Anyone know which state first codified amber-only lights for private security vehicles, and when? I work nights on a hospital campus and our rigs run amber by policy, which I prefer — it sets expectations, keeps contacts calm, and we call local PD if a situation looks like it could escalate.
run amber by policy, which I prefer — it sets expectations, keeps contacts — same here on night hospital patrols; it keeps folks calm and avoids the cop-lookalike problem. Earliest amber-only I can pin down is California Vehicle Code §25279 for security patrol vehicles (’70s era; ugh the history is scattered): California Code, VEH 25279 — some states later allowed green/white accents, so what state are you in?
Short answer from my side: I’m seeing the same pattern — one concrete thing that helped was writing down the exact handoff and timebox it to 15–20 min. Does that match what you’re running into?
Pretty sure California was first to lock in amber-only for private security — CVC 25253/25258 were tightened in the mid-’70s off CHP guidance, with some city policies predating it. For your night hospital runs, spec SAE J845 Class 2 amber in the post orders and keep a copy of the statute in the glovebox in case a stop gets chatty. @white73 got a clean year/chapter cite?
Leaning CA too, but if you want the first codified cite, pull the Statutes of California 1975–77 and the Table of Sections Affected for CVC 25253/25258 — there’s usually an AG or CHP memo that spells out “amber only” for private patrol. Your “we call local PD” approach is exactly why amber works on a medical campus, but caveat: some counties let special police run red/blue under separate authority. @white73 got me thinking — what state are you in so we can check session laws or municipal code first?
I’d start with the Uniform Vehicle Code updates circa 1968–71 on warning lamp colors and then scan session laws to see who adopted first; NJ and MN are good early candidates to check before CA, based on how they mirrored model traffic rules. If you want, @OP, I can pull the UVC language and run a quick session-law search tonight — small caveat: some cities locked amber by ordinance earlier, so “first” might be municipal before statewide.