Excerpts from The Alabama Code 1975
[ From : http://www.legislature.state.al.us/ALISHome.html
]
Index :
Authorized emergency vehicles. Section 32-5A-7
Crossing fire hose. Section 32-5A-59
Driver not to proceed where traffic obstructed. Section 32-5A-61
Following emergency vehicle prohibited. Section 32-5A-58
Obedience to police officers and firemen. Section 32-5A-4
Obedience to traffic-control devices; devices presumed to comply with requirements.
Section 32-5A-31
Officers authorized to remove vehicles. Section 32-5A-139
Operation of vehicles on approach of authorized emergency vehicles; signals on emergency vehicles; duty of emergency vehicle driver. Section 32-5A-115
Pedestrians to yield to authorized emergency vehicles. Section 32-5A-219
Penalty for felony. Section 32-5A-9
Persons working on highways; exceptions. Section 32-5A-6
Putting glass, etc., on highway, road, street or public right-of-way prohibited; removal; throwing of litter onto highway, etc., prohibited; penalty.
Section 32-5A-60
Required obedience to traffic laws. Section 32-5A-3
Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places. Section 32-5A-137
Unattended motor vehicle. Section 32-5A-50
Violations as misdemeanor; penalties. Section 32-5A-8
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §1-102.)
Section 32-5A-4
Obedience to police officers and firemen.
No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer or fireman invested by law with authority to direct, control or regulate traffic.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §1-103.)
Section 32-5A-6
Persons working on highways; exceptions.
Unless specifically made applicable, the provisions of this chapter except sections 32-5A-190, 32-5A-191 and 32-5A-194 shall not apply to persons, teams, motor vehicles and other equipment while actually engaged in work upon the surface of a highway but shall apply to such persons and vehicles when traveling to or from such work.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §1-105.)
Section 32-5A-7
Authorized emergency vehicles.
(a) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth in this section, but subject to the conditions herein stated.
(b) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle may:
(1) Park or stand, irrespective of the provisions of this chapter;
(2) Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;
(3) Exceed the maximum speed limits so long as he does not endanger life or property;
(4) Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions.
(c) The exemptions herein granted to an authorized emergency vehicle shall apply only when such vehicle is making use of an audible signal meeting the requirements of section 32-5-213 and visual requirements of any laws of this state requiring visual signals on emergency vehicles.
(d) The foregoing provisions shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver from the consequences of his reckless disregard for the safety of others.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §1-106.)
Section 32-5A-8
Violations as misdemeanor; penalties.
(a) It is a misdemeanor for any person to violate any of the provisions of this chapter or of Title 32, unless such violation is by this chapter or other law of this state declared to be a felony.
(b) Every person convicted of a misdemeanor for a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter for which another penalty is not provided, shall for a first conviction thereof be punished by a fine of not more than $100.00 or by imprisonment for not more than 10 days; for conviction of a second offense committed within one year after the date of the first offense, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $200.00 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days or by both such fine and imprisonment; for conviction of a third or subsequent offense committed within one year after the date of the first offense, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 or by imprisonment for not more than three months or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §14-101.)
Section 32-5A-9
Penalty for felony.
Any person who is convicted of a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter herein or by the laws of this state declared to constitute a felony shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than 10 years, or by a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §14-102.)
Article 2 Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings
Section 32-5A-31
Obedience to traffic-control devices; devices presumed to comply with requirements.
(a) The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with law, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter.
(b) No provision of this chapter for which official traffic-control devices are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation an official device is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a particular section does not state that official traffic-control devices are required, such section shall be effective even though no devices are erected or in place.
(c) Whenever official traffic-control devices are placed in position approximately conforming to the requirements of this chapter or other law, such devices shall be presumed to have been so placed by the official act or direction of lawful authority, unless the contrary shall be established by competent evidence.
(d) Any official traffic-control device placed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or other law and purporting to conform to the lawful requirements pertaining to such devices shall be presumed to comply with the requirements of this chapter or other such law, unless the contrary shall be established by competent evidence.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §2-101.)
Article 3 Operation and Use of Vehicles Generally
Section 32-5A-50
Unattended motor vehicle.
No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key from the ignition, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §11-101.)
Section 32-5A-58
Following emergency vehicle prohibited.
The driver of any vehicle other than one on official business shall not follow any authorized emergency vehicle traveling in response to an emergency call closer than 500 feet or stop such vehicle within 500 feet of any authorized emergency vehicle stopped in answer to an emergency call.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §11-109.)
Section 32-5A-59
Crossing fire hose.
No vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when laid down on any street, private road or driveway to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department official or police officer in command.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §11-110.)
Section 32-5A-60
Putting glass, etc., on highway, road, street or public right-of-way prohibited; removal; throwing of litter onto highway, etc., prohibited; penalty.
(a) No person shall throw or deposit upon any highway, road or street or public right-of-way any glass bottle, glass, nails, tacks, wire, cans or any other substance likely to injure any person
(b) Any person who drops, or permits to be dropped or thrown, upon any highway any destructive or injurious material shall immediately remove the same or cause it to be removed.
(c) Any person removing a wrecked or damaged vehicle from a highway shall remove any glass or other injurious substance dropped upon the highway from such vehicle.
(d) No person shall throw litter or allow litter to be thrown from a motor vehicle onto or upon any highway, road or street or public right-of-way.
(e) The uniform traffic citation may be used for any violation of this section.
(f) "Litter" as used in this section is the same as defined in section 13A-7-29.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 32-5A-266, any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §11-111; Acts 1989, No. 89-661, §1.)
Section 32-5A-61
Driver not to proceed where traffic obstructed.
No driver shall enter an intersection or a marked crosswalk or drive onto any railroad grade crossing unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection, crosswalk or railroad grade crossing to accommodate the vehicle he is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles, pedestrians or railroad trains notwithstanding any traffic-control signal indication to proceed.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §11-112.)
Article 5 Right-of-way
Section 32-5A-115
Operation of vehicles on approach of authorized emergency vehicles; signals on emergency vehicles; duty of emergency vehicle driver.
(a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle equipped with at least one lighted lamp and audible signal as is required by law, the driver of every other vehicle shall yield...
(b) This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with regard for the safety of all persons using the highways.
(c) Authorized emergency vehicles shall be equipped with at least one lighted lamp exhibiting a colored light as hereinafter provided visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance driver of an emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway nor shall it protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequences of an arbitrary exercise of such right-of-way.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §4-106; Acts 1981, No. 81-803, p. 1412, §1.)
Section 32-5A-137
Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places.
(a) Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic-control device, no person shall:
(1) Stop, stand or park a vehicle:
a. On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;
b. On a sidewalk;
c. Within an intersection;
d. On a crosswalk;
e. Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless a different length is indicated by signs or markings;
f. Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic;
g. Upon any bridge or other elevated structure, upon a highway or within a highway tunnel;
h. On any railroad tracks;
i. At any place where official signs prohibit stopping.
(2) Stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger or passengers:
a. In front of a public or private driveway;
b. Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;
c. Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection;
d. Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign or traffic-control signal located at the side of a roadway;
e. Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of said entrance (when properly signposted);
f. At any place where official signs prohibit standing.
(3) Park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading merchandise or passengers:
a. Within 50 feet of the nearest rail or a railroad crossing;
b. At any place where official signs prohibit parking.
(b) No person shall move a vehicle not lawfully under his control into any such prohibited area or away from a curb such a distance as is unlawful.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §10-103.)
Section 32-5A-139
Officers authorized to remove vehicles.
(a) Whenever any police officer finds a vehicle standing upon a highway in violation of any of the provisions of section 32-5A-136 such officer is hereby authorized to move such vehicle, or require the driver or other person in charge of the vehicle to move the same, to a position off the paved or main-traveled part of such highway.
(b) Any police officer is hereby authorized to remove or cause to be removed to a place of safety any unattended vehicle illegally left standing upon any highway, bridge, causeway, or in any tunnel, in such position or under such circumstances as to obstruct the normal movement of traffic.
(c) Any police officer is hereby authorized to remove or cause to be removed to the nearest garage or other place of safety any vehicle found upon a highway when:
(1) Report has been made that such vehicle has been stolen or taken without the consent of its owner;
(2) The person or persons in charge of such vehicle are unable to provide for its custody or removal;
(3) When the person driving or in control of such vehicle is arrested for an alleged offense for which the officer is required by law to take the person arrested before a proper magistrate without unnecessary delay; or
(4) When a vehicle has been left unattended for 24 hours or more on or adjacent to any public highway and it is determined by the police officer that the vehicle constitutes a hazard to traffic upon the highway.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §10-102.)
Article 10 Pedestrians' Rights and Duties
Section 32-5A-219
Pedestrians to yield to authorized emergency vehicles.
(a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of an audible signal meeting the requirements of section 32-5-213 and visual signals meeting the requirements of law, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only, every pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to the authorized emergency vehicle.
(b) This section shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway nor from the duty to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian.
(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §5-110.)