Can I use flashing Amber, White, and blue lights on car in Texas?

[brandonmartin.tech]

I am starting a roadside assistance business and I cannot get a clear answer from anywhere about what lights I can and cannot use.

I am wanting to know if I am aloud to use white, Amber, and blue flashing lights on my vehicle while on the road doing service calls? I see other vehicles having them but I just want to get some clarification before I walk into something that I can’t get out of.

 

[NIACO]

Ask a police department in Texas as they should know the laws about the lights and what you can and cannot use.

 

[TDC]

Texas Transportation Code 547 is a good place to start ... but some of it goes back to Vernon's Civil Statutes based in the 1926 Federal Recommendations.

TXDOT and State Law allow working vehicles on the highway to have Amber and Blue lights. State Law allows Security vehicles to have Amber, White, or Green lights.

Many, many, Private worker vehicles display these lights, too, while moving in a construction area or stationary. It is common and understood ... you've seen them.

"Mounted" may be an issue with an Inspection, or maybe not. Either way it can not interfere with the normal lights that came on your car when it was built. Hella Hero may be a problem, if anyone actually notices, for example.

In other words, no Red; still valid; everything else, if actually warning of something and not trying to do some official action to which you are not entitled, is fine.

There are wreckers loaded with every LED in every color they could find, but no one expects to get stopped by a wrecker, and as long as we don't get run over it is just fine. Tollway folks use some crazy colors but they actually own the road, so whatever.

 

[JohnMarcson]

Ask a police department in Texas as they should know the laws about the lights and what you can and cannot use.

I have found the state police / highway patrol in most states seem to be more up to date on vehicle equipment, rules, regulations and laws, than the average police department. There's also the issue of what is actually allowed and what is commonly accepted. Many local police departments seem to quote what is commonly accepted, not what is technically allowed.

In Ohio we have quite a few non-emergency vehicles with red flashing lights to the rear. If you go to the letter of the law underneath the hazard flashers section, you could technically squeeze in red warning lights, but the caveat is they have to flash simultaneously. There are a decent number of construction and tow vehicles with rear hideaways that are red and alternate. Depending on who they are and what they're doing it's very unlikely they will be hassled about it. On the other hand, we had a problem with some local amateur radio enthusiasts and the letter of the law was absolutely enforced.

 

[ur20v]

On the other hand, we had a problem with some local amateur radio enthusiasts and the letter of the law was absolutely enforced.

It's because of these ARES/RACES or whatever other phony balogna alphabet-soup wannabes that I don't have amateur radio license plates with my calls... and because I'm not 65, either, I suppose. But mostly because of the hi-vis vest whacker squad.

 

[Jarred J.]

I am ARES/ AUXCOMM under 2 county EMAS and none of my vests say ARES on them... and in my state all HAM tags have "EMERGENCY" on them.. your mileage must vary

 

[Skulldigger]

Texas Transportation Code Section 547.305 - Restrictions on Use of Lights

Statutes Title 7, Vehicles and Traffic; Subtitle C, Rules of the Road; Chapter 547, Vehicle Equipment; Section 547.305, Restrictions on Use of Lights. Refreshed: 2021-06-07

texas.public.law

 

[JazzDad]

My POV was a legitimate emergency vehicle under the Texas code. I had red, blue, white and amber (for different scenarios). That said, I was nailed by a small town cop for having reflective material other than red on my car.

 

[cory y2.0]

Per TXDOT

 

[Dave F]

My POV was a legitimate emergency vehicle under the Texas code. I had red, blue, white and amber (for different scenarios). That said, I was nailed by a small town cop for having reflective material other than red on my car.

I’m sure the fact they were all of those colors all at the same time with every other color spectrum, I hear JDI dubs it


“white”


had nothing to do with it

 

[JohnMarcson]

From my trip to Texas years ago.... I still never figured out exactly what the vehicle randomly flashing blue on the highway was, but it certainly made me realize that Texas has its own rules for things including lights.