Unsafe backing? Idaho

Did you happen to have them on at the time?

 

To be clear, this is not an absolute. The first problem the OP has is they were not actively assisting a vehicle and there was NO emergency because at the time the OP was just turning around. There was no active call for a tow made by the Cops. Sometime after reading ridgelines post, I asked someone I know about that very point who operates a wrecker service. This guy said using these lights in non-emergency situations would NEVER absolve a tow driver from legal liability. I then took a minute to briefly convey the case as presented here to this guy. He laughed a bit and said if the cop gave the driver a ticket for improper backing the cop had decided there were no protections afforded by that state-mandated light. He did say though that a court could say otherwise and it might be worth it to at least try! He also added one more thing I found interesting, what gives about the ticket? He has a good working relationship with all the cop agencies here. Most would never ticket him or his driver out of professional courtesy! He asked what gives with that? Did the driver smart off to the cop?

 

That Idaho law she posted says nothing about an emergency situation. In fact it if I'm reading correctly it says any motor vehicle at all with the amber lights going must be yielded to by other approaching vehicles. I'd be fighting the living hell out of this one I dont think she did anything wrong whatsoever

 

You really need to go re-read that law. It most certainly says that was the case. This begins with paragraph (3).

 

Yep, and THAT is why this guy I spoke too suggested you at least tell your side to a Judge. The cop might have been in the wrong to have cited you. See that is why I said that light on covering your actions was not an absolute, if it had been then the cops citation is void and can be tossed in court. It may still be.

 

My mistake I misspoke, what I meant by emergency was she wasn't actively towing a vehicle from the road. Clearly she was a road hazard and she just told us she had her amber strobe lights on PLUS hazards. Someone explain where she went wrong here because I'm not seeing it