"An Act relating to traffic preemption devices."

Senate bill 255 was introduced to reserve the use of Traffic Preemption Devices (TPDs) for legitimate emergency response providers. TPDs allow vehicles approaching a traffic signal to override the normal signal control and change the light from red to green. This enables emergency vehicles to proceed more rapidly to the situation they are responding to. Unfortunately, without a change in state law, these devices are available for purchase and use by the general public and indiscriminate use could lead to accidents.

This bill is intended to keep these accidents from occurring, by assuring that only certified personnel use TPDs. This is accomplished by making it illegal to own a TPD unless you are a selected emergency response provider. In addition, authorized individuals would only be able to use the device in an official capacity, as defined by this bill. The bill also guarantees that mechanics and other authorized repair personnel are allowed to posses and use TPDs, when installing or repairing them in an official capacity.

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