# NH Lighting laws for plowtrucks?



## turbo38sfi

Any fellow Ma or Nh residents know the laws regarding plow lighting. I'm thinking of going with a set of strobe lights but not sure if you have to have an orange flasher on the roof or not when plowing?

I'm looking at a set of clear Whelen strobes in the front directionals and rear taillights. 

Thanks in advance.
Joe


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## REAPER

Use amber/yellow. Most states forbid clear in the front.

There is a thread in the commercial section about this very same thing. 
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=39561
There is a website posted there to give you the laws to most states.

Clear in the front also make it very distracting when plowing.


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## turbo38sfi

REAPER said:


> Use amber/yellow. Most states forbid clear in the front.
> 
> There is a thread in the commercial section about this very same thing.
> http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=39561
> There is a website posted there to give you the laws to most states.
> 
> Clear in the front also make it very distracting when plowing.


Thanks for the reply. I wasn't too clear I guess. What I meant was buying clear strobes but mounting them in the front amber directional lenses and in the red rear tail light lenses. In effect having amber flashers in the front and reds in the rear.

I will check out that site.


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## DeereFarmer

turbo38sfi said:


> What I meant was buying clear strobes but mounting them in the front amber directional lenses and in the red rear tail light lenses. In effect having amber flashers in the front and reds in the rear.


That should be fine. As long as you use them correctly and don't try to get people to pull over for you, no one will hassle you over them.


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## mcwlandscaping

i run clears in clear lenses up front, in a storm, i don't care, i just want people to see me. The police around here really don't care though as long as you are using them for the reason that they should be used for


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## Detroitdan

I'm a NH police officer. NH law only states you are "allowed" to use amber lights (no other colors) and only when "actively engaged in snowplowing". Now that begs the question, does actively engaged mean just when plowing a driveway or lot, or does it mean anytime during the snow event while going to and from jobs? I think it makes the most sense if you interpret it to mean use them while actually dropping the plow and working, backing out to the street or whatever, that could be considered hazardous. I see no need to run them down the road between driveways, but if you do no one will bother you. I think the law should require them, but like I said, it only "allows" them. The only people who do require them is the insurance companies, they specify an amber flashing or rotating light visible from 360 degrees. As far as the hideaway strobes, clears would violate the statute that allows amber for snowplowing. Red, even to the rear, violates the emergency vehicle statute which specifies red for fire/rescue vehicles and volunteers. Plenty of people run red strobe taillights and get away with it, but technically it is illegal. Personally I'd rather see red strobe taillights than nothing at all. It aggravates the heck out of me that people plow with no beacons at all. As long as you aren't using blue most cops won't bother you anyway. I'll let you in on a little secret: when it snows the roads get slippery and all the nitwits in their all wheel drive SUVs go off the road. So that keeps the cops pretty busy, doesn't leave much time for harassing plow truck drivers.


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## ThisIsMe

Detroitdan said:


> I'll let you in on a little secret: when it snows the roads get slippery and all the nitwits in their all wheel drive SUVs go off the road.


Dan,
During any good storm heading up 93, I like to place bets when I see an SUV goes flying by heading North. Tow truck drivers North of Concord on 93 must love the SUV craze.

Chris


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## Detroitdan

Yeah, I drove wreckers for years, and oddly enough the vehicles that are supposed to be best for winter driving are the ones upside down in the ditch most often. I loved listening to people squawk about how the roads are so bad even their 4wd couldn't stay on the road. Funny that most towtrucks are 2wd and we managed to get to where they were without crashing. Most police cruisers are rear wheel drive v8s and you don't often see them wreck in the snow, and if you do it's probably because they were going fast responding to an accident. And how about the tv commercials that all the manufacturers make that show their fabulous 4wds blasting through the snow in an extremely reckless and irresponsible manner.


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## ThisIsMe

Detroitdan said:


> Yeah, I drove wreckers for years, and oddly enough the vehicles that are supposed to be best for winter driving are the ones upside down in the ditch most often. I loved listening to people squawk about how the roads are so bad even their 4wd couldn't stay on the road. Funny that most towtrucks are 2wd and we managed to get to where they were without crashing. Most police cruisers are rear wheel drive v8s and you don't often see them wreck in the snow, and if you do it's probably because they were going fast responding to an accident. And how about the tv commercials that all the manufacturers make that show their fabulous 4wds blasting through the snow in an extremely reckless and irresponsible manner.


Yep. I think a lot of people learned about 4X4 SUVs on 93. Great to get you going, but do no good at 50mph on black ice.

I drive a true 4x4 SUV, and still see morons doing 60-70 on black ice up on the way to skiing, while I am doing 20. I laugh at how long they have to wait for a two truck as I see them in a ditch later on (those exits are few and far between North of Concord). Not going to stop for stupidity. Life-guard of the gene pool there.

Chris


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## Detroitdan

LOL! I love that lifeguard of the gene pool line. I can't wait to use that at work tomorrow.


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## mcwlandscaping

Detroitdan, thank you very much for your clarification on the rules of NH!!! i really appreciate it.... :waving:

not that i'm going to go out and change my lights, but just really be consious (sp) of when i am using them


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## turbo38sfi

Thanks to all that responded and Detroitdan. I think the big thing is if you're using them for safety and not abusing it as in using them on the highway to be a dope, you'll be fine.


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## brodustoadus8

I agree so much with this post. I am a call fire fighter and we are in very Northern NH at some of the last exits of 93 in NH before Vt. We run so many calls a year to accidents that end up being nothing more then someone with a 40k SUV on its side because they figured 4wd would handle it. They couldn't be more wrong...


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## Embalmer

saw someone in a jeep cherokee spin out on a off ramp on 93 the other day when it was raining out. prior to that he flew by me doing atleast 70. Course driving a heavily loaded ford 250 van for work, i just putted by laughing that she wrecked her toy. Was talking to a cambrodge cop here in MA about the whole light thing last year. he told me technically anyone with them is supposed to have a permit, but is also one of those things that if you arnt using them to play cops and robbers or have blue lights at all or red facing front, no one will bother you.


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## ThisIsMe

Embalmer said:


> saw someone in a jeep cherokee spin out on a off ramp on 93 the other day when it was raining out. prior to that he flew by me doing atleast 70. Course driving a heavily loaded ford 250 van for work, i just putted by laughing that she wrecked her toy. Was talking to a cambrodge cop here in MA about the whole light thing last year. he told me technically anyone with them is supposed to have a permit, but is also one of those things that if you arnt using them to play cops and robbers or have blue lights at all or red facing front, no one will bother you.


LOL The great country of Cambridge and their permits. Is that not the same city you need a permit to change your own flat tire on the side of the road?


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## WetChicken

Ahh, flatland SUV drivers in snow. They are as stupid as Lexus drivers when the roads are dry.

I am mounting my light at the back of my Yukon, but if I had a pickup or mounted the light near the front, I will have some type of corner strobes/flashers at the rear for backing into the roadways.


Jason


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## IHC-2674

266:78-a Definitions. –
I. In this section:
(a) "Emergency light'' means a steady burning, oscillating, rotating, or flashing red or blue colored light.
(b) "Warning light'' means a steady burning, oscillating, rotating, or flashing amber light or arrow board or white colored light.
II. Original equipment or aftermarket amber or white directional signals and red tail lamps and stop lamps used to signal turns and as hazard warning lamps shall be excluded from the definition of emergency lights and warning lights.


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## IHC-2674

RSA 266:78-b Blue Lights Restricted to Law Enforcement. –
I. No person other than a sworn law enforcement officer with power of arrest shall operate a vehicle equipped with blue colored lights, except in the case of a service technician driving the vehicle in connection with servicing or maintaining the vehicle.
II. Blue lights are authorized for vehicles owned or leased by state, county, municipal, or federal law enforcement agencies, fire marshal vehicles, and vehicles privately owned or leased by sworn law enforcement officers when authorized by their department heads. When blue colored lights are installed on a private vehicle owned by or leased to a law enforcement officer, such lights shall be covered when the vehicle is being driven by someone other than a law enforcement officer. 
RSA 266:78-c Red Lights Restricted to Police, Fire, and Rescue Vehicles.
I. Emergency response vehicles owned or leased by municipal, village district, or federal fire departments and forestry departments.
II. Vehicles privately owned or leased by full-time or volunteer firefighters employed by municipal, village district, or federal fire departments and forestry departments or forest fire wardens and deputy wardens when authorized by their department heads.
III. Licensed public or private ambulances and emergency medical response and rescue vehicles, and members of licensed ambulance and emergency medical response and rescue crews when authorized by their employers.
IV. Federal or state emergency management response vehicles, airport authority emergency response vehicles, and government vehicles used in response to reports of emergencies resulting from actual or potential releases, spills, or leaks of or other exposure to hazardous substances.
V. Hospital emergency personnel with a permit from the commissioner of safety issued under rules adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the qualifications and conditions of such a permit and grounds for revoking it.
VI. Red lights as part of, but not in place of, the emergency warning systems of police vehicles.


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## IHC-2674

RSA 266:78-h Amber Warning Lights Authorized for Certain Vehicles. – No person other than those authorized in this section or in RSA 266:78-c shall operate a vehicle equipped with amber colored warning lights. Amber warning lights are authorized for the following vehicles:
I. Vehicles owned by or leased to state, county, or municipal public works departments and used to maintain the highways including, but not limited to, pickup trucks, snow plows, graders, loaders, sand trucks, sweepers, and tar trucks.
II. Vehicles used by telephone, electrical, and cable utilities and tree services for maintenance of utility, sewer, and water lines.
III. United States Postal Service delivery vehicles.
IV. Wreckers and emergency highway service vehicles.
V. Vehicles escorting oversize loads.
VI. Privately owned vehicles used for snow removal on or adjacent to ways.
VII. Refuse collection vehicles and compacters.
VIII. Vehicles owned by or leased to contractors and construction companies and regularly used to provide warning of road obstructions or hazards at road or utility construction sites.
IX. Such other vehicles as may be authorized by the director.

RSA 266:78-i Use of Amber Lights. – Vehicles authorized to use amber colored warning lights authorized by RSA 266:78-h may only illuminate the warning lights when their duties require them to be stopped or parked on or immediately adjacent to a way at a road, water, or sewer line construction or maintenance site in a manner that may impede or cause a hazard to traffic, when actively engaged in the delivery of United States mail, or when actively engaged in snow removal or ice treatment or when entering or leaving a way during plowing operations, or during repair or placement of official traffic control devices, pavement marking, or escorting an oversize load or slow moving vehicle, or in the case of wreckers and emergency road service vehicles when maneuvering through congested traffic to reach a disabled vehicle, providing roadside service, loading or unloading a vehicle, or when transporting a disabled vehicle.

RSA 266:78-j Wing Lights on Snowplows. – Snowplows may use amber or white wing lights to illuminate the wings of the snowplow when the plow is in operation. A white or amber light mounted on or adjacent to a salt or sand spreader may be used when the spreader is in operation.


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## IHC-2674

RSA 265:6-a Highway Construction and Maintenance. –
I. The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to any authorized vehicle or pedestrian actually engaged in work upon the highway within any construction or maintenance area indicated by official traffic control devices.
II. The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to any authorized vehicle obviously and actually engaged in work upon a highway whenever such vehicle displays emergency lights or amber warning lights as authorized under RSA 266:78-a through RSA 266:78-q and shall give wide berth, without endangering oncoming traffic, to highway workers and stationary or moving vehicles owned by or contracted to state or local highway maintenance departments displaying amber warning lights. 

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