in Section 46.2.920 as any vehicle operated for the purpose of law enforcement (by law enforcement personnel), fighting a fire, by emergency medical personnel, and a few other instances.  Emergency and … Read more

State Overview It’s important to first explain the difference between emergency and warning lights. Emergency lights are installed on an authorized emergency vehicle and are driven by authorized emergency personnel. Lights are used on the way to and from an emergency. Emergency lights are typically red or blue in color. Warning lights, on the other … Read more

State Overview Before delving into the various statutes, it’s important to define what an authorized emergency vehicle is, and what the difference is between emergency and warning lights.  According to section 41-6a-102 of the Utah emergency vehicle light statutes, an authorized emergency vehicle is considered any of the following: Fire department Police Ambulance Any vehicles … Read more

State Overview Before delving into the specifics of the South Dakota emergency vehicle light statutes, it’s important to define a few of the most commonly used terms. Let’s define what an authorized emergency vehicle is, and what the difference is between warning and emergency lights.  Warning lights are used to alert motorists of slow-moving vehicles, … Read more

State Overview Before delving into the various South Carolina emergency vehicle light statutes, it’s important to clarify and define a few terms like what an authorized emergency vehicle is, and what the difference is between an emergency and a warning light.  According to section 56.5.170 of the South Carolina emergency vehicle light statutes, an authorized … Read more

State Overview Before we discuss the Rhode Island emergency vehicle light statutes, it’s important to differentiate between the emergency and warning lights, as well as define what an authorized emergency vehicle is considered to be.  According to section 31-1-3.1 of the Rhode Island emergency vehicle statutes, an authorized emergency vehicle is defined as a vehicle … Read more

State Overview Emergency vehicles are defined in the Wisconsin traffic law and emergency vehicle light statutes in section 340.01 to include the following: ●      Police vehicles ●      Firefighter vehicles ●      Ambulance and EMT vehicles ●      Vehicles operated by local authorities And more.  Additionally, it’s important to explain the difference between emergency and warning lights. Emergency … Read more

State Overview Before delving into the specifics of the Tennessee emergency vehicle light statutes, it’s important to understand the difference between warning and emergency lights, as well as what an authorized emergency vehicle is. According to section 55-8-108 of the Tennessee emergency vehicle light statutes, an authorized emergency vehicle is defined as any vehicle used … Read more