New law bans colored headlights on vehicles

JACKSON, Tenn. — A new law is in effect that bans colored headlights such as red, blue, green and yellow on the front of vehicles. Jackson Police Major Thom Corley said there are few exceptions.

“Law enforcement, firefighter vehicles, some emergency vehicles, those type of vehicles that have amber or green or blue or red type lights, those are exempted,” Major Corley said.

The department realizes the headlights are a popular item and do not want to penalize drivers right away.

“We’re going to give a 60-day kind of a grace and education period where our officers are still going to stop folks that have those type of colors or lights on their vehicles, but we’re only going to issue warning citations for the first 60 days,” Major Corley said.

After March 1, they’ll issue a $50 dollar fine, unless the headlights are only white or amber lights. Major Corley believes the roads will be safer for first responders and the public.

“Someone behind you has blue lights on their vehicle, the natural tendency for that driver is that there is a law enforcement officer behind them, so we don’t want to give them that perception that you’re a law enforcement officer or an emergency vehicle when that’s not the case,” Major Corley said.

According to a legal bulletin released by the Jackson Police Department:

“No vehicle shall be operated with steady burning lights that display to the front of the vehicle in any color other than white or amber or in a combination of colors other than white or amber except for the following vehicles: 

1.) a motor vehicle operated by an emergency equipment company may display steady burning red, white, blue or amber lights or any combination of those colors, provided that emergency equipment company vehicles shall not display or illuminate the lights authorized while the vehicle is on a public road, whether in motion or stationary. 

2.) a school bus, rural mail carrier, firefighting vehicles, rescue vehicle, ambulance, privately owned vehicles of regular or volunteer firefighters may display steady burning red lights; and 

3.) Authorized law enforcement vehicles may display steady burning red, white and blue lights in combination.”