Message posted by gary on July 19, 2001 at 10:32:01 PST:
The relevant legal code follows. I left out the sections regarding amber flashing lights, i.e. this refers to flashing red lights. I believe the cammo dude red flashing lights are illegal and will ask the Lincoln County sherrif to remove them should the opportunity arrise. ;-) NRS 484.348 Stop required on signal of peace officer; penalties. NRS 484.787 Designation of authorized emergency vehicles; equipment; limitations on use of warning devices. NRS 484.789 Permit for authorized emergency vehicle issued to other vehicles; certain vehicles not considered emergency vehicles.
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1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the driver of a motor vehicle who willfully fails or refuses to bring his vehicle to a stop, or who otherwise flees or attempts to elude a peace officer in a readily identifiable vehicle of any police department or regulatory agency, when given a signal to bring his vehicle to a stop is guilty of a misdemeanor.
2. The signal by the peace officer described in subsection 1 must be by flashing red lamp and siren.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of NRS 484.377, if, while violating the provisions of subsection 1, the driver of the motor vehicle:
(a) Is the proximate cause of the death of or bodily harm to any person other than himself or damage to the property of a person other than himself; or
(b) Operates the motor vehicle in a manner which endangers or is likely to endanger any person other than himself or the property of any person other than himself,
the driver is guilty of a category B felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 6 years, or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both fine and imprisonment.
(Added to NRS by 1975, 320; A 1979, 1805; 1981, 533; 1983, 1014; 1985, 26; 1989, 1194; 1993, 524; 1995, 1297, 1725; 1997, 547)
NRS 484.493 Police officer to remove lights and sirens unlawfully installed or operated. A police officer shall remove and destroy, or cause to be removed and destroyed, all red, blue or amber lights and all sirens unlawfully installed or operated.
(Added to NRS by 1963, 1266; A 1985, 1041)
NRS 484.609 Unlawful to operate out-of-state or foreign privately owned motor vehicle equipped with red light or siren; exception; penalty.
1. It is unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be operated upon the public highways of the State of Nevada any out-of-state or foreign privately owned motor vehicle equipped with a red light or siren attached thereto as a part of the equipment of the vehicle.
2. This section is not intended to repeal, amend or in any manner change the existing law insofar as it applies to domestic and foreign motor vehicles except in the particular instance set out in subsection 1 and this section does not apply to motor vehicles registered in foreign states having reciprocal arrangements made with the department in relation to the use of red lights and sirens upon out-of-state motor vehicles.
3. A violation of the provisions of this section is punishable by a fine of not more than $250.
[1:118:1951] + [2:118:1951] + [3:118:1951]—(NRS A 1957, 615; 1967, 595; 1985, 1952)
1. Except as provided in NRS 484.789, authorized emergency vehicles are vehicles publicly owned and operated in the performance of the duty of:
(a) A police or fire department.
(b) A sheriff’s office.
(c) The Nevada highway patrol.
(d) The division of forestry of the department of conservation and natural resources in responding to a fire.
(e) A public ambulance agency.
(f) A public lifeguard or lifesaving agency.
2. A vehicle publicly maintained in whole or in part by the state, or by a city or county, and privately owned and operated by a regularly salaried member of a police department, sheriff’s office or traffic law enforcement department, is an authorized emergency vehicle if:
(a) The vehicle has a permit, pursuant to NRS 484.789, from the department;
(b) The person operates the vehicle in responding to emergency calls or fire alarms, or at the request of the Nevada highway patrol or in the pursuit of actual or suspected violators of the law; and
(c) The state, county or city does not furnish a publicly owned vehicle for the purposes stated in paragraph (b).
3. Every authorized emergency vehicle must be equipped with at least one flashing red warning lamp visible from the front and a siren for use as provided in this chapter, which lamp and siren must be in compliance with standards approved by the department. In addition, an authorized emergency vehicle may display revolving, flashing or steady red or blue warning lights to the front, sides or rear of the vehicle.
4. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a system or device that causes the upper-beam head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately while the system or device is activated. The driver of a vehicle that is so equipped may use the system or device when responding to an emergency call or fire alarm, while escorting a funeral procession, or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law. As used in this subsection, “upper-beam head lamp” means a head lamp or that part of a head lamp which projects a distribution of light or composite beam meeting the requirements of subsection 1 of NRS 484.587.
5. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle with any system or device that causes the head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately or simultaneously while the system or device is activated. This subsection does not prohibit the operation of a motorcycle equipped with any system or device that modulates the intensity of light produced by the head lamp of the motorcycle, if the system or device is used only during daylight hours and conforms to the requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 571.108.
6. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a red light visible from directly in front of the center of the vehicle except an authorized emergency vehicle, a school bus or an official vehicle of a regulatory agency.
7. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a blue light, except an authorized emergency vehicle.
(Added to NRS by 1969, 1505; A 1975, 320; 1979, 1814; 1985, 26, 341, 1956; 1989, 1132)
1. The department may issue permits for authorized emergency vehicles to vehicles required to be operated primarily for the immediate preservation of life or property or for the apprehension of violators of the law. The permits must not be issued to vehicles when there are available comparable services provided by agencies referred to in NRS 484.787.
2. The issuance of the permits to vehicles under this section must be limited to:
(a) Agencies designated in NRS 484.787;
(b) Vehicles owned or operated by an agency of the United States engaged primarily in law enforcement work;
(c) Ambulances designed and operated exclusively as such; and
(d) Supervisory vehicles which are:
(1) Marked and used to coordinate and direct the response of ambulances to emergencies;
(2) Privately owned by a person licensed to operate an ambulance; and
(3) Operated under contract with a local governmental agency and at the request of its law enforcement agency or fire department.
3. The following are not emergency vehicles and must not be permitted to operate as such:
(a) Tow cars;
(b) Vehicles used by public utilities;
(c) Vehicles used in merchant patrols;
(d) Vehicles used in private escort service;
(e) Privately owned vehicles of volunteer firemen;
(f) Privately owned vehicles of reserve members of a police department or a sheriff’s office; and
(g) Vehicles of private detectives.
(Added to NRS by 1969, 1505; A 1985, 1957; 1987, 912)
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