got pulled over! ma laws on fogs, exhaust
 

alright, got pulled over last night. left my fog lights on

thankfully the statie was really cool, but heres the laws i was warned for in MA.

1. auxilery lighting may only be on when there's no oncoming traffic, or in reduced visibility conditions(fog, rain, snow, or used like high beams)

2. exhaust cannot excede the decibles of the factory issued exhaust.

3. illegal tail lights(showing other than red)
well, my tail lights ARE legal he said. just wrote down the code for the law for me. he said that the bulbs are starting to fade. i told him i ordered more 2 days ago. THEY ARE LEGAL with the red reflectors on the clear as long as the bulbs dont show any white....which they are now that they are fading.


this guy was really nice, complimented me on my car, and said "i could fine you but it looks like you have some good money in the car. keep up the good work, your a nice guy." then gave me a warning and left.

it makes me glad when they are being informative and nice instead of being a prick!

thats cool you got a good cop. thanx for the info..

ok now explain how newer cars have stock fog lights that cannot be shut off, are they going to start fining people for that now too, not like its are fault.

That's interesting...what about the cars that have the fogs on with the headlights tho? Is that a violation???

yeah, they said they are for non-fair weather only. all cars are supposed to have a switch for them, even from the factory. do some new cars actually make them so they cant be turned off????

I thought that the law on fog lamps is:
They can not be on, unless, no cars are coming towards you, or unless the weather is bad.
driving lamps are different though.
the beam pattern is different on fog lamps. Fog lamps have a wide and long beam, where driving lamps have a short and narrow beam.
If you have driving lamps, they can't say anything.... well they can, but I think you could contest it.

and I thought that the law on Mufflers is that as long as it is D.O.T approved you are all set.

and I also thought that the new cars with the fog lamps that can't be turned off have driving lamps.
and they serve the purpose of DRL (Daytime Running Lights)

-Lowtek

ps.
I'm glad you didn't get a ticket

sounds about right. he called them auxilary lighting. exhaust i'm positive on though. i looked it up on the dmv website. cant exceed the db of stock.

The cop must have been a kewl guy. It seemed like an informational stop more than anything.....

I would say that Lowtek is right on the lights.............

Oh, and for those that know, could you believe I got a ticket a few years ago for loud exhaust on my mustang??? Imagine that!!!!!!!! :):)

It is a good point that the exhausts are DOT lega, yet they are illegal in MA??? Odd............

thats why i hate MA! sorry, i know you all live there...but the 4 years i spent there were enough for me.

as far as fog/driving lamps...i thought driving were long and narrow, and fogs were wide and short. if you have a long beam in the fog its just gonna bounce off the condensation and you wont be able to see anything. thats why no highbeams in fog/snow/rain...it just makes it worse.

its good that you didnt get a ticket tho...i wonder if they'll ticket someone w/ out of state plates if he or she has an exhaust thats in "violation."

oh yeah...taillights all red??? WTF? what happened to amber? did he mean the lights or the lenses? cause if theres a red reflector but clear lamps and the bulbs are red, whats the problem???

yeah, red for the brakes. my bulbs are faded after about 8 months so they look red and yellow! thats what the problem was

Hey PbFoot,
Thanx for noticeing my mistake.
I got those two little details mixed up.
Fog Lamps = Wide and Short Beam pattern
Driving Lamps= Narrow and Long Beam Pattern

http://www.7thgencivic.com/old_attac...Ddiagram%2Ejpg

-Lowtek




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aint no thang brotha! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

so would fog lights be legally ok to be on all the time since theyre wide and short? or are driving lights ok?
or are neither ok to be on all the time (at night that is)

Depends on the police officer I think.
They can give you a hard time either way, but I think the law goes like this.

you can have Driving Lamps on with no problem.
but Fog Lamps only when the weather is bad.

A friend of mine got pulled over, and the officer said that he couldn't have them on cuz it was "A beatiful clear night"
My friend told the officer...."They're driving lamps, not Fog Lamps"
The officer said "well they are too bright, If I catch you on this strech of highway again and they are on, you are getting a ticket"
So my friend left them on and said, "Ok see you next week" and left. NO ticket, NO warning, NO nothing.

-Lowtek