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92_HB0161eng
HB0161 Engrossed LRB9201494DHmg
1 AN ACT in relation to vehicles.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
5 changing Sections 12-215 and 12-601 as follows:
6 (625 ILCS 5/12-215) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-215)
7 Sec. 12-215. Oscillating, rotating or flashing lights on
8 motor vehicles. Except as otherwise provided in this Code:
9 (a) The use of red or white oscillating, rotating or
10 flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited
11 except on:
12 1. Law enforcement vehicles of State, Federal or
13 local authorities;
14 2. A vehicle operated by a police officer or county
15 coroner and designated or authorized by local
16 authorities, in writing, as a law enforcement vehicle;
17 however, such designation or authorization must be
18 carried in the vehicle;
19 3. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
20 federal firefighting vehicles;
21 4. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
22 as ambulances or rescue vehicles; furthermore, such
23 lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an
24 emergency call for and while actually conveying the sick
25 or injured; and
26 5. Tow trucks licensed in a state that requires
27 such lights; furthermore, such lights shall not be
28 lighted on any such tow truck while the tow truck is
29 operating in the State of Illinois.
30 (b) The use of amber oscillating, rotating or flashing
31 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except
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1 on:
2 1. Second division vehicles designed and used for
3 towing or hoisting vehicles; furthermore, such lights
4 shall not be lighted except as required in this paragraph
5 1; such lights shall be lighted when such vehicles are
6 actually being used at the scene of an accident or
7 disablement; if the towing vehicle is equipped with a
8 flat bed that supports all wheels of the vehicle being
9 transported, the lights shall not be lighted while the
10 vehicle is engaged in towing on a highway; if the towing
11 vehicle is not equipped with a flat bed that supports all
12 wheels of a vehicle being transported, the lights shall
13 be lighted while the towing vehicle is engaged in towing
14 on a highway during all times when the use of headlights
15 is required under Section 12-201 of this Code;
16 2. Motor vehicles or equipment of the State of
17 Illinois, local authorities and contractors; furthermore,
18 such lights shall not be lighted except while such
19 vehicles are engaged in maintenance or construction
20 operations within the limits of construction projects;
21 3. Vehicles or equipment used by engineering or
22 survey crews; furthermore, such lights shall not be
23 lighted except while such vehicles are actually engaged
24 in work on a highway;
25 4. Vehicles of public utilities, municipalities, or
26 other construction, maintenance or automotive service
27 vehicles except that such lights shall be lighted only as
28 a means for indicating the presence of a vehicular
29 traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching,
30 overtaking or passing while such vehicles are engaged in
31 maintenance, service or construction on a highway;
32 5. Oversized vehicle or load; however, such lights
33 shall only be lighted when moving under permit issued by
34 the Department under Section 15-301 of this Code;
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1 6. The front and rear of motorized equipment owned
2 and operated by the State of Illinois or any political
3 subdivision thereof, which is designed and used for
4 removal of snow and ice from highways;
5 7. Fleet safety vehicles registered in another
6 state, furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted
7 except as provided for in Section 12-212 of this Code;
8 8. Such other vehicles as may be authorized by
9 local authorities;
10 9. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
11 authorities when used in combination with red
12 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights;
13 10. Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail
14 for the United States Postal Service provided that such
15 lights shall not be lighted except when such vehicles are
16 actually being used for such purposes;
17 11. Any vehicle displaying a slow-moving vehicle
18 emblem as provided in Section 12-205.1;
19 12. All trucks equipped with self-compactors or
20 roll-off hoists and roll-on containers for garbage or
21 refuse hauling. Such lights shall not be lighted except
22 when such vehicles are actually being used for such
23 purposes;
24 13. Vehicles used by a security company, alarm
25 responder, or control agency, if the security company,
26 alarm responder, or control agency is bound by a contract
27 with a federal, State, or local government entity to use
28 the lights; and
29 14. Security vehicles of the Department of Human
30 Services; however, the lights shall not be lighted except
31 when being used for security related purposes under the
32 direction of the superintendent of the facility where the
33 vehicle is located.
34 (c) The use of blue oscillating, rotating or flashing
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1 lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except
2 on:
3 1. Rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire
4 department and vehicles owned or fully operated by a:
5 voluntary firefighter;
6 paid firefighter;
7 part-paid firefighter;
8 call firefighter;
9 member of the board of trustees of a fire
10 protection district;
11 paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad; or
12 paid or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance
13 unit.
14 However, such lights are not to be lighted except
15 when responding to a bona fide emergency.
16 2. Police department vehicles in cities having a
17 population of 500,000 or more inhabitants.
18 3. Law enforcement vehicles of State or local
19 authorities when used in combination with red
20 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
21 4. Vehicles of local fire departments and State or
22 federal firefighting vehicles when used in combination
23 with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
24 5. Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively
25 as ambulances or rescue vehicles when used in combination
26 with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights;
27 furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except when
28 responding to an emergency call.
29 6. Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively
30 as organ transport vehicles when used in combination with
31 red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights;
32 furthermore, these lights shall only be lighted when the
33 transportation is declared an emergency by a member of
34 the transplant team or a representative of the organ
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1 procurement organization.
2 (c-1) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or
3 flashing lights permitted under subsection (c), and
4 notwithstanding subsection (a), a vehicle operated by a
5 voluntary firefighter may be equipped with flashing white
6 headlights and blue grill lights, which may be used only in
7 responding to an emergency call.
8 (d) The use of a combination of amber and white
9 oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted or
10 unlighted, is prohibited, except motor vehicles or equipment
11 of the State of Illinois, local authorities and contractors
12 may be so equipped; furthermore, such lights shall not be
13 lighted except while such vehicles are engaged in highway
14 maintenance or construction operations within the limits of
15 highway construction projects.
16 (e) All oscillating, rotating or flashing lights
17 referred to in this Section shall be of sufficient intensity,
18 when illuminated, to be visible at 500 feet in normal
19 sunlight.
20 (f) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a
21 manufacturer of oscillating, rotating or flashing lights or
22 his representative from temporarily mounting such lights on a
23 vehicle for demonstration purposes only.
24 (g) Any person violating the provisions of subsections
25 (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this Section who without lawful
26 authority stops or detains or attempts to stop or detain
27 another person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
28 (h) Except as provided in subsection (g) above, any
29 person violating the provisions of subsections (a) or (c) of
30 this Section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
31 (Source: P.A. 90-330, eff. 8-8-97; 90-347, eff. 1-1-98;
32 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)
33 (625 ILCS 5/12-601) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-601)
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1 Sec. 12-601. Horns and warning devices.
2 (a) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway
3 shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and
4 capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions
5 from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but no horn or
6 other warning device shall emit an unreasonable loud or harsh
7 sound or a whistle. The driver of a motor vehicle shall when
8 reasonably necessary to insure safe operation give audible
9 warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn
10 when upon a highway.
11 (b) No vehicle shall be equipped with nor shall any
12 person use upon a vehicle any siren, whistle, or bell, except
13 as otherwise permitted in this Section. Any authorized
14 emergency vehicle or organ transport vehicle as defined in
15 Chapter 1 of this Act may be equipped with a siren, whistle,
16 or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal
17 conditions from a distance of not less than 500 feet, but
18 such siren, whistle or bell, shall not be used except when
19 such vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or
20 in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator
21 of the law in either of which events the driver of such
22 vehicle shall sound such siren, whistle or bell, when
23 necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the
24 approach thereof. A vehicle operated by a voluntary
25 firefighter may be equipped with a siren, which may be used
26 only in responding to an emergency call.
27 (c) Trackless trolley coaches, as defined by Section
28 1-206 of this Code, and replica trolleys, as defined by
29 Section 1-171.04 of this Code, may be equipped with a bell or
30 bells in lieu of a horn, and may, in addition to the
31 requirements of paragraph (a) of this Section, use a bell or
32 bells for the purpose of indicating arrival or departure at
33 designated stops during the hours of scheduled operation.
34 (Source: P.A. 89-345, eff. 1-1-96; 89-687, eff. 6-1-97;
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1 90-347, eff. 1-1-98; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)
2 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
3 becoming law.
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