BILL NUMBER: AB 254INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Jeffries FEBRUARY 11, 2009 An act to amend Section 21055 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 254, as introduced, Jeffries. Emergency vehicles: payment of tolls. Under existing law, it is unlawful to refuse to pay, or to evade or attempt to evade the payment of, tolls or other charges on any vehicular crossing, as defined, or toll highway. Under existing law, the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined, is exempt from specified rules of the road under certain circumstances, including when the vehicle is being driven in response to an emergency call or while engaged in rescue operations, as specified. This bill would exempt those emergency vehicles from the payment of a toll or charge on a vehicular crossing or toll highway in those circumstances. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 21055 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 21055. The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle is exempt from Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 21350), Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 21650), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 21800), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 21950), Chapter 6 (commencing with 22100), Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 22348), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 22450), Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 22500),andChapter 10 (commencing with Section 22650) , and Article 3 (commencing with Section 23300) of Chapter 13 of this division, and Article 3 (commencing with Section 38305) and Article 4 (commencing with Section 38312) of Chapter 5 of Division 16.5, under all of the following conditions: (a) If the vehicle is being driven in response to an emergency call or while engaged in rescue operations or is being used in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or is responding to, but not returning from, a fire alarm, except that fire department vehicles are exempt whether directly responding to an emergency call or operated from one place to another as rendered desirable or necessary by reason of an emergency call and operated to the scene of the emergency or operated from one fire station to another or to some other location by reason of the emergency call. (b) If the driver of the vehicle sounds a siren as may be reasonably necessary and the vehicle displays a lighted red lamp visible from the front as a warning to other drivers and pedestrians. A siren shall not be sounded by an authorized emergency vehicle except when required under this section.