(A) Whenever the load upon a vehicle extends to the rear four feet or more beyond the bed or body of the vehicle, the vehicle must be equipped with, at the times specified in § 56-5-4450, the following safety equipment:

(1) for any commercial motor vehicle as defined in this title transporting unmanufactured forest products as defined in Department of Public Safety Regulation 38-390, one amber strobe-type lamp equipped with a multi-directional-type lens securely affixed as close as practical to the end of the projecting load, so as to be visible from the rear and side of the projecting load. If one strobe lamp fails to make the projecting load visible from both sides and the rear of the projecting load, multiple strobe lamps must be utilized to meet the visibility requirements. The strobe lamp shall flash at a rate of at least sixty flashes per minute and must be plainly visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the sides and rear of the projecting load. The lamp must be operating any time the vehicle is operated on a highway or parked on the shoulder or immediately adjacent to the traveled portion of a public roadway; or

(2) a red light or lantern plainly visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the side or rear must be displayed at the extreme rear of the load if the strobe light required by this section becomes temporarily inoperable while transporting a load between points.

(B) The projecting load must be marked at the extreme rear of the load with a red flag or cloth not less than twelve inches by twelve inches and hung so that the entire area is visible to the driver of a vehicle approaching from the rear.

(C) Utility companies when responding to an emergency situation such as caused by storms or accidents are exempt from the provisions of this section.