Bill Text: VA HB1627 | 2017 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Interior lights; certain vehicles used on highway to ensure lights are in good working order.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-07 - Left in Transportation [HB1627 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-HB1627-Prefiled.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §46.2-1020 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 46.2-1014.01 as follows:
§46.2-1014.01. Interior lights.
Any motor vehicle, autocycle, road roller, road machinery, or tractor may be equipped with one or more interior lights. The operator of a motor vehicle, autocycle, road roller, road machinery, or tractor equipped with one or more interior lights and used on a highway shall ensure that such lights are in good working order.
No such interior light shall exceed 15 candlepower, with the exception of (i) alternating, blinking, or flashing colored emergency lights mounted inside law-enforcement motor vehicles that may otherwise legally be equipped with such colored emergency lights or (ii) flashing or steady-burning red or red and white warning lights authorized pursuant § 46.2-1024.
Between sunset and sunrise, any operator of a motor vehicle, autocycle, road roller, road machinery, or tractor equipped with one or more interior lights who brings such vehicle to a stop after having received a visible or audible signal from any law-enforcement officer to bring such vehicle to a stop shall, immediately upon stopping, illuminate the interior lights.
§46.2-1020. Other permissible lights.
Any motor vehicle may be equipped with fog lights, not more
than two of which can be illuminated at any time, one or two auxiliary driving
lights if so equipped by the manufacturer, two daytime running lights, two side
lights of not more than six candlepower, an interior light
or lights of not more than 15 candlepower each,
and signal lights.
The provision of this
section limiting interior lights to no more than 15 candlepower shall not apply
to (i) alternating, blinking, or flashing colored emergency lights mounted
inside law-enforcement motor vehicles which may otherwise legally be equipped
with such colored emergency lights, or (ii) flashing shielded red or red and
white lights, authorized under §46.2-1024, mounted inside vehicles owned or
used by (a) members of volunteer fire companies or volunteer emergency medical
services agencies, (b) professional firefighters, or (c) police chaplains. A
vehicle equipped with lighting devices as authorized in this section shall be
operated by a police chaplain only if he has successfully completed a course of
training in the safe operation of a motor vehicle under emergency conditions
and a certificate attesting to such successful completion, signed by the course
instructor, is carried at all times in the vehicle when operated by the police
chaplain to whom the certificate applies.
Unless such lighting device is both covered and unlit, no
motor vehicle which that
is equipped with any lighting device (i) other
than lights required or permitted in this article, (ii)
required or approved by the Superintendent, or (iii) required by the federal
Department of Transportation shall be operated on any highway in the
Commonwealth. Nothing in this section shall permit any vehicle, not otherwise
authorized, to be equipped with colored emergency lights, whether blinking or
steady-burning.
2. That the Department of State Police shall amend 19VAC30-70 of the Virginia Administrative Code so that a motor vehicle safety inspection shall include an inspection of interior lights to ensure that such lights are in good working order pursuant to §46.2-1014.01 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act.
