California Neon Underglow Lights Laws
Car enthusiasts are always looking for ways to improve the appearance of their cars. To satisfy this quest, they have tried out so many options which include the use of lights neon underglow. This vehicle cosmetic option in particular has grown in popularity among car owners in America.
It is one method of decorating cars that stands out especially at night which is why many people prefer it. In fact, there are some states like California where this method of decoration is so prevalent that almost any other vehicle that passes by has underglow lights below it.
However, so much of the talk and buzz about underglow lights and their use hardly mentions some crucial details about them. For instance, no one really talks about the dangers associated with this kind of decoration and the kind of threat it possess to other road users. People only talk about the benefits and the hype underglow lights offer to road users but not the safety aspect of it.
If you take a case of a vehicle with many underglow lights as a case study on this matter. Such a vehicle can easily distract other road users especially when drive at night. If you are driving behind such a vehicle then there is a high chance you will find yourself somehow distracted.
The case might even be worse if the vehicle is parked with different types of glowing lights under it. If you are not very careful when driving behind such a vehicle chances are you might even cause an accident. As a matter of fact, there are many cases in the past where drivers distracted by underglow lights have ended up causing some serious accidents.
This is why the government had to come up with some laws that sought to bring to end such cases. In America for instance, there are some states that have drafted some serious laws which seek to limit the use of such decorations. These laws are not intended to limiting the extent to which people can go with decorating vehicles but rather they seek to protect other road users who use the same roads.
Laws The Regulate Underglow lights
The underglow lights laws do not necessarily seek to bring to an end the use of such lights for decorating vehicles. These laws only seek to put some limits as to how much people can use these lights and in which way. The intention is to ensure that there is a general aspect of safety even as car enthusiasts seek to decorate their vehicles.
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The California Underglow Lights
The laws in California are not designed to make the use of Neon underglow lights illegal. These laws only seek to regulate the use of these lights to create a safe environment for everyone on the road. If you are in California and you still have no idea of what the underglow lights laws say consider the information below.
- Light Emission
Light emission is one of the clauses that feature in the California underglow lights laws. In fact, this issue alone is contained in the California Department of Motor Vehicles. These laws state that LED lights emitting diffused non glairing light must not be more than 0.05 candelas per every square inch.
A candela per square inch in this case means an amount of light that is emitted from a candle. Therefore, when buying your neon lights, always check their level of luminosity to ensure that it tallies to the regulations in California.
- The Use of Restricted Colors
Anyone wishing to install underglow lights in California must also read about which lights are most appropriate to use for this purpose. The California laws and regulations on the use of decorative lights on vehicles allow for the use of only specific colors.
For instance, these laws forbid the use of blue and red lights as those ones are used on police and essential services provider’s vehicles. Other than that, these regulations also forbid the mounting of decoration lights on the front and the back of vehicles. These lights can only be placed underneath the vehicle and nowhere else.
The use of flashing lights is also another factor that falls under these regulations. Even though it is not forbidden by these laws, its use is deemed to be somehow a travel safety concern. Such lights are viewed as possible distractors to other road use hence the advice against their use.
- The Positioning and Size of Neon Lights
The issue of positioning and size of the neon lights used for the purpose of decoration is also another important clause in the lights regulation. For instance, these laws forbid the use of neon lights in the place of other important and existing lights on the vehicles. Such lights include the front and back lights and also indicator lights.
These basically are the main contents in the underglow lights in California. Therefore, before you install some of these essential lights on your vehicle please ensure that you do so in a way that conforms to the legal regulations. If you do not then chances are you are going to face some serious consequences in California.
- The Neon Underglow Penalties
The California laws envisage the possibility of some people flouting the underglow lights as laid out. As such, they put out some penalties for any offences of this nature to make underglow illegal. Anyone found guilty of breaking these laws might face some serious consequences which might include being compelled to remodel your vehicle.
In this case, you may be asked to remodel your vehicle to conform to the existing laws and regulations. In some extreme cases, you might be compelled to pay a fine depending on the magnitude of the offence.
Final Thoughts
Neon underglow lights serve one main purpose of decorating vehicles to suit individual preferences. However, this decoration should be done in a careful way that conforms to the set laws and guidelines which govern this area.
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