Then he should have written you for it not being on - it's been a requirement, along with headlight on in CA since 1978
To further up on Calif vehicle codes. I just paid 290.00 for a non fixable licence plate violation. Was pulled over for a clear cover on the plate. I expaned to the CHIP(on a city street no where near the hwy)that the registation tags had been stolen twice in the last year and i was tired of going to the auto club and paying 15.00 for replacements. He said thats not his issue and i should score the tags with a razor in the future like they do on thier personal cars. I mentiond that the state actually owns the plates and i would be defacing public property(a violation).
I am sure he wasn't aware of that and as I recall only Honda riders ran their lights back then. Wouldn't have mattered it was an excuse to stop me and check me out.
Isn't that weird? Same here. My 33 had no mufflers, no wiper, no turn signals, one tailight and the "MAN" would smile and wave when I'd cruise past...strange!
I have had insurance (a requirement in Ga) since I got my 55 Olds on the road a little over a year ago, $140 a year so cheaper than a no insurance ticket. Just today I got my YOM tag registered, $20.76 and much cheaper than a invalid or no tag ticket!
it may have been 1982 but his bike may have been a 1977 or older, daytime running lights are not required then
When I first started driving a hot rod in the early 60's I probably wasn't the model citizen that I should had been. After my first speeding ticket, I realized that the fine was just that much more money that I could put into my car. Hot rods had a bad reputation then and I was stopped several time just because I drove one. Several years later I decided I would take the proactive approach. In the late 70's a collector automotive organization was formed here in Idaho (USRI) and I became very active with that and still today. We made contacts with the DMV, law enforcement and any agency we felt that would better understand our hobby for what it truly was. It took awhile but they soon found that we were real people with real concerns of the direction the hobby had come and where it was going from there. We encouraged safe driving by not displaying speed or doing burn-outs in public and taking street racing to the tracks. We did as may public displays in parades and shows that we could to prove we were a clean hobby and we were going to be around for a long time. Working with the media was important because they like to bring all the bad points out when a old car is involved with any issues. We passed several bills through our legislature and city council and worked on the things that made the hobby a little cleaner in their eyes. Now 30+ years later they seem to be coming to us for advise when a new law is being considered that will effect our hobby. Titling is easier now in Idaho and we have gained the respect the hobby should have. But it still is a daily test to keep it that way. Every once in awhile we will see a new officer transfer to our state and we have to deal with his ignorance to our states laws. I was always told that ignorance was no excuse for the law. I feel the same goes for the law. If they are going to uphold the laws, they need to now them as we are expected to. I always carry a copy of any of the laws that pertain to my car and the hobby with me. Just encase I encounter one of those officers that seems to think there is something wrong with my car. Here in Idaho it is legal to have blue dots, fender-less on pre1935 cars, rear plates only when displaying certain specialty car plates and bumpers are not required. So I guess what I'm saying is if you have a lobbying organization or council in your state, support them with your expertise or membership and life can be much easier.
1949 Panhead. The point is that I got stopped for the light being too dim, a non-issue when it wasn't on and never got turned on during the stop. I pointed out to the cop that it wasn't on he didn't care he was more interested in what I may or may not have had in my pockets. I got stopped once for following too close in bumper to bumper traffic also. The cop that stopped me approached me with his weapon drawn. I was real careful to help him not be afraid; someone that is afraid is real dangerous. When he finally holstered his weapon I asked what I had been stopped for he said following too close. I smiled and asked you were going to shoot me for following too close? I didn't bother to point out the obvious to him, I just asked him if he was going to shoot me for following too close. He thought that was funny and sent me on my way. I have resigned myself to the knowledge that I am the scourge of society. Anyway now I am just an old dude in an old car they pretty much leave me alone.
mj40's brings up some good points about needing to educate some officers. In Washington the bulk of the equipment laws are in WAC 204.10 which states in part that "The Washington state patrol adopts by reference Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 571 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and any amendments thereto for vehicle equipment standards unless otherwise prescribed under state law. " It helps to be familiar with those laws if you are running anything that might raise a red flag. For example, the feds require bumpers on all vehicles. However Washington State has made an exemption for "street rods and kit vehicles". A defroster is a requirement unless the vehicle didn't have one originally. My '38 has defroster vents but no defroster. I finally found a list of options for the '38 PU showing them as an option. I carry the list in the truck. There is a requirement for the exhaust to "Discharge the exhaust fumes to the rear of that part of the vehicle designed and normally used for carrying the driver and passengers". I don't know how zoomies ever get past that one because there sure don't appear to be any loopholes there. A Corvette side pipe system from the factory doesn't comply with that one. The hard part, if you get busted, is to do the educating in such a way that you don't make the guy pissed off or appear to be an idiot. It's refreshing to see that most of the replies here indicate trying to comply with the laws for the most part.
<< The hard part, if you get busted, is to do the educating in such a way that you don't piss the cop off or make him appear to be an idiot.>> I've been trying to live within those confines all my driving life. But there have been times I just couldn't resist... Like the time 2 (TWO!) Sunnyvale P.D. cars cut off my F100 in evening traffic, forcing me to slam on brakes to avoid ramming them...They open my door and 2 of them pull me out, to the rear of my truck to show me the blue dots on my Ford Shield taillights. "This color is used for Police Identification!" They were adamant about that, but my lovely girlfriend was with me, so I decided to make them look a little foolish... "Actually, Officers, I've just returned from Montana, and they are a light truck requirement there. They use the blue lenses for visibility in the snow." The cop kept the pursed-mouth look going, and informed me that they were going to let me off with a warning. Just get those lights fixed! I said, "Tomorrow, first order!", and got back in the truck...Girlfriend (now wife) was stifling laughter, finally said: "Guess you 'snowed 'em' with the Montana weather, eh, Michael? And it's summer!" We laughed all the way back to the shop. (where I had the extra pair of stock lenses....) LOL
In Norcal "Serve and Protect" has now become "Harass and Collect". I'm in favor of the PooPoo lay-offs. Too many bored cops around here that need to pay for their salaries by harassing people that don't drive a 4 door Honda Accord. I got pulled over in my lowered '64 Chevy shortbed and was cited for an "illegal lane change" because when I was moving over from the cops hittin' the cherries I didn't use my turn signal. Niiiiice. I filed a complaint with Internal Affairs for profiling which stays on the officer's record for 7 years. It takes 5 minutes and they have to investigate the claim. It's about the only way you can have a voice with this b.s.
NONE of my "hotrods" have been street legal (tinted headlights,turn signals,no plate light,covered plate,slicks,open headers,open exhaust,etc,etc)... I have never caught flak over any of them. The times I was pulled over it was to look or go "slow it down a bit,but the cars awesome" or "can you make the flames come out the exhaust again" haha and that is in po-dunk South Carolina... My vote is the cops are ok here! lol I also dont do burn outs in front of them either.... Now when I was a bit younger and in OT fox bodies... WHOLE dif story!
long time ago when this happened...but seriously, how do you answer a cop who accuses you of "speed shifting"? when you have an automatic transmission?
In many states its illegal to run removed fenders on cars 35' and up. Another reason to laugh at rat rods. Yeah, real OL'Shool, just like back in tha' day, bro!!!
when i had my coupe, i pulled out of a buddys drive way and met a cop, who almost immediately put the blues on. i pulled over and he came up to the door and asked me why i was driving with no fenders. i answered that i didn't need them. i told him that i live in vt. and a car that is 34 and older and registered as a street rod doesn't need them. he said "really" and walked back to his cruiser. came back a few minutes later and said "nice car. have a good day " went back to his cruiser and left. must have radio'd in and asked.
Your homie may be well paid and well trained but there are still a lot of municipalities (for a lack of a better term) out there that have large forces of under trained ticket writers who tend to have chips on their shoulders. An excessive number of high powered patrol cars for the population of the town or area usually is the tip off. Back to the original topic, No the 48 isn't even close to being as legal as it should be. Tail lights that aren't bright enough and don't have actual tail light lenses in them, Wipers that haven't worked in years, I'd have to go look to see if it has a license plate light and a few other indiscretions that will be attended to in the rebuild. Within a 15 mile radius of my house we have a monster of dwi problem and partially due to that anything that isn't quite right gives you a good chance of getting pulled over and checked out.
Town I live in has among the highest paid cops in the state, if not the country. In fact, it's routine for officers in Bergen County to make 6 figures. My neighbors are cops, one drives a Jaguar XF, the other a new Camaro SS. They're also super cool people and work hard, I have no problem with them doing well.
Oh, And I have had my fair share of run ins with the cops in my old cars, some were total assholes, some were real cool. Had a rookie pull me over in my Avatar once for no seatbelt, told him it was a '60, wasn't required to have belts, he radioed it in, confirmed it, let me go. Had another one be a hardass at a seat belt check, wrote me, I got it dropped. It's like anything else, some cops are assholes on a power trip, some are real cool people. Like anything else in life I suppose...
Always tried to keep my rides ligit. Never wanted to be hassled or bothered. In my teens to early twenties I have seen "the man" multiple times do a u-turn to pull me over for a road side inspection, (Lights hi/low and brake, turn signals, horn, rev engine etc.) then give me crap for a loud exhaust but cite me for nothing. One time it was the same cop within a couple months. Now that I am older no one seems to bother me except for speed. Not even questions on cracked windshields. Sometimes I think I could drive a bare frame with a drivetran and seat and nothing would be said. Guess age has it's benefits.
I've never had a truly modern vehicle. Nothing I've ever owned has been fully legal, be it small maintanance items or custom modifications (usually both). Still I've never been hassled by "The Man". I was pulled over once about thirteen years ago on my '47 HD Bobber but the cycle Cop just wanted to talk about the bike. I agree that if you're not caught mis-behaving, they (Cops) usually respect or even dig old iron. Interesting and true comment regarding your (Jay) getting a taste of what young guys had to live with back in the day. I bet the Cop was out to get motorcycle Hoodlums going to/from the races. Jay, Hoodlum? Never!
A few years ago I was headed home from running at an El Mirage meet. I had my Norton in the back of the truck. Outside Adelanto I passed a highway patrol car parked on a side road. As I passed I saw him pull out behind me and hit the lights. I pulled over trying to figure out what I had done. He walked up and I asked him why he pulled me over. I mean it was an old Jeep pickup that really wasn't capable of breaking the speed limit. He looked at me and said "I'm trying to remember the last ime I saw a Norton". I got out and we talked for about 15 minutes about old Nortons. Then we went our seperate ways. Surprisingly different to be pulled over and chewed on by some dickhead of a cop.
Little town of Curryville,Mo - population 245. Speed limit in town is 25 - as you crawl through town, you will see their brand new fully loaded police cruiser. Gee, wonder how they paid for that? I do my best to keep my rides legal, and my driving close to legal. No tickets in years (hope I didn't just jinx myself).
My car has no front bumper or license plate (or horn, parking brake, neutral switch). With 53000 miles over the past 9 years I was stopped only once by a state cop in town, he just wanted to get a close look at "his dream car" a 55 hardtop. 10 min of b.s.n and I was on my way.
Back in about '04 or so, I was cruising in San Mateo with my buds in their equally illegal Corvettes. Mine is in the pic. So who got pulled over? Yeah me, by the SM Sheriff's Dept. The Deputy walked around to the front of my car, looked it over some, and yelled to me, "You can't drive this on the street!" In retrospect it is funny but at the time I was sweating bullets because even though I had worked hard to make a former drag car legit with light, signals, reg, etc. there was still plenty to cite me for. Long story short, he let me go after a loooong lecture and told me to use a different onramp for 280 because it was out of his jurisdiction.
I gotta share this with you guys: many years ago, the local CHP was on some sort of crusade to rid the world (or at least Humboldt County) of lowered cars. Now, I mostly always drove sanely, and tried not get noticed since my cars had always been dropped until they suit me, not some random law. But after repeated tickets with my dropped Ranchero, I sold it and bought another truck that oddly enough could be dropped pretty radically and still comply with the 24" minimum height headlight law. I measured very carefully and dropped the new (to me) truck until it was at the absolute limit of the law, but no lower. Sure enough, within a week or so, I was pulled over by Officer Stickles of the CHP, who had to pull a quick U-turn across 101 to nab me. The garage I dropped the truck on was perfectly level, but the shoulder of the road was not, so when he measured my truck it came out about 3/16" too low. He proudly showed me how my truck was illegal, and I pointed out that if he'd like I could pull onto level ground and we could try again. As long as I live I'll never forget his smug tone of voice as he said, "Well, I don't want to be an asshole about it". I smiled and replied, "kinda late for that ,ain't it?" He glared at me and got back in his car and waited for me to leave, which I did. At the legal posted limit. I loved that truck...
Here's what's up in West Kentucky... The 54 has been sitting for a little while now, so I got it out today to run down to the hall and sign up for work. I got pulled over by the Paducah Police, and ticketed for the following: -Expired tags (I let 'em slip right by me. My bad, I'll have to take care of that.) -Failure to produce <NOBR>insurance</NOBR> card ( I have insurance. The one in the truck was expired. My bad again, it'll get taken care of.) -No brake lights (They worked last time I had it out.) -No side mirror -No turn lights -No seat belts He informed me that I must have a mechanical turn signal, hand signals will not work. (Hand signals are what drew his attention to me.) He also told me that I must have seat belts, and that my truck "...came with lap belts. Everything come with some type of belt." Dumbass. I have a week to get everything fixed and they'll probably throw most of this out. I was under the impression that if it did not come with seatbelts or turn signals, I didn't need them. I've drove this truck for nearly ten years now without belts or signals.
Most of my stuff will be legit if I can ever get it on the road. I always shoot for all the legal treatments when building a car. But it wasn't allways that way. I remember a time when my dad bought a real flashy 58 ford, black and red, nice sounding pipes. A real eye catcher. Well it had a thumping coming from the floor board area. Me and my younger brother decided it was the driveshaft hitting the floorboard, EASY ENOUGH FIX We jacked up the rear of the car with shackles, and when my dad was on his way to work he got pulled over and issued a ticket for altered suspension. HE WASN'T HAPPY and we were fixing his ford properly with a new transmission mount until late into the evening and even had to pay the ticket. good memories...John
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