The rules for flashing lights on non-emergency vehicles

Ponder the red-backed poison frog. In nature, red can issue a warning to predators — stay away, the aposematic message reads.

On the road, red can be a warning of its own, often flashing on emergency vehicles to warn drivers to slow down, be cautious, or get out of the way. Even brake lights warn too-close drivers to keep their distance.

But like in nature, when non-toxic animals may mimic flashy colors or markings to keep themselves safe, one reader says he’s seeing more non-emergency vehicles bearing red and blue flashing lights.

“The combination of red/ blue flashing lights on vehicles used to be reserved solely for emergency vehicles (police/ fire/rescue) and was strictly not allowed for other types of vehicles,” Paul J. writes. “Now all city vehicles, contractor vehicles have red/blue flashing lights. This is confusing because from a distance you used to able to tell if something ahead was an accident or a crime scene because of the red/ blue lights.”

In 2017, the New Mexico Legislature adopted a bill restricting the use of red flashing lights. Per the legislation, flashing lights — of any color — are generally prohibited, except for parked or disabled vehicles and turn signals as well as those on emergency vehicles, school buses, snow-removing equipment and highway markers.

But the bill also allows for recovery or repair vehicles towing damaged vehicles to display flashing lights in any color, except red.

That could include blue lights, which have a wide variety of uses, a report from the Justice Technology Information Center states. Some states only use blue lighting for emergency vehicles, it reads, and in others, personal vehicles used by volunteer firefighters and EMS workers use blue lights. It’s most common to see blue and red lights together for emergency vehicles, according to the report.

As for red flashing lights in New Mexico, the 2017 law only allows police, fire, ambulances and school buses to display flashing red lights. But there’s a catch. That only applies to flashing lights visible from the front of the vehicle. A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Transportation confirmed that red flashing lights are not allowed on the front of any other vehicles.

Any other vehicles allowed to display flashing lights, which could include parked construction vehicles, can use any other color besides red on the front of their vehicle.

DON’T BE SHADY: It’s spring now. That means more daylight and more heat.

As the summer sun begins to laser, drivers might be tempted to tint their windows to keep their cars from cooking.

Since I was perusing the state’s motor vehicle statutes, here’s how to do that legally.

Tinting on front windshields should only go down as far as the manufacturer’s AS1 line or five inches from the top of the glass, whichever is shorter.

That tint can’t be reflective or a red, yellow or amber hue.

Side windows can also be tinted, but they need to let in at least 20% of the light and not be reflective.

If you get a window tinting, make sure the installer includes a label including the percentage of light transmission.