PERMANENT RULES
Purpose: The current WAC is outdated, and the update is necessary in order to stay current with the changing technology of school bus warning lamp systems.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending chapter 204-74A WAC.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 46.37.290, 46.37.005.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 04-21-021 on October 13, 2004.
A final cost-benefit analysis is available by contacting Christine Fox, P.O. Box 42614, Olympia, WA 98504-2614, phone (360) 753-3697, fax (360) 586-8233, e-mail Christine.Fox@wsp.wa.gov.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: December 21, 2004.
Lowell Porter
Chief
OTS-7510.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 90-18-047, filed 8/30/90,
effective 9/30/90)
WAC 204-74A-040
Eight lamp warning system.
(1) The
warning system shall consist of a total of eight lamps, two
amber and two red on both the front and the rear of the bus. The lamps shall conform to SAE Standard J887a, J1318 or that
standard in effect for such lamps at the time of the
manufacture of such lamps.
(2) The warning lamps shall be mounted as high as
practicable on the bus body and as near the outside edges of
the body as curvature permits. ((Metal)) Shielding shall be
provided to protect the lamps from the elements, and the
background upon which the lamps are mounted shall be painted
black. Such background shall extend a minimum of three inches
outward from the lamps.
(3) The amber lamps shall be mounted inboard of the red lamps. All lamps shall be mounted and aimed as specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 and SAE Standard J887a, and shall be clearly visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet in normal sunlight.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 46.37.290 and 46.37.005. 90-18-047, § 204-74A-040, filed 8/30/90, effective 9/30/90.]
(2) Lamp controls shall consist of:
(a) The master or sequencing switch which shall be in plain view and mounted within easy reach of the driver, and which shall activate the system sequencing and deactivate the system at any time during the sequence.
(b) An override switch which shall automatically activate the red lamps whenever the stop signal arm is extended even though the master control switch is turned off, and which shall automatically deactivate the amber lamps if previously activated regardless of the then present normal state of sequencing or entrance door position. Such override switch shall be designed and installed so as to function with air, vacuum, electric, or manually operated stop signal arms. The stop signal arm shall be capable of being extended at any time, regardless of the position of the entrance door. The opening of the entrance door shall not cause extension of the stop signal arm, or the activation of the red lamps unless the master switch has been activated.
(c) A minimum of two pilot lamps, one amber and one red,
each of which shall flash when the like colored warning lamps
are in operation. Pilot lamps which show the operation of
each individual lamp are permissible. All pilot ((lamps))
indicators shall be located so as to be clearly visible to the
driver.
(3) The warning lamp system shall be operated in accordance with the regulations set forth in chapter 392-145 WAC.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 46.37.005. 94-01-179, § 204-74A-050, filed 12/22/93, effective 1/22/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 46.37.290 and 46.37.005. 90-18-047, § 204-74A-050, filed 8/30/90, effective 9/30/90.]
(2) A clear lens strobe lamp, less than eight inches in height, may be mounted on the centerline of the roof in the rear one-half of the bus. At no time shall the lamp be mounted any closer than six feet from the rear of the bus measured from a vertical plane tangent to the rearmost point of the bus body. If the bus is equipped with a roof hatch falling within the above mentioned measurements, the strobe lamp may be located directly behind the roof hatch.
(3) The hazard strobe lamp will be activated by a switch independent of all other lamp switches. The hazard strobe lamp switch shall be plainly labeled and have a pilot lamp that shall indicate when the lamp is in operation.
(4) The use of a hazard strobe lamp is permitted only when the bus is occupied with school children and one or more of the following conditions exist:
(a) The bus is in motion in inclement, sight obscuring conditions, including but not limited to rain, fog, snow, and smoke;
(b) There is a need to improve the visibility of the bus when stopping, standing, or starting onto a highway;
(c) There is limited visibility caused by geographic hazards such as winding roadways, hills, trees, buildings, etc.
The strobe lamp shall not be activated solely because of darkness.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 46.37.290. 92-09-050, § 204-74A-060, filed 4/13/92, effective 5/14/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 46.37.290 and 46.37.005. 90-18-047, § 204-74A-060, filed 8/30/90, effective 9/30/90.]