If you see a blue light on the roadways, it is likely telling you a cop is about
Q. Hello Honk. I’ve seen it all, but today I noticed the oddest thing. I was traveling in town and a construction crew was working in the street. A skip-loader had flashing red-and-blue lights up front. It was just scooting away dirt. It was not an emergency. Is it legal for such vehicles to have police-type lights while working in a construction zone?
– Mario Luna, Anaheim
A. Nope.
In California, a blue-and-red-light combo is reserved for official emergency vehicles, said Shane Spielman, a motorcycle officer for the city of Anaheim. Even fire trucks and engines typically don’t carry blues around here.
Amber lights would be appropriate on such construction vehicles to warn you they are moving about.
Police vehicles do have the blue lights – so when you see blue off in the horizon, you are likely approaching an officer’s motorcycle, black-and-white or, on occasion, undercover vehicle.
Now, Officer Spielman said in his travels outside of the Golden State, he has seen vehicles other than those for police and firefighters deploy blues.
Q. Hi Honk: There seems to be a number of cars crashing into buildings or parked cars lately. Are the drivers immediately issued citations for reckless driving or faulty equipment?
– Warren James, Corona del Mar
A. For such mistakes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t generally cite the motorist right after the crash.
“We do not issue (such) citations at the scene,” said Sgt. Brian Sims of the sheriff’s Traffic Bureau.
The deputies will typically collect all sorts of evidence from the scene and then go back to their headquarters and figure out what should be done as far as any legal action.
When “pedal confusion” occurs – say the driver mistook the accelerator for the brake – then the Sheriff’s Department will typically opt to have the Department of Motor Vehicles examine whether the motorist is fit for the roads. Sheriff’s deputies want to ensure, more than issuing a ticket, that the public is safe.
Sims did point out that other police agencies may take a different approach.
Now, if a drunk runs into something, or the driver was trying to hurt someone – yes, the cuffs are coming out.
Honkin’ fact: A sheriff’s deputy in the Moorpark area recently noticed a hand-painted, fake license plate on a tractor-trailer and pulled it over. Instead of “California” at the top of the 1960s-style plate, it read “Califas.” The driver’s troubles had just begun: He was suspected of being under the influence of narcotics, the cop saw what appeared to be a small amount of meth out in the open – and the driver had an outstanding warrant for hit and run. (Source: USA Today).
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