Our Chase Vehicle
NRCW TV™ is equipped with 6x 4 Watt Amber LED hide-away strobe lighting on our multi-purpose vehicle. After talking to many other storm spotters, researching local, state and federal laws, talking to local police and regional law enforcement, here is our formal disclaimer.
Ohio Law
Ohio Revised CodeIn Ohio you can not run green, blue, red or purple (yes, they make domes/inserts that color). Amber may be used ONLY while on private property or stopped on a roadway. [1]
Source: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4513.17
Full Source: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4513
A Personal Story from a Storm Spotter
I remember seveal years ago i was parked on the side of the road doing some stormspotting and a state trooper came up to me and he thought I was broke down. About the time he got close to my vehicle he saw my skywarn magnetic sign on my door. He said I thought you were broke down until I saw your Sywarn sticker. He said you need to put some kind of light on your vehicle so people can see you and know you are not broken down. So I knew that day it was ok to put a light on your vehicle but it would be also good to have skywarn stickers or signs on your vehicle so police will know what the light or lights are for. Just a situation that happened to me and might shed light on what you can get away with.
Summary
Regarding the written law, lighting is okay for situations when you are parked. Going down the road using the lights should not be tolerated for or by anyone for any reason other than those permitted by the Ohio Revised Code. Never run red or blue lights. In the state of Ohio, spotters should ALWAYS obey all laws pertaining to the road (unlike select states in the heart of Tornado Alley). Strobe and emergency lighting has been proven to attract attention and cause many accidents.
A proper reccomendation is to never run any form of flashing or strobe lighting if you are a storm chaser for your own safety as you could be help liable for any consequences incurred from a potential situation you created by doing so. Again NRCW TV™ is not a lawyer and we do not represent any legal entity in the state of Ohio. It is up to any individual that is certified as a NWS storm spotter to make their own educated decisions and know exactly what their local laws are. If in doubt, don’t run lights at all!
