This week in stupid: Cover your lights!!!

[Jandro2004FX4]

Buddy of mine told me that in California, all off road lights must be “covered and off” in public roads…I guess I get the “off” part (although personally I disagree in certain situations) … but *COVERED*? Please. My question to my fellow California Ranger enthusiasts: does anyone knew if this dips**t CA law is actually enforced?

 

[Snoranger]

There’s a few states that offroad lights must be covered. The reason is so you can’t just turn them on and blind someone whenever you want.

 

[Blmpkn]

That's usually only a law that gets enforced if the cops wife left them that morning lol

 

[Jandro2004FX4]

There’s a few states that offroad lights must be covered. The reason is so you can’t just turn them on and blind someone whenever you want.

Yeah, I’m not for blinding other drivers. I guess I just got a little annoyed that my “off” switch isn’t enough lol

 

[Brain75]

I think it is a law in almost all of the compact states, and here in Colorado the cops like to harrass you more based on your age than what you do. In high school a fellow 16 yr old friend got written warnings about his light bar a few times (pulled over as the primary reason). Once I got past 30 cops just about never give you a ticket just smile and say don't do that on the rare time they pull you over for something else primary.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I always covered mine going thru Illinois because Illinois.

Technically they are supposed to be covered in Iowa but nobody cares.

Since I got Daylighters I pretty much always keep them covered.

 

[Uncle Gump]

With the price of some lights... it's not a bad idea to keep them covered anyway.

That said... I have never put covers on mine and live in Illinois. To be fair... they were never wired either. Now they've been removed to add a winch.

They'll go back on and be wired this spring... still won't be covered until it becomes a problem.

 

[Rick W]

I think jersey has the same law, and they do enforce it. Years ago, I gave my son one of my Georgia trucks from the company when he was in college (he was a company consultant, of course). They had relatively harmless but effective front and back work lights. He got stopped a couple times, and I told him to just take them off.

fast forward a few years, I wrote up there in one of my trucks on a regular basis because I was always bringing furniture or whatever. I never turned them on up there, but I still got stopped a couple times. Once I got the code 3 permit from the Georgia department of public safety, the yellow sticker on the windshield, never got bothered again even if I did turn them on

I’m one of those over the top supporters of the police. They have an impossible job, with the politics, and they need all the backing they can get.

They roasted me on a regular basis when I was young. Of course, I thought it was a colossal pain at the time, felt like I was being targeted. In hindsight, boy did I deserve it! I think back now, and I can’t even imagine what I would’ve turned out like if the police hadn’t stood on my neck every now and then when I was a kid.

One other thought if you do get stopped for lights like that. All my trucks have all that junk wired on a separate circuit with a fuse. If they stop you, just say you didn’t know, and volunteered to pull out the fuse and give it to the cop. That’s worked for a couple of my guys a couple times.

Hope it helps

 

[2011Supercab]

If they stop you, just say you didn’t know, and volunteered to pull out the fuse and give it to the cop. That’s worked for a couple of my guys a couple times.

Back in the late 70's we had a sheriff around here that playing dumb and offering to pull the fuse didn't work,

He gave you a choice of either cutting out 1 foot of wire to each light or letting him impound your car for illegal equipment.

He only bothered you if he saw them turned on, he left you alone if they were turned off.

 

[racsan]

How does that work for light bars? Ive not ever noticed a cover on any of them and they are far brighter than any off-road round light Ive ever had. I do use mine on my morning backroad commute, Back when I had the large round lights, I had kc covers on them just so it looked like I had good lights, in reality they were crap knockoffs.

 

[mr_manny]

Many years ago I lived in a big city in the states.
My father-in-law gave us an automatic 260z...it was cool (used to own a 240z).
It was kinda of a spare vehicle, wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.

One morning while heading to work, I noticed our 260z parked about 10 blocks from where I left it. I called the police and waited for them to arrive. This was the first time I've ever had a vehicle stolen. I remember thinking how fortunate I was to notice it on the side of the road. Many of these vehicles get parted-out and disappear, rarely recovered.

The Police arrived and we walked over to the vehicle.
The 260z was sitting there idling, with the hood propped slightly.
We then noticed heavy guage wire running from the battery, down along the sidewalk.
The Police Officer hit the coil wire with his baton, causing the 260z to die.
We then followed the wire, witch ran along a truck and into into a trailer.
We figured they were using the vehicle to power something in the trailer.

The PO knocked on the trailer window, and identified himself.
A sleepy guy answered, and was asked about the 260z.
I still remember his response, "what 260z?".
The PO then asked about the wire running from the vehicle into his trailer.
Same reply, "what wire?".

Turns out he had a warrant for his arrest.
The PO informed him that he was going to be taken into custody. The PO then looked at me and said, "Your free to take the vehicle".
I asked, what about the theft of my vehicle?
The PO replied, "Do you know how hard it is to get a conviction".
I naively asked, what about the CSI team? The PO replied, "I hate that show".
Our conversation continued long enough to know, he regreted his career choice.

When did being a Police Officer become a thankless job?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

How does that work for light bars? Ive not ever noticed a cover on any of them and they are far brighter than any off-road round light Ive ever had. I do use mine on my morning backroad commute, Back when I had the large round lights, I had kc covers on them just so it looked like I had good lights, in reality they were crap knockoffs.

I currently have a small light bar wired as my fogs. I try not to use it around other cars. I’m not super happy with it, but it was just a temporary throw on to get some extra light bombing down back roads at night and try it out. I need to build a new front bumper and I’m going to sink some flush mount LED pods in there for fogs probably

 

[19Walt93]

In NH any lights mounted on a light bar/roll bar have to be covered when on the road. Fog lights and driving lights don't have to be covered but have to be wired correctly- fog lights can only be powered when the headlights are on low beam and driving lights get power on high beam. With the blinding lights the factories install now it's hard to worry about add on lights.

 

[Bill]

If they're off it's not really enforced. This is one of those stupid laws for stupid people. In this case, for people who decide to drive through town with auxiliary lights on. When it is enforced it's usually when someone is stopped for something else and they either were really stupid about it or decided to give the office a hard time.

 

[Brain75]

I can't find an article at the moment ... guess my google-fu is on the fritz with the snow... but there is a town in Colorado (a suburb of Denver I think) where they passed a city ordinance making it primary offense (i.e. the cop can pull you over for it and nothing else) and a $100 fine for having anything hanging from the rear view mirror... the city uses it as a cash cow money maker. They basically doubled down on the state ordinance for "obstructed view". I know of it for 3 reasons, A) my aunt got popped for one back in the early 80's - cost her $100... B) my sister got popped for it going to college at DU in the metro in the 90's (warning) and C) it was huge huge news back in ~2021-ish when that Chicago guy got killed in Minn. due to getting pulled over for air freshener and then resisted (cause he had warrants).

So there are states/towns where not only is it "enforced", they enforce it to the limit - I wouldn't mess with being lazy, just cover it when on-road. Whole lot easier to not give them a reason to pull you over then it is to fight your way out after they pull you over.