n3tfury
Member
More reasons California is becoming it's own country. What morons.
Lightbar must be covered in Cali.
- Thread starter tobias lopez
- Start date
More reasons California is becoming it's own country. What morons.
Really, it's not a new law and I would imagine other states have similar laws, including Arizona, they just choose not to enforce it until someone makes an ass of themselves and we all pay for it.
MR.Ty
Token East Coast Guy
The law does have it's uses. On more than one occasion I've seen people flash their extra lights while driving on the road, mostly out of road rage.
I'm not sure if we have that same law here in VA. I know that you'll fail your state inspection if you don't have covers on your extra lights. Even your fogs, if the don't shut off when you turn your highbeams on.
I wish they would enforce it if is a law here.
USMC Wrangler
New member
Lol if u ever come to Cali make sure u bring a extra set of those doors u made I'll have cash in hand
Ha ha, will do. :yup:
Post up some pics of the covers when they arrive...just out of curiosity. Thanks
dillard09
New member
I'm not sure about Texas. I run around in Texas with 3 light bars on my bumper and no problems. Lots of other trucks have them on bumper eyebrows and everywhere. I even see them running with them on. I guess in Texas you can do what ya want. I have yet to get any lights for the front but shopping around for some now. Wanna put some fogs at the least on front but don't want to have to worry about getting stopped.
USMCvet
Banned
State law says that any light above the headlights must be covered. Fog lights are okay. The law clearly identifies two lights as the maximum with height restrictions. Not to be a total geek, but I looked it up.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=24001-25000&file=24400-24411
Next thing you know, the CA legislator will propose a bill to micro stamp tools and equipment sold for use on CA 4x4's. What ridiculous laws. Cover the lights.... One would think that's what a switch was for, but hey....
Recurve
New member
In PA you have to have them covered. I havnt been told about my rigid D2s yet, but I would guess thats because there hardly noticeable.
Now my friends on the other hand who has a Rigid light bar, he was told it he had to REMOVE It. Whats funny is it was DCNR who pulled him over , an on a dirt road as well. Makes no sense.
Now my friends on the other hand who has a Rigid light bar, he was told it he had to REMOVE It. Whats funny is it was DCNR who pulled him over , an on a dirt road as well. Makes no sense.
Hobolobo
New member
You do not have to have them covered in TX, however you can't turn them on while on road if they are above your headlights.
dillard09
New member
I didn't know the law in either state. I just know that peeps have lights all over their truck here in the oilfield. So my bars are below my lights so I can have them on? I would blind the shit out of people!
Voodoo Actual
New member
Now that I've had some coffee...let's talk traffic.
The "purpose" of this law is to prevent oncoming drivers from being blinded. Do you need to have your lights covered to do that? No. You don't. You simply need to not turn them on.
If you are intentionally blinding drivers, then I'm probably going to have a conversation with you and it might end with dollar signs if I feel you need to learn a lesson based on your attitude.
This law prevented nothing. He knew it was illegal to not have his lights covered and he had them uncovered anyways. Was he blinding people and being a problem? No, he was not.
So....as an example, it is illegal to blind people with your headlights by leaving your brights on. You can remind people to shut their brights off by flicking your brights or hitting your overheads for a second. While you could argue that the vehicles brights were your PC for the stop, this is weak. Taking enforcement action in it shows your doing it simply because you can. You haven't made anyone safer. You've ruined the guys day because he forgot to shut his brights down.
Changing lanes without signaling is illegal. This is also a weak argument of PC for a stop. If you are weaving in and out of traffic and not signaling, okay, we'll have a talk. If you simply don't signal and don't create a problem when you made a lane change I'm not going to make a stop. What purpose would that serve - all that is, is a because I can.
I recently had a stop where I saw an individual in a truck at a stop light who didn't have his headlights on well after dark. Statistically, this is going to be an intoxicated driver. Contact was made as soon as he got through the intersection. After explaining why the stop was made he apologized and stated he didn't realize his lights were off. So I said, dude, due me a favor and make sure your lights are on. That was pretty much that. He had an older truck that didn't have automatic headlights. Could he have been given a citation for driving at night without illuminated headlights? Of course. But for what purpose? He made a mistake and he was corrected.
If you're running around making stops for normal things that happen because people are people and they have other things going on in their life, you aren't very good at your job. You can find more productive things to do than to make a stop using an uncovered off road light as your PC.
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MR.Ty
Token East Coast Guy
Fair enough and I appreciate the detailed response. :yup:
dillard09
New member
Very well explained. It's like stopping a person for 3 mph over speed limit. You miss the one doing 15 over. I work with an ex cop and he said he normally didn't stop people for under 8 over the speed limit unless it was a school zone. He would just kinda flash his lights and let them know to slow down. He also stated that he wrote 400+ tickets one month. Nothing was under 10 over the speed limit.
Hobolobo
New member
If its blinding other drivers, there will be a problem. When i replaced my bumper, i lost my fog lights so i replaced them with 100w KCs and have them aimed downward so they work as fogs. That isn't a problem.
tobias lopez
New member
I will. The ones I got have clips that snap on the bars as they are harder to take off (so they don't steal them lol. Better safe than sorry) and they come it 4in 6in and 8in. I ordered 5x8in 1x6in and 1x4in for a grand total of 50in. I do believe they sell full solid covers. But will see how these turn out.
RockyJk
Active Member
This is what my brother did he got clear ones and plasti-dipped em and put the amber ones on the ends
tobias lopez
New member
dillard09
New member
I wouldn't do that intentionally but I just don't want to put some light on my jeep to draw anymore attention to it by the law.
big dr
New member
""""Now that I've had some coffee...let's talk traffic.
The "purpose" of this law is to prevent oncoming drivers from being blinded. Do you need to have your lights covered to do that? No. You don't. You simply need to not turn them on.
If you are intentionally blinding drivers, then I'm probably going to have a conversation with you and it might end with dollar signs if I feel you need to learn a lesson based on your attitude.
This law prevented nothing. He knew it was illegal to not have his lights covered and he had them uncovered anyways. Was he blinding people and being a problem? No, he was not.
So....as an example, it is illegal to blind people with your headlights by leaving your brights on. You can remind people to shut their brights off by flicking your brights or hitting your overheads for a second. While you could argue that the vehicles brights were your PC for the stop, this is weak. Taking enforcement action in it shows your doing it simply because you can. You haven't made anyone safer. You've ruined the guys day because he forgot to shut his brights down.
Changing lanes without signaling is illegal. This is also a weak argument of PC for a stop. If you are weaving in and out of traffic and not signaling, okay, we'll have a talk. If you simply don't signal and don't create a problem when you made a lane change I'm not going to make a stop. What purpose would that serve - all that is, is a because I can.
I recently had a stop where I saw an individual in a truck at a stop light who didn't have his headlights on well after dark. Statistically, this is going to be an intoxicated driver. Contact was made as soon as he got through the intersection. After explaining why the stop was made he apologized and stated he didn't realize his lights were off. So I said, dude, due me a favor and make sure your lights are on. That was pretty much that. He had an older truck that didn't have automatic headlights. Could he have been given a citation for driving at night without illuminated headlights? Of course. But for what purpose? He made a mistake and he was corrected.
If you're running around making stops for normal things that happen because people are people and they have other things going on in their life, you aren't very good at your job. You can find more productive things to do than to make a stop using an uncovered off road light as your PC.
Today, 06:33 AM"""""
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Not sure how long you have been on the job VooDoo,,, but I'v taken a stolen gun out of a car and sent the parolee in possession of it back to prison based on a expired tag stop. I'v also made numerous felony warrant arrests out of similar "weak PC" stops. How do you think Timothy Mcveigh was caught after he blew up the fed building,,, a traffic stop for no plate. There is no such thing as bad or poor PC. You either have it or you don't. And great arrests can be made out of any traffic stop. Just my 2 cents.
Jay_r24
New member
But that means I can't blind cars that cut me off...jk. Good to know, I'm in CA and didn't know this. Also did not know they made covers for the light bars ::doh:: good info