I recently had an inquiry from a driver who had purchased a light bar for his Jeep. The light bar was comprised of both amber and white lights.

The white lights were designed for off-road use, and the amber lights consisted of three lights in the center of the light bar plus one amber light on either end, similar to what you might expect on a pickup or larger truck. The amber lights were designed to be illuminated whenever the truck was driven.

If his Jeep was 80 inches wide or greater, he would be required to have two amber clearance lamps, but the Jeep is only 73.8 inches wide.

According to the owner’s email to me, he had these amber lights on his Jeep for over six months with no problem until he was stopped by a New York state trooper and ticketed for having amber running lights. According to the driver, he contacted several people in law enforcement and, as he put it, wasn’t given a good answer as to why he was ticketed.

So here’s the scoop. There are two areas of law that apply. First is Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 376 (3), which states that “All lights, signals and reflectors shall be of a type and design approved by the commissioner” (of motor vehicles). If it is not specifically approved, it is illegal.

Second, also applicable is the “Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York” — more specifically 44.3, which deals with rules and regulations of amber lights, and 44.7, approval of equipment, which states that all equipment required by Section 376 of VTL shall be of a type approved by the commissioner. Section 376 is all about lamps, signaling devices and reflectors on vehicles.

The bottom line here is that purchasing an after-market light bar that is not specifically approved by the commissioner of motor vehicles may not be legal. This is punishable by a fine up to $150 plus applicable surcharge, and up to 15 days in jail for the first offense.

While on the subject of light bars, I would like to remind operators of pickup trucks with snowplows — and operators of other vehicles used in hazard-type operations including plowing parking lots and driveways or trash removal — the use of light bars that include revolving, rotating, oscillating or constantly moving white lights is also illegal. Flashing, blinking or rotating white lights are reserved for authorized emergency vehicles only, and only when engaged in emergency operations, or upon a fire vehicle while returning from an alarm of fire or other emergency.

And lastly, a reminder that for parking lot and driveway snowplowing operators, the flashing, rotating amber hazard lights are only allowed when engaged in plowing operation, not when driving from one location to another.