LED BLUE LIGHTS AND THE LAW ... NOW WITH PICS

[sapperranger04]

Ok so i put some blue leds under my bike, they dont flash or anything. some people say blue is illegal, im not sure. yhis is what my state says about them,
" no person shall drive or move any vehicle or equipment upon any highway with any lamp or device thereon displaying or capable of displaying a red or blue light visible from directly in front of the center thereof."

Ok so does that mean you can have blue as long as its not pointing forwards like at another vehicle, or does it mean not visible from the front at all?
HERES A COUPLE PICS



I DONT THINK ID CARE AS MUCH ABOUT TAKING THEM OFF IF I DIDNT SPEND SO MUCH TIME MAKING THEM AND WIRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER...YA KNOW

[Mr Sunshine]

Why on earth do you need blue lights on your vehicle?

And you are asking the wrong people...you need to ask a lawyer.

[sapperranger04]

Well i just figured....nevermind.....geeesh

[ZED]

Blue lights on a KLR huh.    That's a new one to me, but hey, if we all had the same shaped behind, they'd only make one kind of plastic un-comfy chair that we would all find comfy.  

Personally I would like to put green flashing beacons on my Unimog because I think it would be neat, but it's against the law here, so who am I to judge.

I would interpret that law as the blue light can't be seen from the front, not which way it points.  It is however upto the cop to care to pull you over (they don't here and I think we have a similar law but don't feel like looking it up) and to the judge if you are pulled over and ticketed.

Have fun with it, and remember, I am not a lawyer, I don't play one on T.V. and advice is often worth it's cost.  

[sapperranger04]

Blue lights on a KLR huh.    That's a new one to me, but hey, if we all had the same shaped behind, they'd only make one kind of plastic un-comfy chair that we would all find comfy.  

Personally I would like to put green flashing beacons on my Unimog because I think it would be neat, but it's against the law here, so who am I to judge.

I would interpret that law as the blue light can't be seen from the front, not which way it points.  It is however upto the cop to care to pull you over (they don't here and I think we have a similar law but don't feel like looking it up) and to the judge if you are pulled over and ticketed.

Have fun with it, and remember, I am not a lawyer, I don't play one on T.V. and advice is often worth it's cost.  

thanks for the input, i think ill run them and if i get pullrd over, ill pull the i didnt know card, and maybe hell let me go with a warnin as long as i turn them off.
i guess i should look around for colord caps. red abd blue make purple

[Mr Sunshine]

Be ready for the impersonating a police offer charge and the time in jail.

[Charles R]

Have you ever seen the underbody Neon lights that showcars often use?

The way it USED to be is that if the light SOURCE was visible, i.e. you can see the light emitting part of the bulb, it was illegal. If only the 'radiant' light was visible, i.e. the reflected glow on the street or body panels, ti was OK.

But, that was the game 15 years ago, and here in California only. The laws may have been updated, (the blue windshield spray nozzles are now specifically prohibited no matter what) or simply not applicable in any other states.

When in doubt, ask a cop. Most are friendly. And if you approach the topic as a, "I'd like to do this to be more visible to automobiles... what are the specifics I CAN'T do?" They'll usually give you a decent, "well I would pull you over IF..." type answer.
By no means is it binding, but it at least gives you a better idea of their mentality.

[Baz]

Here, only emergency vehicles can display forward facing blue or red lighting, flashing or not. Only emergency vehicles can display yellow flashing lighting (and only in extreme cases) A tow truck for instance can't have his flashing lights on while he is moving, unless he is towing a wide load & equipped with a pilot car. He can use the yellow lights while hooking up, or stopped at an accident.

You can place as many blue lights as you want on your bike, but you can't turn them on at anytime while your riding. The same goes for automobiles. The way I interpreted the way the law read was that the only thing that can be displayed on public roads were the colours spelled out in the light descriptions. Front marker lights can only be yellow, rear marker lights may only be red. (Marker lights have a 20 paragraph description) Those Blue show lights you describe would only be allowed to be on display in a private parking lot, and not a public road.

So if you are rolling down the road and Mr. police officer sees a motorcycle with blue lights (or anything other than white or yellow) coming at him, you will soon be off the road.

I learned all this one time when I commented to the City police spokeman that his Ducati's blue & red lights didn't look legal. (they had a Ducati 749 SS used for PR purposes a dealer donated for a few years)  


http://www.amemagazine.com/pastissues/AME2005april.pdf


I tried to locate our provincial site for vehicle lighting regulations, but can't seem to find it. I am sure each state or province would have different regulations, but the description I once found spelled it out pretty clear.

[2WheelTiger]

Install a switch.  If a cop flips a u-turn, switch them off and say "What blue lights?"

[zer0netgain]

I'm no expert.

IMHO, based on what the law says, you can have red and blue lights on a vehicle so long as they are not directly visible to the front or rear (e.g. accent lighting like modded show cars have).  If they flash it would be an obvious no-no because of how it would be prone to misinterpretation as police lights.

However, in some places, the authorities can be total jerks, and just having them would involve a trip to court.

If you want to do it, stick to the letter of the law (which is what the standard is), install an on/off switch so that if they offend, you can shut them off, and it's best to save such features for when you are parked because while it might enhance visibility on the road, it can also distract people.

I'm surprised those headlight modulators aren't banned on motorcycles because when you see that, many people assume you're a cop, and frankly, a MC cop will be visible by a modulating high beam before you'll see his red and blue strobes.  In spite of that, they are legal.  

[KenH]

Google.

[Zixxerpilot]

You'll fall under the laws for neon underglo, since that is essentially what it will be. Some states don't care, but a lot of them do not allow them to be on while driving, as it is seen as a "distraction" to other drivers.

Wisconsin is like this. However, I do know on bikes they tend to allow it because of the visibility factor. If I'm distracting a driver, that means they have at least seen me. Weather or not they acknowledge me is another story...

[KenH]

You'll fall under the laws for neon underglo, since that is essentially what it will be. Some states don't care, but a lot of them do not allow them to be on while driving, as it is seen as a "distraction" to other drivers.

Wisconsin is like this. However, I do know on bikes they tend to allow it because of the visibility factor. If I'm distracting a driver, that means they have at least seen me. Weather or not they acknowledge me is another story...

+1

[TuffguyF4i]

I always thought white led lights looked the best as 'under the fairing lights'.  Just my opinion.

[marc11]

You'll fall under the laws for neon underglo, since that is essentially what it will be. Some states don't care, but a lot of them do not allow them to be on while driving, as it is seen as a "distraction" to other drivers.

Wisconsin is like this. However, I do know on bikes they tend to allow it because of the visibility factor. If I'm distracting a driver, that means they have at least seen me. Weather or not they acknowledge me is another story...

Okay, but if you are distracting a driver that also means they can get into an accident with someone else and you could be held fully or partially liable.  And really, underlighting a KLR?  Really, that is the best way to bring attention to you from other drivers?    

I mean, UNDERLIGHTING A KLR    

[sapperranger04]

thank for the advide guys. ill find a leo and get there perspective....... oh by the way the lights are on my strom

[arkansawyer]

I wouldn't put blue lights on any vehicle.

There was a serial rapist in the flat area of AR a few years ago.  He had blue lights on his car and posed as a cop.  That sort of thing is why cops are so strict about blue lights, not that they are jerks.  

[Tyrroneous]

A few years ago, a friend and I were riding through a small Alabama town and cop pulled my riding partner over because he had those blue light up valve stem caps..the ones that only come on once the wheel is moving.  You CANNOT see those from the front or rear of the bike since they are directly in the center of the rim.  Anyway, cop made him remove them right then and there.  No ticket though.  

[tjhess74]

sapper, its hard to answer this question since we dont know what state youre in (at least i dont know).  every state is different.  here is sc, it used to be that you couldnt have ANY red or blue showing (back when those lighted washer nozzles on the hood were popular).  the state changed the law shortly thereafter to say if it was visible to the front, it couldt be a flashing light...steady on was generally not a problem.

overall, if the lights dont flash, and youre not riding like a moron, i doubt any officer will give you a hard time about it.  but therein lies the problem...the law is subject to interpretation...and sometimes each officer can interpret it differently.  best advice is to contact a judge/magistrate and follow their interpretation, not just any police officer you come across. the only exception to that would be a state trooper, since they are usually up to speed on equipment laws.  even then, i would ask more than one and get an 'average consensus'.

[sapperranger04]

sapper, its hard to answer this question since we dont know what state youre in (at least i dont know).  every state is different.  here is sc, it used to be that you couldnt have ANY red or blue showing (back when those lighted washer nozzles on the hood were popular).  the state changed the law shortly thereafter to say if it was visible to the front, it couldt be a flashing light...steady on was generally not a problem.

overall, if the lights dont flash, and youre not riding like a moron, i doubt any officer will give you a hard time about it.  but therein lies the problem...the law is subject to interpretation...and sometimes each officer can interpret it differently.  best advice is to contact a judge/magistrate and follow their interpretation, not just any police officer you come across. the only exception to that would be a state trooper, since they are usually up to speed on equipment laws.  even then, i would ask more than one and get an 'average consensus'.

I live in oklahoma, and one of the roads that i ride down alot usualy has a state trooper set up in a speed trap. so next time i pass by there ill swing in and ask him,,,, maybe offer him a donut ...jk.. but maybe hell give me some insite on the situation.