Purple warning lights as described in § 46.2-1025 C of the Code of Virginia must be warranted, marked, or otherwise certified by the manufacturer, seller, or installer as being in compliance with the applicable SAE color specification standards.

The purpose of this standard is to establish specifications for warning lights used by vehicles escorting funeral processions and define the chromaticity boundaries for the color purple.

Purple warning lights as described in this chapter must (i) meet all criteria as set forth for single color optical warning devices in SAE Recommended Practice J845 for Class 2 warning lamps with a minimum flash of that specified for the color red; (ii) meet all criteria as set forth for single color gaseous discharge warning lamps in SAE Recommended Practice J1318 for Class 2 warning lamps with a minimum flash of that specified for the color red; or (iii) meet all criteria of SAE Recommended Practice J595 with a minimum candela-luminous intensity of that specified for the color red.

The fundamental requirements of color are expressed as chromaticity coordinates according to the CIE (1931) standard colorimetric system. The purple color of light emitted from this device shall fall within the following boundaries:

x =.25 (blue boundary)

x =.33 (red boundary)

y =.18 (white boundary).

An application for approval of a specific manufacturer's model of warning light shall be directed to the Safety Officer, Department of State Police, 491 Southlake Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23236. Such requests must include a sample of the device, a laboratory report prepared by a test facility independent of the device's manufacturer that certifies the device has been tested and found to meet the requirements of this chapter, and a fee of $150.

Upon review of the application for approval and laboratory results, the applicant will be notified in writing of the department's findings.

Devices found to meet the requirements of this chapter will be added to the Approved Equipment List and distributed to official inspection stations.

The device shall be prominently and permanently marked with the manufacturer's name or trademark and model designation. Such markings must be visible for inspection without dismantling the device when properly installed.

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J595, January 1990.

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J845, March 1992.

Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1318, May 1998.