N.J. Admin. Code § 13:20-50B.23

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 13:20-50B.23 - Lamps and signals

(a) Each lamp on the exterior of a school bus shall be marked with the SAE rating for its proper use and shall conform to FMVSS No. 108 (49 CFR 571.108), incorporated herein by reference.

1. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, for school buses with a June 1993 through December 2005 chassis manufacture date, each clearance, marker, or identification lamp shall be of the two-bulb design and shall automatically be activated, whenever the headlights or parking lamps are activated, in a steady burning state. For school buses with a January 2006 or later chassis manufacture date, every school bus shall be equipped with clearance, marker, and identification lamps as set forth in FMVSS No. 108 (49 CFR 571.108), incorporated herein by reference. Each clearance, marker, or identification lamp shall automatically be activated whenever the headlights or parking lamps are activated in a steadily burning state.

2. Every school bus shall be equipped with two parking lamps installed on the front of the school bus.

3. Every school bus shall be equipped with two white rear back-up lamps that are at least four inches in diameter or, if a shape other than round, a minimum of 13 square inches of illuminated area in accordance with FMVSS No. 108 (49 CFR § 571.108), incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. If the back-up lamps are placed on the same horizontal line as the stoplamps and turn signal lamps, they shall be positioned to the inside of the stoplamps and turn signal lamps. The back-up lamps shall be illuminated when the shift control lever for the transmission is placed in reverse gear. The back-up lamps or a landing area light shall be illuminated when the rear emergency door is unlatched. The back-up lamps or a landing area light on a Type D school bus that is equipped with a rear engine shall be illuminated when a rear emergency window is unlatched. The landing area light shall be illuminated when the side emergency door is unlatched.

4. Every Type B, C, and D school bus shall be equipped with an armored marker-type amber lamp on each side of the school bus body immediately behind the service door on the right side and symmetrically opposite on the left side of the school bus. Armored marker-type amber lamps shall be connected to the turn signals. Type A school buses may be equipped with armored marker-type amber lamps.

(b) Every school bus shall be equipped with interior lamps that adequately illuminate the aisle, stepwell, and any step outside the stepwell area leading to the aisle. The stepwell light and any light for any step outside the stepwell area leading to the aisle shall be activated by the service door operating switch and shall be illuminated only when the headlights and clearance lights are on or the service door is open. The source of the stepwell illumination shall be located within the stepwell. Each step outside the stepwell area leading to the aisle shall be equipped with an independent light.

(c) Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, for school buses with a June 1993 through December 2005 chassis manufacture date, body instrument panel lights shall be controlled by an independent switch or rheostat switch.

(d) A school bus may be equipped with a light to illuminate the area outside of the service door.

(e) Every school bus shall be equipped with a telltale light, plainly visible to the driver, to give a positive indication that the stoplights are operating.

(f) The requirements in this subsection also apply to dual purpose omnibuses under the jurisdiction of the Motor Vehicle Commission's Inspection Services Bus Unit, approved for school use, contracted by a local board of education for transportation to and from school. Alternately flashing signal warning lamps shall be provided as follows:

1. Every school bus shall be equipped with strobe, LED or incandescent signal warning lamps.

2. Red signal warning lamps are alternately flashing lamps mounted horizontally both front and rear, intended to identify a vehicle as a school bus and to inform other users of the highway that the school bus is stopped on the highway to take on or discharge school children.

i. Every school bus shall be equipped with two front and two rear red signal warning lamps located approximately six inches below the top of the school bus, as near to the sides as possible, and equidistant from the center.

ii. The red signal warning lamps shall be activated by an automatic switch on the service door opener. Opening the service door shall automatically cut off the amber signal warning lamps and activate the red signal warning lamps. Closing the service door shall automatically cut off the red signal warning lamps and recycle the signal warning lamp system for the next stop.

3. Amber signal warning lamps are alternately flashing lamps mounted horizontally both front and rear, intended to identify a vehicle as a school bus and to inform other users of the highway that the school bus is about to stop on the highway to take on or discharge school children.

i. In addition to the four red signal warning lamps described in (f)2 above, four amber signal warning lamps shall be installed with one amber signal warning lamp located near each red signal warning lamp, at the same level, but closer to the vertical centerline of the school bus.

ii. The amber signal warning lamps shall be activated, approximately 300 feet prior to each school bus stop, by either a foot switch located on the floorboard directly in front of the driver or by a hand switch that is easily accessible to the seat-belted driver.

4. The system of red and amber signal warning lamps shall be wired so that the amber signal warning lamps are energized manually, and the red signal warning lamps are automatically energized (with the amber signal warning lamps automatically deenergized) when the stop signal arm is extended and when the school bus service door is opened. An amber signal warning lamp cancel switch, easily accessible to the driver, shall be installed to allow the driver to cancel the amber signal warning lamps without using the master switch or opening the service door.

i. In addition to the above requirement, school buses manufactured in February 2012 or later and equipped with an automatic service door shall be equipped with an emergency manual override switch to permit the driver to activate the red signal warning lamps prior to opening the door.

5. All flashers for alternately flashing red and amber signal warning lamps shall be enclosed in the school bus body in a readily accessible location.

6. Each school bus shall be equipped with indicator lights that monitor the proper operation and illumination of the front and rear alternately flashing signal warning lamps. The indicator lights shall be mounted in full view of the driver. If the full circuit current passes through the indicator lights, each circuit shall be protected by a fuse or circuit breaker.

7. The area around the lens of each alternately flashing signal warning lamp and extending outward from the edge of the lamp approximately three inches shall be black in color. In those installations where there is no flat vertical portion of the school bus body immediately surrounding the entire lens of the lamp, a black circular or square band approximately three inches wide shall be installed immediately below and to both sides of the lens on the body or roof area against which the signal warning lamp is seen from a distance of 500 feet along the axis of the school bus.

8. Visors or hoods, black in color, with a minimum depth of four inches shall be provided.

9. If strobe alternately flashing signal warning lamps are utilized, the front and rear signal warning lamps shall be equipped with eight five-inch sealed beam electronic strobe lamps, four red and four amber, working in an automatic integrated system. The exterior surface of the lens shall be smooth and shall meet the color specifications set forth in SAE Standard J578 (June 1995), incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented.

i. The solid-state strobe power supply shall provide the electrical power to energize the sealed beam flash tubes. The power supply shall energize the lamps at a combined alternating flash rate of 120 to 128 flashes per minute. The power supply shall be fully enclosed in a metal container, with a minimum metal wall thickness of .060 inch, and shall be mounted within the front or rear bulkheads.

(g) The school bus body shall be equipped with two rear turn signal lamps that conform to FMVSS No. 108 (49 CFR 571.108), incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. Each rear turn signal lamp shall have a diameter of at least seven inches, or shall have an illuminated lens area of at least 38 square inches if the turn signal lamp is of a shape other than round. Turn signal lamps shall be connected to the chassis hazard warning switch to cause simultaneous flashing of the turn signal lamps when needed as a vehicular traffic hazard warning. Turn signal lamps shall be placed as wide apart as practical and their centerline shall be approximately eight inches below the rear window.

(h) Every school bus shall be equipped with four combination red stoplamps/taillamps as follows:

1. Two combination lamps shall be mounted on the rear of the school bus body just inside the turn signal lamps. Each combination lamp shall have a diameter of at least seven inches, or shall have an illuminated lens area of at least 38 square inches if the combination lamp is of a shape other than round.

2. Two combination lamps shall be mounted on the rear of the school bus body between the belt line and floor line. Each combination lamp shall have a diameter of at least four inches, or shall have an illuminated lens area of at least 12 square inches if the combination lamp is of a shape other than round. The rear license plate lamp may be combined with one lower taillamp. Stoplamps shall be activated by the service brakes and shall emit a steady light when illuminated.

3. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, for school buses with a June 1993 through December 2005 chassis manufacture date, Type A buses may conform to the chassis manufacturer's standard.

(i) A white flashing strobe light may be installed on the roof of a school bus at a location not to exceed one-third the body length forward from the rear of the roof edge, or on the roof of a school bus in the area directly over the restraining barrier on the driver's side. The light shall have a single clear lens emitting light 360 degrees around its vertical axis. The light shall not extend above the roof so as to place the school bus in violation of the maximum height standard set forth in N.J.S.A. 39:3-84. A manual switch and a pilot light shall be included to indicate to the driver when the light is in operation. The light shall be wired to activate with the amber alternately flashing signal warning lamps, continuing through the full loading or unloading cycle, and shall be equipped with an override switch to allow activation of the light at any time for use in inclement weather.

(j) Taillamps, stoplamps, marker lamps, clearance lamps, identification lamps, and turn signal lamps may be equipped with LED-type lamps. Such lighting devices shall be marked with a SAE rating for location and intended use and shall operate in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:20-50B.23

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 1821(a), effective 8/6/2018