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Legality Of Amber/yellow DRL's

M

marc_w

Full Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
1,112
Location
Douglas, MA
Has anyone been bothered by their local LEO's regarding their amber or yellow DRL's?

Here in MA, it's illegal to have any orange, forward facing lights, on - full time. I got pulled over once because I forgot my amber fogs were on...
 
Well the Corvette comes with Amber DRL's standard....so how would they let that go? Give a ticket to every Corvette driver in town? Seems silly to me....I can understand orange but Amber is not orange....they use orange for saftey crews...so I know they want to keep them seperate from everyone else....but amber DRL's should be fine...hell I have Red DRL's and have yet to get stopped or even questioned.

My $.02
 
Here in Texas we are allowed white and amber lights on the front of our vehicles. ?The traffic cops love to ticket violations on cruise nights. ?I have seen tickets for blue and red lights. ?Just ask any local officer what the laws are regarding colors of lights on the front. ?One down here showed me a manual 4 inches thick on traffic codes! ? ?

The reason I changed my DRL's to AMBER is because I thought they looked cool on the Camaros that came with them stock.

goo929
 
Firebirds, Camaros, Corvettes and some other GM products have amber DRL's out of the box. The 4157 bulb is readily available HOWEVER if you have concerns you should check with the local regulations. Easy way to do it is go down to your local yokel Chevy dealer and see what a Camaro/Corvette has for DRL's...
 
Yeah, I thought of that after I posted... "what about the new vette's??"

I know for a fact they come here to MA with amber or orange (I really can't tell the difference) lights up front. I love the look too...

I orginally worded the 'law' kinds weird. It say something to the effect of drivers only able to use orange or amber lights in inclement weather... otherwise, they must be turned off. Weird...

I'll check it out further in state here.. Thanks!
 
marc_w said:
Has anyone been bothered by their local LEO's regarding their amber or yellow DRL's?

Here in MA, it's illegal to have any orange, forward facing lights, on - full time. I got pulled over once because I forgot my amber fogs were on...
Click to expand...
FMVSS 108 permits white and yellow DRLs. A table with Federal lighting requirements is available here. As a Federal law, this doesn't apply to consumers, but many states have adopted FMVSS 108 as their state safety law.
Sten
 
I'm from MA too. The only thing I could find about lighting was that red or blue lights of any kind are prohibited in MA without a specific permit. (i.e. fire, police, medical permit). Nothing about amber DRL. The part you mention I believe is for projector type lamps (i.e. fogs or amber driving lights if there is such a thing). If amber lights in front are illegal, your parking/directional lights would be illegal. In fact, aren't they the 4157 amber bulbs? I guess a local officer could be a jerk about it but... I've also noticed some Oldsmobile's or Buick that also use amber DRL... Also, MA law specifically states that neon lights of any kind are prohibited. Funny how they sell and install neon kits at the local Tweeter though...

Just my .02
 
Kronk said:
... Also, MA law specifically states that neon lights of any kind are prohibited. Funny how they sell and install neon kits at the local Tweeter though...
Click to expand...

Neons will not hurt anyone if used properly ;D

The shops here that install them tell you that they are for off-road or show use. I haven't been pulled over for them lately ... just been getting some smiles from the law.

goo929
 
I work for a law enforcement agency and while this is in no way official legal advice, I did inquire about lights and neons and colors recently and you will typically be ok with any color other than red and blue. The only place red is typically permitted is for brake lights.

The only time you should have problems is if there is any chance your vehicle could be mistaken for an official law enforcement, fire or medical vehicle. And that would be the opinion of the law enforcement officer to decide.

You should have no problems with white and amber. But of course, as always, check with your local laws because they vary from place to place.

David

 
I feel like such an idiot --> my Pontiac Montana I had before my Av had amber DRL's...

:2:
 
I just found out it is very easy to turn off DRL's all together.. Just double tap the dome override button..

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not.
 
Kronk said:
Why did I know that goo could not resist my comment. ?;D It was like I was baiting him when I wrote it. ?;D

Sorry goo here's the info I found.

Link to MA RMV Site FAQ

Beware if you are planning any trips goo.
Click to expand...

Kronk,

Does that mean I can't have them on (or installed) when I'm parked in a public lot too? ?I have been to Boston with neons back in '94 but I wouldn't drive with them on. ?The older folks there didn't even understand why my car made funny noises when I set my alarm. ?I am sure my strobes and neons would have really frightened them ?;D ?
 
I'm not a laywer but reading the MA general laws you can get pretty dizzy. Approval for use of most of the items on a vehicle in MA falls under the Registar of motor vehicles. The general laws states that any flashing light may not be used on cars (other than emergency vehicles) but, there is a section to exclude your directionals. :rolleyes: It also states that no one can use or sell any other replacement lights other than federally approved quarts-halogen bulbs. The RMV site states that neons of any kind are not permitted for 'USE'. It doesn't say anything about selling them, or installing them, you just can't use them. :rolleyes: I don't think anyone would give you a problem using them for show, just as long as you were not driving around with them on.
 
Yeah, the only times I've seen Neon's on around here were at car shows and when kids park along the side of the road on Main Street in Worcester. (second biggest city in MA, for you out of staters)

The laws probably ARE for projector or fog lights... my wording is just all messed up. Yeah, there are plenty of orange/amber turn signals around here. :)

I drove around for about a year and a half with a completely white front end... Turn, park, headlights... everything was white... never got bothered about that and it looked a little different. I could try to go that route again if it comes down to it.
 
Each state has their own vehicle code laws. The feds set the overall standards for vehicles in the US. For the most part all states are going to have restrictions on Red and Blue lights. If a vehicle comes from the factory with amber DRL's a state would be obligated to allow it. In theory a state can't overide federal law.
 
Florida Laws - Sorry for the long post :(

The 2001 Florida Statutes Title XXIII
Motor Vehicles Chapter 316

316.224 Color of clearance lamps, identification lamps, side marker lamps, backup lamps, reflectors, and deceleration lights.--

(1) Front clearance lamps, identification lamps, and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the front or on the side near the front of a vehicle shall display or reflect an amber color.

(2) Rear clearance lamps, identification lamps, and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the rear or on the sides near the rear of a vehicle shall display or reflect a red color.

(3) All lighting devices and reflectors mounted on the rear of any vehicle shall display or reflect a red color, except the stop light or other signal device, which may be red, amber, or yellow, and except that the light illuminating the license plate shall be white and the light emitted by a backup lamp shall be white or amber. Deceleration lights as authorized by s. 316.235(5) shall display an amber color.

(4) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318

316.235 Additional lighting equipment.--

(1) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light without glare.

(2) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit a white or amber light without glare.

(3) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more backup lamps either separately or in combination with other lamps, but any such backup lamp or lamps shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in forward motion.

316.2397 Certain lights prohibited; exceptions.--

(1) No person shall drive or move or cause to be moved any vehicle or equipment upon any highway within this state with any lamp or device thereon showing or displaying a red or blue light visible from directly in front thereof except for certain vehicles hereinafter provided.

<<Insert stuff about Police/Fire/Road Crews here>>

(7) Flashing lights are prohibited on vehicles except as a means of indicating a right or left turn, to change lanes, or to indicate that the vehicle is lawfully stopped or disabled upon the highway or except that the lamps authorized in subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), and (9) and s. 316.235(5) are permitted to flash.


No mention is made specifically to DRLs, but the White/Amber requirement for Front Lamps would seem to apply. -- I'm not a lawyer; the judge's interpretation may be different !! --

If you would like to Search the Florida Statutes, direct your browser to:

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Search Statutes&Submenu=2&Tab=statutes

DavidC166
 
I've been looking for Amber 4157's this last week... I hit up between 6 and 8 parts places - none of them carry 4157's.

Are they hard to come by? Is it a MA thing, possibly with legality?
 
marc_w said:
I've been looking for Amber 4157's this last week... I hit up between 6 and 8 parts places - none of them carry 4157's.

Are they hard to come by? ?Is it a MA thing, possibly with legality?
Click to expand...
What do the new Vette's and Camaro's come equiped with in MA? The ones I bought down here in Texas are Sylvania Amber 3157/4157 NALL's. Maybe one of the MA people can answer your question. You can also check with the local authorities.

goo929
 
I'm honestly not sure... I do know that they are amber, just not sure of which model.

I see some 3157-Ambers, just no stronger 4157's. All part numbers on the shelves end just above 3157 - like 3180-something.
 
Hi marc_w, I originally bought amber 3157s at AutoZone here in MA. Then I did find and buy the amber 4157s at Lappens. I believe the only difference between the bulbs is their rating as far as how long they will last. I believe that the 4157 is the next generation lamp from 3157 and simply lasts longer with the same wattage ratings and the same brightness (lumens). That's probably why GM put the original clear 4157s as DRL to begin with since they would probably be on longer than other marker lights. The 3157 lights are used elsewhere on the truck but no other lights are on as long. Mine are on all the time anyway after the full time DRL mod. >:D
 
Sweet - Thanks for the info, Kronk...!

For some reason, I had the idea that the 4157's were brighter....
 
can someone check for the legalness of red drl's in california? please ;D
i got amber drl's now... and i have some red ones too... and red looks much cooler then amber ;)

~BIGRED
 
BIGRED_Z-71 said:
can someone check for the legalness of red drl's in california? please ?;D
i got amber drl's now... and i have some red ones too... and red looks much cooler then amber ?;)

~BIGRED
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Only white or amber per Vehicle Code 25109:

California DMV - List of Violations of the Vehicle Code

XRover ... How you are getting away with running with DRL's at night in California? ?Just Lucky?

ps - I found this code was enforced by a CHP officer on another board

goo929
 
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