Hon. Homer Garrison, Jr., Director 

Department of Publi,c Safety 

Austin, Texas Opinion No. V-1337 

Re: Interpretation of the statute 

requiring motor vehicles to 

be equipped with turn indiDear Sir: eating lamps or devices. 

Your request for an opinion quotes Section 69 of Article 6701d, V.C.S., dealing with directional signals on vehicles, as 

amended by Senate Bill 183, Acts 52nd Leg., R.S. 1951, ch. 149, 

p.253, as follows: 

“Section 69. Signals by hand and arm or signal d,evice. Any stop or turn signal when required herein shall 

be given e ither by means of the hand and arm or by a 

signal lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device of a 

type approved by the d,epartment. However, when the 

body of a vehicle or the body and load of any vehicle or 

in a combination of vehicles projects twenty four (24”) 

inches or more to the left of the center of the steering 

wheel, or under ‘any condition when a hand and arm signal would not be visible both to the front and, rear of 

such vehicle or vehicles, then such vehicle or vehicles 

must be equipped with, and said signals must be given 

by such turn indicating lamps or devices.” 

Your question is: 

‘If the flat truck bed of a truck projects twentyfour inches or more to the left of the center of the steering wheel of a vehicle, but not at a height level with the 

steering wheel, and not at a height sufficient to obscure 

hand signals, would the truck be required to have d,irectional signal lamps or mechanical signal devices ?‘” 
Hon. Homer Garrison, Jr.,~~%gp.‘Z (V-1337) 

The purpose of Senate Bill 183 is to require vehicles or 

any combination of vehic~les to give distinct and visible stop and 

turn signals under all circumstances. Thes~e signals are to be 

given by hand or by turn indicating lamps or devices, and under 

certain circumstances must be given by lamps or mechanical 

devices. 

First, the Legislature took into consideration specific 

physical characteri,stics of the vehicle in the following language 

from Section 69: 

* 

. . . when the body of a vehicle or the body and load 

of any vehicle or in a c~ombination of vehicles projects 

twenty four (24”) inches or more to the left of the center of the steering wheel . . . such vehicle or vehicles 

must be equipped with . . . turn indicating lamps or devices.” (Empha,sis added.) 

Serond, the Legis,lature took into consideration all other 

conditions that might obscure the visibility of hand signals in the 

following language from Section 69: 

* 

. . . or under any condition when a hand and arn.signal would not be visible to the front and rear of such 

vehicle . . . .” 

In the light of the purpose of Senate Bill 183, and in view 

of the express wording of the Act, it is our opinion that vehicles 

are not required to be equipped with turn indicating lamps or devices unless the body or load projects twenty-four (24”) inches 

to the left of the, center of the steering wheel in the same horizontal plane, or unless a hand or arm signal would not be visible both 

to the front and rear of the vehicle. Since the body of the vehicle 

in question does’not extend twenty-four inchesto the left of the 

center of the.steering wheel in the same horizontal plane, turn indicating lamps or devices are not required for such vehicle unless 

the load thereon extends twenty-four inches or more to the left of 

the center of the steering wheel in the same horizontal plane, or 

unless some other condition obscures hand and arm signals in 

such a way that they would not be visible both to the front and rear 

of the vehicle. 
. . . 

Hon. Homer Garrison, Jr~., Page 3 (V-1337) 

The horizontal plane referred, to above as extending 

through the center of the steering wheel extends, of course, over 

the entire length and bread,th of the vehicle. Thus if any part of 

the body or load of the vehicle projects twenty-four inches or 

more to the left of a horizontal line through the center of the 

steering wheel extending from the front to the rear of the vehicle 

in the same horizontal plane as t~he center of the steering wheel, 

the vehicle is required, to be equipped with turn indicating lamps 

or devices. 

SUMMARY 

Vehicles are required by Section 69 of Article 

6701d, V.C.S., as amended by Senate Bill 183, Acts 52nd 

Leg., R.S. 1951~, ch. 149, p. 253, to be equipped with turn 

indicating lamps or devices if the body or load projects 

twenty-four inches or more to the left of the center of 

the steering wheel in the same horizontal plane or if a 

hand, and arm signal would not be visible both to the front 

and rear of the vehicle. 

APPROVED: 

Everett Hutchinson 

Executive Assistant 

Charles D. Mathews 

First Assistant 

JPL:mf 

Yours very truly, 

PRICE DANIEL 

Attorney General