§ 47-12-401 — Horns and warning devices.

A. Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than two hundred (200) feet, but no horn or other warning device shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound. The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation, give audible warning with a horn but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway. No driver of any vehicle shall use a horn when passing a person riding a bicycle, equine or animal- drawn vehicle under normal conditions if no imminent danger of a collision exists. B. No vehicle shall be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a vehicle any siren, except as otherwise permitted in subsection D of this section. C. Any vehicle may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal. A theft alarm signal device shall not use a siren, as described in subsection D of this section. D. Every authorized emergency vehicle shall, in addition to any other equipment and distinctive markings required by this title, be equipped with a siren, or similar device, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred (500) feet and of a type approved by the Department of Public Safety, but such siren shall not be used except when such vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which said latter events the driver of such vehicle shall sound said siren when reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the approach thereof. E. It shall be unlawful for any person to use a device capable of producing auditory warning signals similar to that on an authorized emergency vehicle or to use audible signal equipment from a motor vehicle for the purpose of causing any other motor vehicle operator to yield right-of-way and stop, or which actually causes any other motor vehicle operator to yield the right-of-way and stop, whether intended or not. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the operators of authorized emergency vehicles.

Legislative History

Added by Laws 1961, p. 407, § 12-401. Amended by Laws 2003, c. 411, § 50, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2021, c. 449, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.