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Clear side marker fender lights illegal in Utah
Today I found out that the clear fender lenses are illegal in Utah, even with an amber bulb. At least according to the State Inspection officer at the Department of Public Safety.
Has anyone else encountered this in your state? Anybody in Utah run into trouble because of the clear lenses? If so, were you running amber bulbs or LEDs? |
Technically it's illegal in all states because it's a Federal law.
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Originally Posted by EDZRIDE
Technically it's illegal in all states because it's a Federal law.
Untrue - From the Revised Code of Washington: RCW 46.37.100 (1) Front clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the front or on the side near the front of a vehicle shall display or reflect an amber color. (2) Rear clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the rear or on the sides near the rear of a vehicle shall display or reflect a red color. (3) All lighting devices and reflectors mounted on the rear of any vehicle shall display or reflect a red color, except the stop lamp or other signal device, which may be red, amber, or yellow, and except that on any vehicle forty or more years old, or on any motorcycle regardless of age, the taillight may also contain a blue or purple insert of not more than one inch in diameter, and except that the light illuminating the license plate shall be white and the light emitted by a back-up lamp shall be white or amber. One could still get a ticket, and even convicted for having clear lenses over an orange bulb because nobody forces a judge to obey the law. |
How does a "clear" marker reflect amber? When the lamp is "on" it must show amber; when the lamp is "off" it must reflect an amber color.
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The same in our state. It must reflect OR display amber. Light reflecting off an amber lens, or the marker flashing a amber color is the difference. The laws vary state to state.
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It has to display amber when on and reflect amber when off; here's a link, the reflector info is toward the end.
FMVSS Standard 108 |
Gotta work around it
Originally Posted by EDZRIDE
It has to display amber when on and reflect amber when off
Why isn't chrome on the sides of cars outlawed? Seems it would relflect white too... In Utah it's just against the law for a driver to enjoy their car, period. Of course I already ordered the clear lenses but they are not here yet. When they arrive I may see if can modify them to reflect yellow with the lights off. I'm a pattern and toolmaker so if there's a way to do it, I'll find it. I like the looks of the clear lenses too much to not keep pursuing this. The amber lenses are SOOO out of place on the car- especially with silver paint. Interestingly, I saw a red 8 today and the yellow lenses look OK on it, IMO. |
Just do it???
After looking at these clear lenses, I just can't figure out way to get an amber reflection when the light is off, short of major surgery- and I don't want to open them up. BTW, I ordered them directly from Japan, cost about fifty bucks. I've seen reports of folks paying $70 for them domestically.
So I'm left with 2 choices: 1. Just put the clear lenses on, and risk the ticket(s). -or- 2. Stick with the stock amber lenses (which look OK on a red 8, IMO, but NOT silver! I'm already in violation of the law by not using a front license plate; so adding fuel to the fire may not be such a bad thing. I usually only drive it on weekends anyway...too much road construction & loose gravel on my commute route lately(welcome to Utah). Has anyone ever been cited for having clear lenses? If ticketed for something else, has the officer ever even NOTICED the clear lenses on your car? TIA. |
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