Unlit, or dimly lit, license plates run afoul of law
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Q: Readers are full of questions about lighting.
The first is Barbara Stevens, a Hemet resident, who called to say her son was pulled over by a police officer.
"He was not cited but he was told his license plate lights were 'too dim,' " Stevens said.
That prompted her to ask: Is there a law that requires a light to illuminate the tags?
A: Yes, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Tel Preszler said.
It's section 24601 of the state vehicle code, and it says vehicles must have a taillight or a separate lamp that throws white light on the rear license plate during darkness.
The light needs to be bright enough to allow the tag to be read from 50 feet behind the vehicle. Just for good measure, another section of the vehicle code, section 24252(a) says that "all lighting equipment of a required type installed on a vehicle shall at all times be maintained in good working order."
So Stevens' son should fix whatever bulb is meant to light his tags.
Q: Fred Bartz, of Temecula, posed two questions about lights on vehicles, both relating to how well drivers can see a vehicle in front of them.
"I have seen vehicles where a decal or partially opaque sticker has been applied to the rear vehicle glass," over the "center high mounted stop light," the red light that functions as a third brake light in a vehicle's rear windshield, Bartz wrote in an e-mail.
He asked whether there is a rule requiring people to keep the view of that light free.
He also asked about the rules for brake lights on vehicles that are being towed.
Recently he's noticed vehicles ranging from tow trucks and semis to large RVs towing other vehicles behind them.
"In some instances I have seen either brake lights added to the (towed) vehicle," or two vehicles connected electrically so that the towed car's brake lights operate when the driver of the towing vehicle presses the brake.
"However, in some instances there were no brake lights operating on the vehicle being towed," Bartz said.
What is required?
A: Bartz's suspicion that the law demands visible brake lights is right.
The state vehicle code requires motorists to ensure that all their "stop lamps," as the code calls them, can be easily seen. Section 24603 doesn't explicitly ban stickers blocking view of that center-mounted stop light, but it does say, in part: "All stop lamps shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 300 feet to the rear, both during normal sunlight and at nighttime." (If a vehicle is large enough to require clearance lights, its brake lights must be visible from 500 feet away.)
So, if something is blocking a brake light so it can't be seen from that distance, that would be a violation of the code.
As for brake lights on towed vehicles, California law doesn't require them if other drivers can see the corresponding lights on the towing vehicle itself, Teszler said.
Vehicle code section 24605 says that, in the case of a tow truck, if the towed vehicle's brake lights, taillights and turn signals aren't on, the tower must mount some on it.
However, part (c) of this section adds that brake lights and turn signal lights aren't necessary on the towed vehicle, if the corresponding lights on the towing vehicle -- any kind of towing vehicle, not just a commercial tow truck -- can be seen on either side of the vehicle from the rear during the tow.
Section (b) adds that, in the case of a commercial tow truck, if the taillight on the towed vehicle can't be lit and it's nighttime, the tower must mount a taillight on the towed vehicle so it can be seen from behind.
towing,towing,towing, tow truck, towed vehicle, towed vehicle, towing part, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts,tower, tower, winch cable, cable, tow cable, vest, gloves, cargo strap, strap, recovery strap, snatch block,cylinder, ratchet, pin,in the ditch, in the ditch products, federal signal, federal signal products,light bar, tow mate, aw direct, strobe, towing strobe,
towing,towing,towing, tow truck, towed vehicle, towed vehicle, towing part, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts,tower, tower, winch cable, cable, tow cable, vest, gloves, cargo strap, strap, recovery strap, snatch block,cylinder, ratchet, pin,in the ditch, in the ditch products, federal signal, federal signal products,light bar, tow mate, aw direct, strobe, towing strobe,
towing,towing,towing, tow truck, towed vehicle, towed vehicle, towing part, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts, towing parts,tower, tower, winch cable, cable, tow cable, vest, gloves, cargo strap, strap, recovery strap, snatch block,cylinder, ratchet, pin,in the ditch, in the ditch products, federal signal, federal signal products,light bar, tow mate, aw direct, strobe, towing strobe,
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment