Changes to Existing Law

32-17-42. A motor vehicle may be equipped with blue lights if it is: (1) Authorized by the Department of Transportation; (2) A tow truck or wrecker as defined in § 32-17-10; or (3) Operated by: (a) A member of a fire department or search and rescue unit; or (b) An ambulance operator certified in accordance with chapter 36-4B. 36-4B who meets the requirements of section of this Act. This provision does not relieve the driver of the vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the street, nor does it protect the driver from the consequence of a reckless disregard for the safety of others. No person may use a blue light unless the person is authorized by this chapter and is operating a Department of Transportation vehicle or a county highway vehicle in performance of winter highway maintenance duties, or the person is actually en route to the scene of a fire or other emergency requiring the person's services and the person has been authorized in writing to use a blue light. Authorization for use of a blue light in accordance with this chapter may be given by the Department of Transportation, the highway patrol, a county highway superintendent, the chief of a fire department, the coordinator of a search and rescue unit, or the director of an ambulance service, and only to members of the department or service who are in good standing. The use of a blue light in violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. 23

32-31-4. The speed limits set forth in §§ 32-25-1.1 to 32-25-17, inclusive, do not apply to any authorized emergency vehicle responding to an emergency call if the driver sounds an audible siren or air horn, or both, or displays flashing, oscillating, or rotating beams of red light, or combinations of red, blue, or white light, visible one hundred eighty degrees to the front of the vehicle. The lights must be capable of warning the public of the presence of an emergency vehicle under normal atmospheric conditions. The speed limits set forth in §§ 32-25-1.1 to 32-25-17, inclusive, do not apply to authorized emergency vehicles operated by law enforcement officers who are measuring the speed of other vehicles by use of the emergency vehicle speedometer. An ambulance operator certified pursuant to chapter 36-4B who meets the requirements of section of this Act may operate an ambulance in excess of the speed limit without audible signals while operating outside the city limits of a municipality. Source: SDC 1939, § 44.0308; SL 1941, ch 187, § 3; SL 1955, ch 168; SL 1959, ch 251, § 1; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.0303; SL 1963, ch 254; SL 1975, ch 210, § 1; SL 1981, ch 248; SL 1988, ch 266; SL 1993, ch 234, § 2; SL 1994, ch 265; SL 2007, ch 186, § 2; SL 2024, ch 126, § 1; SL 2025, ch 128, § 2. 12

Minimum personnel required on ambulance run. 34-11-12. Each ambulance run must include: (1) One emergency medical technician or one advanced life support personnel, licensed pursuant to chapter 36-4B; and (2) One ambulance operator certified in accordance with chapter 36-4B. 36-4B who meets the requirements of section of this Act. 18