According to Texas Transportation Code Section 545.157, all traffic must yield to police cars by changing lanes or slowing down to 20 miles per hour if the speed limit is 25 or more, or 5 miles per hour if the speed limit is 20 or less. In order to allow safe passage, traffic must move completely away from the road or motorway if necessary when approaching police cars or an authorized emergency vehicle with warning lights on. For more information about the lights that may be available to you, we recommend calling your State Highway Patrol office: 512-506-2847 Texas Transportation Code Sec. 547.305 requires construction vehicles to be illuminated during use. It is not immediately clear what colour the emergency lights should be, but in general, they cannot be blue or red so that motorists can distinguish them from emergency vehicles. It is common for a construction vehicle to have yellow or white lights that flash or turn, so motorists are aware of the potential safety risk on the road or highway. Pursuant to Texas Transportation Code Section 547.305(d)(4), tow trucks may alternately display flashing lights when pulling disabled vehicles along a highway or other road, or when a highway patrol soldier, police officer, Texas Ranger, sheriff`s deputy, or other law enforcement officer asks them to remove a vehicle involved in an accident. Texas Transportation Section Code 541.201(1)(A) places fire department vehicles within the definition of “authorized emergency vehicles.” This law allows Texas fire trucks and ambulances to use red lights. Like police, these first responder vehicles should have two red lights at the front of their platforms and two red lights at the rear of the vehicles. Texas state laws regarding the use of LED lights for a licensed emergency vehicle can be a bit difficult to understand. Some industries should contact their local communities to ensure they comply with local ordinances to avoid potentially costly fines. Texas laws also explicitly allow light lights on motorcycles, but only non-flashing white and yellow lights are allowed.

On cars, Texas also allows fender lights and running lights. Section 623.099 of the Texas Transportation Code governs the lighting of escort vehicles. These cars or trucks accompanied prefabricated houses ranging in width from 16 feet to 18 feet. This section requires escort vehicles only for prefabricated houses of this width. Construction vehicles can display yellow lights to warn drivers and protect them in active work areas. In addition, road maintenance and construction vehicles, as well as service vehicles (roadside assistance vehicles, garbage trucks, public utility vehicles, escort vehicles) must display yellow lights in the performance of their duties. However, you can also display flashing blue lights under many circumstances. TRC 547.105 directs the Texas Department of Transportation to establish lighting standards for road maintenance vehicles and service vehicles. TXDOT`s lighting standards for these vehicles allow for flashing blue lights in many circumstances.

These lighting standards can be found here. These vehicles must not flash red or white lights. Organizations that employ these officers and other “peace officers” as defined in Section 2.12 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure may have emergency lights on their cars. HOUSTON – Question: Are flashing red and blue lights only for law enforcement officers? A volunteer firefighter may, but is not required, have four alternating flashing red warning lights. Two of these fires should be mounted at the same height at the front of the volunteer fire trucks, while the other two are mounted at the same height at the rear. They must be visible at 500 feet under normal atmospheric conditions and in sunlight in accordance with Texas Transportation Code Section 547-702. These luminaires can be permanently mounted or placed temporarily. Section 547.702 of the Texas Transportation Code states that a police vehicle may or may not have four alternate flashing red warning lights. Two of these warning lamps shall be placed at the same height at the front and two warning lamps at the rear at the same height. These lights must be visible under normal atmospheric conditions and in sunlight at 500 feet altitude.

Tow trucks may flash red and blue lights at the request of a law enforcement officer, but they may also flash red and blue lights when connected to a broken down vehicle or otherwise stopped during an incident, even in the absence of law enforcement (TRC 547.305(d)(4), 547.305(e-4), 547.105).