Daytime Running Lights illegal???

Hardshell Taco · #1 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 06:34 PM

Ok so I was cruising with my friend the other day who has a 06 TRD sport Dbl cab Longbed. We pulled behind a police cruiser that was going way below the speed limit, but we decided to stay behind him so he wouldn't see the limo tint on all the windows. But since he was going so slow, and we had places to go, we finally go around and pass him. Sure enough right after we pass him, he gets on our a** and flips on his lights. Our first thoughts were that it had to be because of the window tint. The officer walks up to the window and asks my friend "why are you driving with your parking lights on, they are illegal"? My friend then explains to him that they are daytime lights and that they came stock with the truck. He shows him how the lights stay on even when the switch is in the off position. The officer says that those lights have to be white and not orange, and that he will have to look that up with toyota. He then lets us on our way, while my friend and I can't believe we just got pulled over for that. I live in Cali. and the police are very strict on little things like this, and I guess they have nothing better to do. I had no clue that these lights are illegal since they come with the truck, has anyone else been pulled over for this same reason?

Splicer · #2 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 07:54 PM

Had to be a local cop, I can't believe a CHP officer could be that uneducated as to the vehicle code. GM (and probably others) has been using amber DRLs for many years -- it is 100% legal. The cop doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, and obviously has not been paying attention. He is, however, correct in stating that it's illegal to drive in Cali with parking lights only.

I'm surprised your friend didn't get written for the tint... Of course, the only reason he pulled you over is dropping in behind him for awhile when he was going slow -- he knew there was a reason you didn't want to go around him, and he used the 'parking lights' as an excuse to redlight.

Snakeii · #3 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 08:36 PM

If you got his badge number or car number Id make a call to the PD. They are to protect and serve. Not to harrass...

Parking lights only are illegal? WTF?

Splicer · #4 (**permalink**) 07-15-2007, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakeii

Parking lights only are illegal? WTF?

Been illegal here for a long time. My only guess is that if you have them on during the day, as night falls you see your gauges lit up and think your headlights are on... so you drive in semi-darkness with no headlights (and no apparent thought process either....)

Kinda lame, but it's all I could think of. And remember, the law was in place years before console lighting became available.

j4x4ar3 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-24-2007, 04:54 PM

Yes it's illegal to run with just your parking lights HOWEVER if the officer would have opened his eyes he would have noticed that the parking lights weren't on. Parking lights are the ones on the side of the vehicle (basically everything but the headlights). The DRL's on the Tacoma also are brighter than standard yellows and dim down when the headlights are actually turned on. As someone else said.. local cop.. either that or since you were going slow behind him for a while he thought you might be trying to hide something and just waited until you got brave enough to pass him. Either way that was a poor excuse as he could have just ticketed you for limo tint instead (or tint on the front windows in general other than factory glass). Limo tint itelf is NOT illegal if done behind the driver and you have both passenger and driver side mirrors. You can go as far as blacking out entirely the back window in a truck (I can't see anything when towing my trailer anyway)

Splicer · #6 (**permalink**) 07-24-2007, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j4x4ar3

Limo tint itelf is NOT illegal if done behind the driver and you have both passenger and driver side mirrors. You can go as far as blacking out entirely the back window in a truck

100% correct!

Snakeii · #7 (**permalink**) 07-25-2007, 02:34 PM

Some counties and states have very lienient laws on tint. In the Bernalillo cty (around Albuquerque) you couldnt have limo tint on the front windows, but the surrounding cty's can. That makes the cops pay a lot of attention to the cty sticker on the plate so they can figure if they can pull a car over or not.

In VT you cant have your front windows tinted at all except if its factory privacy tint. Of course that doesnt stop everyone, as you quite regularly see cars around with limo tint. The frustrating part is if you have a car the cops just dont like, such as a supercharged MR2, they'll harrass you, but they wont even pay attention to all of the other tinted cars driving by, especially their buddies. Double standards, laws that are not strictly enforced by the annual inspections or the cops. Inspection centers are not supposed to pass a car with front tint, a car with any inop light (including aftermarket driving lights, backup lights, etc), no front state license plate, etc. But... some shops overlook a lot of that, again if you are buddies with the shop you can get away with a lot.

friday · #8 (**permalink**) 08-05-2007, 06:36 PM

I'm a cop (Canadian) and can tell you that in Canada, any lights facing the front have to be white or amber, and any facing the back have to be red or amber (not counting back-up lights). DRL's have been the law since 1990, so the vast majority of vehicles have them in Canada. They have to meet certain brightness levels to be legal, which police have nothing to do with. If it is a stock light bulb - it should be legal.

As far as tint, it varies greatly from province to province, and local municipalities can always make their own by-laws. Generally, there are limits as the the % of light that must pass. In my province, you are not allowed to have any tint on the side driver/passenger or front window, period.

jpmorrisvb · #9 (**permalink**) 08-05-2007, 10:40 PM

DRLs are part of the vehicle. In order for the vehicle to come off the line I am sure (I would assume but I would get my chops busted) that it has to meet certain standards set by, and agreed to, by the government and manufacturer.

If anyone was to get stopped for these lights, in particular those that were retrofitted using the jumper and flasher, purchased by Toyota, using the Tacoma directional (amber) lights, all you would have to do is open the owner's manual and show the officer that they are in fact part of the vehicle. (ya, that was a hell of a run on sentence)

Well, this horse has been beaten .... time to move on.