Smoked Taillight Questions [WA]
 

I just installed Valenti smoked taillights in my car and I absolutely love them! I do have a couple concerns though...

1. Are they legal? They are smoked, which I have been told by some is illegal (in Washington state), but an officer I talked to said as long as they can be seen from 200 feet back, he would consider them legal. Though it may not be quite as bright as my stocks, they are certainly visible from 200 feet.

2. Any of you with smoked taillights, have you been pulled over explicitly for your taillights, or is it more of a secondary reason?

3. If you have been pulled over, do the officers usually give warnings, fix-it tickets, or straight-up fines?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Mine are smoked as well. Never had a problem and I've had them since January.

RCW 46.37.200

Stop lamps and electric turn signals displayed.


(1) Any vehicle may be equipped and when required under this chapter shall be equipped with a stop lamp or lamps on the rear of the vehicle which shall display a red or amber light, or any shade of color between red and amber, visible from a distance of not less than one hundred feet and on any vehicle manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1964, three hundred feet to the rear in normal sunlight, and which shall be actuated upon application of a service brake, and which may but need not be incorporated with one or more other rear lamps.

(2) Any vehicle may be equipped and when required under RCW 46.37.070(2) shall be equipped with electric turn signals which shall indicate an intention to turn by flashing lights showing to the front and rear of a vehicle or on a combination of vehicles on the side of the vehicle or combination toward which the turn is to be made. The lamps showing to the front shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable and, when signaling, shall emit amber light: PROVIDED, That on any vehicle manufactured prior to January 1, 1969, the lamps showing to the front may emit white or amber light, or any shade of light between white and amber. The lamp showing to the rear shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and, when signaling, shall emit a red or amber light, or any shade of color between red and amber. Turn signal lamps shall be visible from a distance of not less than five hundred feet to the front and rear in normal sunlight. Turn signal lamps may, but need not be, incorporated in other lamps on the vehicle.

(3) Any vehicle may be equipped and when required under this chapter shall be equipped with a center high-mounted stop lamp mounted on the center line of the rear of the vehicle. These stop lamps shall display a red light visible from a distance of not less than three hundred feet to the rear in normal sunlight, and shall be actuated upon application of a service brake, and may not be incorporated with any other rear lamps.
[2006 c 306 § 3; 1977 ex.s. c 355 § 17; 1963 c 154 § 15; 1961 c 12 § 46.37.200. Prior: 1955 c 269 § 20; prior: 1953 c 248 § 2, part; 1947 c 267 § 4, part; 1937 c 189 § 23, part; Rem. Supp. 1947 § 6360-23, part; RCW 46.40.090, part; 1929 c 178 § 1, part; 1927 c 309 § 15, part; RRS § 6362-15.]

in a nutshell

lights must be visible from 300' away in normal sunlight
any shade from amber to red

the turn signals have to be red/amber because our car is newer than 1969
turn signals must be visible 500' away in normal sunlight

Any altering of the factory equipped lights is illegal.

This includes changing out your HIDs...

Good to hear. I will probably keep mine in and keep my stocks in case I get pulled over.

First off, thanks for the incredibly detailed response! I must suck at research because I didn't come across those statutes. What concerns me is the interpretation around what is "visible." I have a feeling arguing that with an officer will not end well with me... I am going to check out the visibility on the next sunny day we get though.

That's what I've heard, but I have a really hard time believing it. I see so many cars with lighting mods and you're saying they're all in violation? Are the cops just ignoring it?

I don't see how having a lighter-smoked tail light like the Valenti's would be cause for any issues. I think most of the laws and enforcement that goes on with regards to smoked tail lights are with the super dark smoked or "blacked out" look - which is just stupid because with those it is extremely difficult to see the brake lights going off during the day even being just a few feet back from their car as you normally would be when driving behind them.

I think you'll be fine.

In short, yes cops are just ignoring it. Cops in my town know my car is very modified but as long as I keep the exhaust noise down in town they don't care. But the lights are just another thing they can hassle me about if they feel like it.

Funny you should mention "blacked out"... Mine look pretty dark during the daytime. As long as I keep them on, I don't think there will be an issue though.

Yes, every one of them including myself.

This goes along with illegal window tints and no front license plate. Some cops won't bother you and some will.

I really hope they don't bother me. I also don't have a front license plate (I really didn't want to drill into my bumper and it looks way better without it). Guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed for nice cops!

Not sure about WA, but here in Portland I got cited for having no front plate during the third week that I had owned the car from a meeter maid while I was parked. I had no idea they could cite you for that (which I think is stupid, seeing as they were still able to get the license plate of the car from the back since it is parked).

GL - then again I think that Portland's meeter maids are overzealous about dishing out tickets for that sort of BS, and profiling cars. I still see about one in every eight cars or so driving or parked around here without a front plate, but most of them are beat-up looking, and I doubt that they've ever been slapped with a citation for it, and probably never will.

Ah dang sorry you have to put up with that in Oregon. Meter maids go on power trips. I have yet to be stopped or ticketed, but I keep my front plate in my trunk just in case. I asked my officer friend about the front license plate and he said there are front plate exemptions cars can get (usually exotic cars), but that if he ever saw a car like mine without a front plate, he would ignore it. Contrary to what you alluded to, he says they use the no front plate law as a way to pull over those beat-up looking cars if they want to question them or whatnot.