The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Blue dot tail lamps

I got stopped and was given a warning for my "purple" tail lights. I have tried to find the code prohibiting them. Texas Transportation code Sec. 547.322.(d) reads "A taillamp shall emit a red light plainly visible at a distance of 1,000 feet from the rear of the vehicle." It doesn't specifically prohibit a blue dot in the center of a red lens.

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have been cited for blue dots. Have you tried to fight it?

I've been considering blue dots for a while now. Figured I'd just put em in a second set of lenses so I could "fix" em for a fix-it ticket.

I've never been stopped for having blue dots. I've been driving with them for more or less 20 years.

Cletis, it sounds like you must be around that road trap Corsicana. What a racket that place has with I-45. I've had blue dots on my truck and never got a secound look driving thru tx.

The "Key Word" is RED, not purple or blue or green or any other color. I always gave warning because I personally think the Blue Dots are cool but that being said they are technically illegal!

I agree with Martin. The Kansas statute is the same "....shall emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of one thousand (1,000) feet....". It's rarely enforced around here. I had a blue dot on my old Harley and never got stopped for it in all the states I rode it in.

illegal as heck, never been stopped with mine, if they had stopped you here in Mesquite, you would have not received a warning. I dont think they believe in them any more

Yep,I got a written warning three years ago from a Highway Patrolman.I went home and put the plain red glass lens back on.
The blue dots look more of a violet color from a distance.



Tim

Yep, I'm going to put my plain ones back on because of a gung ho young sheriff's deputy. I got a speeding warning a few weeks ago from a Highway Patrolman and nothing was said about the lights. I suppose it depends on the officer but I don't want to have to change them out every time I plan to drive through Springtown.

Laws regarding blue dots do vary from state to state. In Illinois, they recently changed the laws to allow them to be legal on vintage vehicles and hot rods.

I have a blue dot (I run only one tail light). I haven't been pulled over yet. I expect to be pulled over for only running one tail light before being pulled for the blue light. I had a State trooper pull up beside me real slow like, when I was hauling it home from the barn I pulled it out of. I had no license plate whatsoever on the borrowed trailer. As my buddy gave me the play-by-play of what the trooper was doing, (I just knew he was going to pull me over) he pulled right up beside me and gave me the thumbs up and kept on going! If I get pulled for the blue light, I will fight it and pay the fine if need be. Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe in.

here in ok they are legal last i checked and i thought texas was the same,but i guess not

they may be illegal because the reason for brake lights is to notify those following that you're applying the brakes, not that you're kewl if someone rear ends you, expect some discussion with their insurance company about the legality, their fault or not

Bill

Denny, I've noticed that with the glass lenses the 6cp light is tough to see and with a blue dot, impossible. However, with a 21cp bulb and plastic lenses you hardly notice the purple from the dot.

Without any blue dots I've actually been pulled over and complimented on how bright my tail lights were.

Never saw the attraction for the dots, and always hearing a different story on if they're legal or not makes it easy to just not bother.

Grigg

Materman, you better check your statute book again!

States that have adopted the SEMA law make using blue dots exempt from the law's within that state. Texas enacted SEMA in 2011, so you should be able to run the blue dots there. Might of had an misinformed police officer.
The link has a map of states that enacted SEMA legislation
http://www.bipac.net/semaga/Bills/StreetRodMap.jpg

Denny, mine are pretty bright using the #81 for the tail & #1129 for the brake. Using a plastic lens makes a whole lot of difference in the brightness. Below is a link to a picture I took of just the tail light on my '38 next to a tail light of my modern 12v pickup. The pickup is mirrored and much larger but the 'ol '38 is just about as bright. Consider the 1157 tail light is only 3cp. While the #81 is 6cp.

Side by side.

I use red LED's on all mine. They are super bright when you hit the brakes - even in the day light. No chance you can't see them. In fact they are so bright I don't feel the need for a 3rd light. LED's have come a long way recently. (Too bad they don't make them for 6 v that I've seen.)

You could most likely put a reducer inline with them and make them work with 6V John. I'm no electrician though, so take it with a grain of salt.

The SEMA law passed in Texas concerns titling replica cars as the year they most closely resemble. It has nothing to do with blue dots.

Guys, please take the discussion about bulbs and brightness to The Electrical Bay.

Cletis, stop by a copshop and ask them to refer you to the specific code that states you cannot use them. Once you get the law and code on paper keep a copy of it in the truck so you can show the officer in question. If he still insists on being right tell him plainly to give you the ticket so you can subpeona him to court so that he can explain to the judge why hes wasting the courts time.

Just my opinion, but its worked numerous times. I have a great respect for our officers, well most of them, but it's really surprising how many of them don't know the specific laws they try to enforce.

In WA they would probably pull you over, but so long as you can see them for the required distance there shouldn't be a problem. So many folks up here use those damned black covers with cutouts which probably block half the actual light.

In another instance, our law requires certain things like wipers, rear view mirrors, etc. The law does not state they need to be installed on the vehicle. It's been a few years since I've looked over the RCW's but that kind of situation was abundant last I looked.

Hope that helps.

Jeff

I looked up my state which adopted Sema in 2012 and in addition passed blue dots separately, too bad Texas didn't mention it as a rider. I would think two blue dot tail lights for vehicles older than 1959, would be better than one required left tail light, not to mention it could have turn signals to boot then.

I agree SStock, It needs to be in there. I'm going to talk it up with clubs between now and out next legislature (in 2015). Maybe we can get a rider passed. I need to get involved with SEMA. Maybe they can help us out.