3rd brake light required?
#2
JK Jedi Master
That's pretty easy to look up, but...
I'll bet for inspection purposes, (annual, or random), all lights that came on the vehicle must be installed and working in order to pass inspection.
I'll bet for inspection purposes, (annual, or random), all lights that came on the vehicle must be installed and working in order to pass inspection.
#3
JK Jedi
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by ronjenx
That's pretty easy to look up, but...
I'll bet for inspection purposes, (annual, or random), all lights that came on the vehicle must be installed and working in order to pass inspection.
I'll bet for inspection purposes, (annual, or random), all lights that came on the vehicle must be installed and working in order to pass inspection.
#4
JK Junkie
Originally Posted by BigRedJK
You'd think it'd be easy, but navigating the CA DMV website is like a blind man trying to find a deaf woman in a hotel room with the lights off.
#6
JK Jedi
Thread Starter
I'm from Mass, so I'm familiar with the yearly inspections.... but in California they don't require inspections to renew registration. Just smog checks every 2 years, and new vehicles don't begin those smog checks until after they're 4-5 years old.
Are any new vehicles manufactured without 3rd (center) brake lights? My wife drives an '08 350Z and I don't see a center brakelight on that thing.
EDIT: I found out it's a DOT Law, not a state law...
1. If your vehicle was manufactured in 1987 or later, and came equipped with a supplemental (third) stoplamp, which is required by the federal safety standards, then you are required to keep the vehicle in conformance with that standard. (Veh C 24603, subd. (h).)
In other words, if your vehicle has a third light, it is illegal to remove it.
Are any new vehicles manufactured without 3rd (center) brake lights? My wife drives an '08 350Z and I don't see a center brakelight on that thing.
EDIT: I found out it's a DOT Law, not a state law...
1. If your vehicle was manufactured in 1987 or later, and came equipped with a supplemental (third) stoplamp, which is required by the federal safety standards, then you are required to keep the vehicle in conformance with that standard. (Veh C 24603, subd. (h).)
In other words, if your vehicle has a third light, it is illegal to remove it.
Last edited by TURTLECON; 06-07-2011 at 09:32 PM.
#7
JK Junkie
To give you an LE prospective, if you have 2 red lights on the rear of your vehicle that both work, you will be fine. You will be hard pressed to find a police officer that knew your jeep had a third brake light and you removed it..... For that matter, if they know that, then they too are jeep guys and you will have no issues.....
DOT could be another story but they typically are more concerned with TT units than jeeps.
DOT could be another story but they typically are more concerned with TT units than jeeps.
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#8
JK Jedi
Thread Starter
When reading, it mentioned that the third light was intended to alert drivers of braking in instances when the right and left side tailights are "obstructed" from view. I dunno... that doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're directly behind me.
#9
JK Junkie
Originally Posted by BigRedJK
When reading, it mentioned that the third light was intended to alert drivers of braking in instances when the right and left side tailights are "obstructed" from view. I dunno... that doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're directly behind me.
#10
JK Jedi Master
I always figured the high mounted third brake light was to indicate braking from a point different from the tail lights. Sometimes, a vehicle's brake lights are not that much brighter than the tail lights. The third light comes on only when braking.