Paint your tail lights black!

[That Crazy Squirrel]

So, you are suggesting that with his tinted tails he should have left the output lower?

No, not at all. I'm pointing out that, just like there's no such thing as being "a little bit pregnant" there's no such thing as being "a little illegal".

The lights might function just fine, maybe even exceed all the Federal standards, but until DOT signs off on them they're not legal and a crafty lawyer will turn that against you in the event of an accident.

 

[Bigredmariner]

Why are aftermarket lighting kits so cheap? Because they don't have DOT approval, simply put the manufacturer decided to let the consumer carry the risk of running an illegal part.

If your parts are legit, they will have a DOT stamp on them somewhere. That's why most of them say "For off-road use only".

Kind of like my headers and high flow cats, supercharger and so on.

 

[That Crazy Squirrel]

My tails are tinted, but NOWHERE near as dark as those. I feared that very thing happening, and that's the reason I lightly tinted mine. I also installed LED bulbs afterwards.

I know two different people that had tinted tails and were rear ended and ended up being charged for improper equipment. One guy actually ended up getting sued after the guy that ran into him kept enough pieces of the broken taillights and got a lawyer.

Smart move!

Not all that smart actually. The last time I checked (a few months ago) there were no aftermarket LED bulbs that were DOT approved for retrofitting.

Even if they work perfect, and you can see 'em clearly, you could still end up in the same position as the guy who got sued. There's a lot of folks out there who will do everything they can to make it your fault why they rearended you, and the first thing a smart lawyer is going to do is check to see if your lights were DOT legal. And that means 100% legal under state law and federal standards, including reflectors, even if they weren't a factor in the collision, so that when they get you in court they can argue to a jury that your vehicle had illegal modifications done to it, so their client is certainly not to blame.

I agree, but if you have state inspections, and the vehicle passes. Then, it should be debatable.

Not unless you got hit coming out of the inspection shop. All that inspection "proves" is that during the inspection procedure your vehicle met the state requirements. Nothing more. You could pass inspection and have a bulb burn out as you got to the street, and now you no longer meet the requirements.

And if you did manage to get hit in the shop, or coming out of the shop, that same lawyer will just add one more defendant to the suit, the shop that passed your defective vehicle.

 

[Black02Silverado]

What gets me is the law is what it is, but the enforcement of said law is slacking. There is no in between.

 

[Bigredmariner]

What gets me is the law is what it is, but the enforcement of said law is slacking. There is no in between.

So true.

 

[Zembonez]

What gets me is that anybody really defends painting the only fWONking thing that people behind you can see that tells them you are stopping... BLACK.

You can think it's as cool as anything, but nobody can actually believe it's a good idea. It's illegal in all 50 states for a reason.

 

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I actually like those dark tail light lenses, but the ones properly done. I've already seen some folks doing the most stupid tricks to have the tail lights dark, including the usage of shoe-shining grease

 

[That Crazy Squirrel]

What gets me is the law is what it is, but the enforcement of said law is slacking. There is no in between.

This is true, but I leave it up to others to debate if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

On the one hand, not enforcing laws makes people think they can "get away" with breaking a law (and then if they do get busted they cry "but everyone does it") or, worse yet, people are ignorant of it because they've never heard of it.

On the other hand, if we tried to enforce every single law on the books, all the time, half the population would have to be in the law enforcement field, and our society (except for the lawyers and the courts) would grind to a standstill while everyone went to court for one thing or another.

 

[Darth Bama]

I hate when they end up looking dull as hell.

 

[Zembonez]

I've seen kids here with them painted so dark that you can't begin to see their lights. I'll pass on that.