This month let’s chat about a select few “fix-it” tickets and why police bother to stop motorist to warn or cite for this kind of violation. Some motorists have told me they consider it a hassle when they receive a fix-it ticket. I’m often asked why we waste our time on such “insignificant” vehicle code violations. A fair question I say, but the violation is not as “insignificant” as it may appear if they knew how these particular laws came to be a part of the California Vehicle Code.
Most vehicle codes ever written and passed as law have some tragic string of events behind them that have led to people being injured or killed during the operation of their motor vehicles. This is why the law came into existence. Some of the laws appear antiquated, odd or unnecessary. When this happens, the law will not stand the test of time and gets repealed or modified.
We tend to write several fix it tickets over and over so let’s concentrate on those.
- Lowered vehicles and vehicle suspension modifications. There are a lot of very good-looking lowered vehicles in the City. But how low can you safely and legally go? When the frame or any body part of the vehicle is lowered to the point where a flat tire would cause the undercarriage or frame to come into contact with the ground prior to the rim contacting the ground you have a problem. In this situation, when the tire goes completely flat you will not be able to roll on the rim. The undercarriage or frame will ride on the ground like a sled and you will lose the ability to steer and brake your vehicle in this situation.
- Lighting equipment violations. What is legal? This is probably the most frequently asked question anytime I do any public speaking regarding the Police Department or Traffic Division. My California Vehicle Code Lighting Equipment Section is a full 24 pages long. It is an enormous section containing volumes of information. So I’ll just hit a few highlights of the most common violations I see. If you want more info go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html website and read all of it for yourself.
- Any blue lights on your car are illegal. We see lots of them out there. Why are they illegal? Blue vehicle lighting signifies law enforcement vehicles. We kinda got dibs on that color!! Also, red lights facing forward, or in front of the rear axle are illegal for the same reason. Do not switch out headlights or taillights with a light that says on the box, “for off-road use only.” There are lots of these violations, and the performance of this type of lighting is substandard to factory equipment. It is also very easy for us to spot them on the road. If you replace lenses on the car make sure they have the Department of Transportation (DOT) stamp in the plastic. Rear turn signals must be amber or red and front amber or white.
Lastly, with our rainy season upon us, please make sure those tires are ready for the weather. We tend to cite a lot of bald tires this time of year. We also take a lot of accidents where bald tires are a contributing factor. Your family’s safety is not worth the risk. Change them out if they are getting close on tread.
I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department Murrieta Police Department Traffic Division at 951-461-6302. You can also email me at jfroboese@murrieta.org.
