This law explains the lighting requirements for vehicles that are 80 inches or more in width during nighttime driving. Vehicles must have specific amber and red clearance and side-marker lamps installed at designated positions depending on the type and size of the vehicle. These lamps ensure visibility from certain distances and positions to identify the width and extremities of the vehicle. Certain vehicles, like truck tractors and trailers, have specific lamp details they need to follow, with variations for vehicles manufactured after certain dates. There are exceptions for some types of vehicles, like auxiliary dollies and passenger cars that aren't considered housecars.

The lamps are required to be visible from 50 to 500 feet and properly mounted to outline the vehicle’s dimensions. In some cases, combination lamps are permitted in place of individual clearance or side-marker lamps. This ensures all wide vehicles are clearly visible at night for safety reasons.

This law allows ambulances to have clearance and side-marker lights, regardless of what other vehicle codes might say.

This law allows motor vehicles to have side-mounted lights, as long as these lights are not visible from the front or back. The lights must be set into the vehicle's body without sticking out. They can't be very bright, with a maximum of two candlepower, and can be any color except red, unless the vehicle is an emergency vehicle.

This law allows school buses in California to have additional side lamps that can be turned on in bad weather conditions, like fog or rain, when visibility is less than 500 feet. These lamps are an extra feature alongside the usual lights to make the bus more visible. The specifics about the type of lamps and where they should be mounted are determined by regulations the department must have established by January 1, 1980.

If you have a vehicle with a load sticking out more than one foot from its left side, you need to have lights during the night.

If the load is one foot or more, put an amber light that can be seen from 300 feet in both directions, front and back. If the load sticks out more than 120 inches, the front needs an amber light visible from 300 feet, and the back needs a red light visible from 300 feet.

These lights can't be stronger than a 6-candlepower bulb.

If your vehicle or equipment is wider than allowed without a special permit, you need to attach a bright red or orange flag at least 18 inches square to the edges when driving during daylight hours.

Additionally, if you are transporting a load that sticks out more than four inches from the sides of your vehicle, you must also display this flag.

This section explains the rules around specific types of vehicle lights in California. Cars can have courtesy lights on the running boards or doors, but these should only emit a green or white light using bulbs of up to six candlepower and should not shine forward or backward. Cars can also have red lights or reflectors on the inside of the doors visible when the doors are open, again using bulbs of up to six candlepower. Lastly, vehicles may have exterior lights to light up entrances and exits when the car is not moving, but these bulbs should not be brighter than 32 candlepower or 30 watts, and should not cause glare for other drivers.

This law allows vehicles to have certain lamps installed on them. You can have white or amber lamps on the front cowl or fender, and no more than one amber lamp on each side near the front of the vehicle, as well as one red lamp on each side near the back. These lamps can't be too bright, limited to a small candlepower.

Additionally, lamps that meet the department's standards for side-marker lamps can be installed anywhere on the sides of a vehicle, but if they are near the rear (within 24 inches), they must be red; anywhere else, they must be amber.

This law allows cars to have up to two cornering lamps. These lamps help drivers see in the direction they are turning while the car is turning or when the turn signals are used. The lamps should not create glare that could blind or disturb other drivers.

This California vehicle law section specifies rules for adding external indicators and data monitors to vehicles. You can have up to two amber turn-signal indicators on the outside of a vehicle, with light limits based on the time of day. Any vehicle can also have indicators that show the status of important parts, as long as they’re not red and have limited brightness. Additionally, indicators can help monitor exterior lights, remaining small and low intensity. Towed vehicles can have an indicator lamp for the antilock braking system, visible to the driver of the towing vehicle. Finally, vehicles may have up to two exterior data monitors for the driver's information about efficient and safe operation, which must not be too bright or resemble official traffic lights, and shouldn’t show red to the front.

This law allows vehicles to have two white or amber lights at the front, one on each side. These lights should only be turned on when it's dark if the vehicle is parked.

This law section outlines the specific types of vehicles that are allowed to have special rear and side lights for certain purposes. The vehicles include tow trucks, ambulances, fire trucks, law enforcement vehicles, and utility service vehicles. These lights can illuminate an area up to 75 feet to the rear or side to assist with tasks like towing, responding to emergencies, or conducting tests related to alcohol and drugs. However, these lights should not be used while driving at night and must not glare into the eyes of other drivers.