South Carolina H 4684: Firearms

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4684 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 30, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4684

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 56-5-1538, RELATING TO EMERGENCY SCENE MANAGEMENT, SO AS TO REVISE THE 
PENALTY FOR UNLAWFULLY APPROACHING STATIONARY AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES, TO 
DEFINE THE TERM "SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED SPEED," AND TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF 
PUBLIC SAFETY SHALL COMPILE AND PUBLISH AN ANNUAL REPORT FOR CERTAIN CITATIONS 
ISSUED UNDER THIS SECTION; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 56-1-720, RELATING TO POINTS 
ASSESSED AGAINST THE MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATING RECORDS OF DRIVERS FOR DRIVING 
OFFENSES, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOUR POINTS MUST BE ASSESSED AGAINST DRIVERS' MOTOR 
VEHICLE OPERATING RECORDS FOR UNLAWFULLY APPROACHING STATIONARY AUTHORIZED 
EMERGENCY VEHICLES.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-1538 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
56-5-1538. (A) An emergency scene 
is a location designated by the potential need to provide emergency medical 
care and is identified by emergency vehicles with flashing lights, rescue 
equipment, or emergency personnel on the scene.

 (B) 
An emergency scene is a special hazard.

 (C) 
An emergency scene is under the authority of the first arriving emergency 
personnel, which includes emergency medical services personnel, until the 
arrival of the fire or law enforcement officials having jurisdiction. All motor 
vehicles passing through an emergency scene and pedestrians observing an 
emergency scene must obey and not interfere with the duties of emergency 
personnel. Motor vehicles and bystanders may not block access to or exit from 
an emergency scene.

 (D) 
The management authority of emergency medical services is limited to managing 
patient care and preventing further injury to the patients and on-scene 
personnel. This authority may be delegated by emergency personnel to provide an 
adequate level of safety.

 (E) 
A paid or volunteer worker at an emergency scene has proper authority to be at 
and control the scene in a manner consistent with his training.

 (F) 
The driver of a vehicle shall ensure that the vehicle is kept under control 
when approaching or passing an emergency scene or authorized emergency vehicle 
stopped on or near the right-of-way of a street or highway with emergency 
lights flashing. The exercise of control required for a driver to comply with 
this section is that control possible and necessary by the driver to prevent a 
collision, to prevent injury to persons or property, and to avoid interference 
with the performance of emergency duties by emergency personnel, or interfering with the operation of an authorized 
emergency vehicle.

 (G) 
A person driving a vehicle approaching a stationary authorized emergency 
vehicle that is giving a signal by displaying alternately flashing red, red and 
white, blue, or red and blue lights, or amber or yellow warning lights shall 
proceed with due caution, significantly reduce the speed of the vehicle, and:

 (1) 
yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that 
of the authorized emergency vehicle, if possible, 
with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at 
least four lanes with not less than two lanes proceeding in the same direction 
as the approaching vehicle; or

 (2) 
maintain a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes is impossible or 
unsafe.

 (H) 
A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of the 
misdemeanor of endangering emergency services personnel or operators of 
authorized emergency vehicles and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than 
three hundred dollars nor more than five hundredone thousand dollars, and have four 
points assessed against his motor vehicle operating record.

 (I) 
For purposes of this section:

 (1) 
"Authorized emergency vehicle" means any ambulance, police, fire, rescue, 
recovery, or towing vehicle authorized by this State, county, or municipality 
to respond to a traffic incident.

 (2) 
"Emergency services personnel" means fire, police, or emergency medical 
services personnel (EMS) responding to an emergency incident.

 (3) "Significantly reduce the speed of 
the vehicle" means operating the vehicle at least twenty miles an hour below 
the posted speed limit.

 (J) The Department of Public Safety 
shall compile and publish an annual report containing all citations issued for 
violation of this section.

SECTION 2. Section 56-1-720 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
56-1-720. There is established a point system for 
the evaluation of the operating record of persons to whom a license to operate 
motor vehicles has been grante