H-3464.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 2291

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Fisher, Betrozoff and Zellinsky

Prefiled 1/10/92.  Read first time 01/13/92.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.Regulating the use of optical strobe light devices controlling traffic lights.

     AN ACT Relating to regulating the use of optical strobe light devices controlling traffic control lights; and amending RCW 46.37.190.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     Sec. 1.  RCW 46.37.190 and 1987 c 330 s 710 are each amended to read as follows:

     (1) Every authorized emergency vehicle shall, in addition to any other equipment and distinctive marking required by this chapter, be equipped with at least one lamp capable of displaying a red light visible from at least five hundred feet in normal sunlight and a siren capable of giving an audible signal.

     (2) Every school bus and private carrier bus shall, in addition to any other equipment and distinctive markings required by this chapter, be equipped with a "stop" signal upon a background not less than fourteen by eighteen inches displaying the word "stop" in letters of distinctly contrasting colors not less than eight inches high, and shall further be equipped with signal lamps mounted as high and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, which shall be capable of displaying to the front two alternately flashing red lights located at the same level and to the rear two alternately flashing red lights located at the same level and these lights shall have sufficient intensity to be visible at five hundred feet in normal sunlight.

     (3) Vehicles operated by public agencies whose law enforcement duties include the authority to stop and detain motor vehicles on the public highways of the state may be equipped with a siren and lights of a color and type designated by the state patrol for that purpose.  The state patrol may prohibit the use of these sirens and lights on vehicles other than the vehicles described in this subsection.

     (4) The lights described in this section shall not be mounted nor used on any vehicle other than a school bus, a private carrier bus, or an authorized emergency or law enforcement vehicle.  Optical strobe light devices shall not be installed or used on any vehicle other than an emergency vehicle authorized by the state patrol ((or)), a publicly((-))owned law enforcement or emergency vehicle, a department of transportation maintenance vehicle, or a public transit vehicle.

(a) An "optical strobe light device" used by emergency vehicles means a strobe light device which emits an optical signal at a specific frequency to a traffic control light enabling the emergency vehicle in which the strobe light device is used to obtain the right of way at intersections.

(b) An "optical strobe light device" used by department of transportation maintenance vehicles means a strobe light device which emits an optical signal at a specific frequency to a traffic control light enabling the department of transportation maintenance vehicle in which the strobe light device is used to perform maintenance tests.

(c) An "optical strobe light device" used by public transit vehicles means a strobe light device which emits an optical signal at a specific frequency to a traffic control light enabling the public transit vehicle in which the strobe light device is used to accelerate the cycle of the traffic control light.  For the purposes of this section, "public transit vehicle" means vehicles, owned by a governmental entity, with a seat capacity for twenty-five or more persons and used to provide mass transportation.  Public transit vehicles operating an optical strobe light will have second degree priority to emergency vehicles when simultaneously approaching the same traffic control light.

     (5) The use of the signal equipment described herein, except the optical strobe light devices used by public transit vehicles and department of transportation maintenance vehicles which are not used in conjunction with emergency equipment, shall impose upon drivers of other vehicles the obligation to yield right of way and stop as prescribed in RCW 46.61.210, 46.61.370, and 46.61.350.