TITLE 19. PUBLIC SAFETY

DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE

Final Regulation

Title of Regulation: 19VAC30-165. Regulations Relating to Standards and Specifications for Purple Warning Lights Used by Vehicles Leading or Escorting Funeral Processions (adding 19VAC30-165-15; repealing 19VAC30-165-20 through 19VAC30-165-60).

Statutory Authority: §§ 46.2-1005 and 46.2-1025 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: August 14, 2024.

Agency Contact: Lieutenant Thomas Lambert, Director, Office of Legal Affairs, Department of State Police, Virginia State Police Headquarters, 7700 Midlothian Turnpike, Suite 1200, Chesterfield, VA 232358, telephone (804) 674-6722, FAX (804) 968-0322, or email tom.lambert@vsp.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendments (i) remove requirements that funeral directors determine the chromaticity boundaries for the color of purple warning lights used by vehicles leading or escorting funeral processions and (ii) add a requirement that purple warning lights be warranted, marked, or otherwise certified by the manufacturer, seller, or installer as being in compliance with the applicable Society of Automotive Engineers color specification standards.

19VAC30-165-15. Requirements.

Purple warning lights as described in § 46.2-1025 C of the Code of Virginia must be warranted, marked, or otherwise certified by the manufacturer, seller, or installer as being in compliance with the applicable SAE color specification standards.

19VAC30-165-20. Purpose. (Repealed.)

The purpose of this standard is to establish specifications for warning lights used by vehicles escorting funeral processions and define the chromaticity boundaries for the color purple.

19VAC30-165-30. Performance requirements. (Repealed.)

Purple warning lights as described in this chapter must (i) meet all criteria as set forth for single color optical warning devices in SAE Recommended Practice J845 for Class 2 warning lamps with a minimum flash of that specified for the color red; (ii) meet all criteria as set forth for single color gaseous discharge warning lamps in SAE Recommended Practice J1318 for Class 2 warning lamps with a minimum flash of that specified for the color red; or (iii) meet all criteria of SAE Recommended Practice J595 with a minimum candela-luminous intensity of that specified for the color red.

19VAC30-165-40. Color definition (purple). (Repealed.)

The fundamental requirements of color are expressed as chromaticity coordinates according to the CIE (1931) standard colorimetric system. The purple color of light emitted from this device shall fall within the following boundaries:

x =.25 (blue boundary)

x =.33 (red boundary)

y =.18 (white boundary).

19VAC30-165-50. Approval process. (Repealed.)

An application for approval of a specific manufacturer's model of warning light shall be directed to the Safety Officer, Department of State Police, 491 Southlake Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23236. Such requests must include a sample of the device, a laboratory report prepared by a test facility independent of the device's manufacturer that certifies the device has been tested and found to meet the requirements of this chapter, and a fee of $150.

Upon review of the application for approval and laboratory results, the applicant will be notified in writing of the department's findings.

Devices found to meet the requirements of this chapter will be added to the Approved Equipment List and distributed to official inspection stations.

19VAC30-165-60. Proof of compliance. (Repealed.)

The device shall be prominently and permanently marked with the manufacturer's name or trademark and model designation. Such markings must be visible for inspection without dismantling the device when properly installed.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (19VAC30-165)

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J595, January 1990.

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J845, March 1992.

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1318, May 1998.