got pulled over for smoke head&tail lights

[bus2k]

what a bad day
i took a trip from SC To GA (Atlanta)
way heading to atl got pulled over by officer,, on I-85 exit104 area
what the heck,, B/C my smoke headlight & taillight ,
now i found out fine($92 each) + court fee whatever come out $220
sucks

[Six_Legs]

Got pics of said lenses?

[EniGmA1987]

As long as the brake lights are visible to 500ft then they are legal, and the headlights have to provide a certain visibility (100ft and 350ft I believe for low beam and high beam). So you should be fine if you fight it, just not worth it being so far maybe. On top of that it can all be thrown out since they are secondary offenses.
You should file a complaint with his superior and also to the office of internal affairs on the grounds that the officer is unqualified for his position with regards to knowledge of the law. Even if nothing happens it still puts him/her through the same grief you have to deal with for something that you cant actually be pulled over for in the first place. If you wanted you could also sue him for harassment and have a very high chance of winning. Im all about putting police in their place when they are not doing their job right. If nobody ever does anything to correct the issue then they will just keep happening.

[Logan00]

I like the way you think Enigma

[wideopn11]

I could be wrong but I think the laws you need to worry about are the state where the vehicle is registered. So if it's legal in SC I don't think they can "legally" fine you in another state. Just a thought. That sucks though to have to deal with the hassle. I think EniGmA1987 may have a point. If that's the only reason he pulled you over (not speeding or running a stoplight or something) I don't think they can ticket you. They are probably just betting since you are out of state you will pay their BS fine even though it may not be legal.

[Mjkkb2]

As much as it stinks and not make any sense, you have to abide by the laws of the state which roads you travel on. Unless there's an exception in the rules and regulations for out of state registered vehicles you're out of luck. The language is usually very simple ie: "...all (or any) vehicle operated on a road, highway, etc shall be equipped with ........." All (or any) means exactly that, regardless of home registration. It really sucks, because in theory one may be ticketed for not having for example a front license plate even if the home state only requires one in the rear.
With regards to the primary/secondary offence - If the only reason you got pulled over were the lights , and (very important) - the code of Georgia lists those offences as secondary (you need to research that), then YES you can fight this in court and will get it dismissed. The problem is you will have to take a trip to see the Judge. Is it worth it ? - only you can answer.

[CPJ LB]

I'm not a fan of smoking the front headlights anyway...I did my taillights a 'black cherry' smoke and it's perfect...not too dark but just enough to tone down the stock red OEM look.

I noticed that you have the M35 sport, where the inside of the headlight assembly is a black/carbon look, so by smoking your fronts - it "must" look really dark....do you have any pix of the front headlights?? just curious to see how dark it looks...a cop must of thought the same...?

Normally, cops would just issue a 'fix it' ticket...you remove the tint/smoke and they inspect it, then they eliminate the infraction.... that's what we do in Cali.... then afterwards, put the tint/smoke back on

good luck and let us know how it works out....

[seldomseen]

Contesting the citation may be more hassle than it's worth, but you'll ultimately need to decide on that. Since the cititation isn't a "moving violation" it may be more logical to simply pay the citation and move on with your life. Since you will not likely receive any demerits on your license from the citation.

In exchange for paying the citation, you could submit a formal complaint, and request for investigation against the cop that issued you the citation. You can bet that it will cost him more than $220 in hassles, and he will also receive a permanent mark on his personnel file too.

[AZhitman]

As long as the brake lights are visible to 500ft then they are legal, and the headlights have to provide a certain visibility (100ft and 350ft I believe for low beam and high beam). So you should be fine if you fight it, just not worth it being so far maybe. On top of that it can all be thrown out since they are secondary offenses.

You should file a complaint with his superior and also to the office of internal affairs on the grounds that the officer is unqualified for his position with regards to knowledge of the law. Even if nothing happens it still puts him/her through the same grief you have to deal with for something that you cant actually be pulled over for in the first place. If you wanted you could also sue him for harassment and have a very high chance of winning. Im all about putting police in their place when they are not doing their job right. If nobody ever does anything to correct the issue then they will just keep happening.

You had me on board until the 2nd paragraph. No, there is not a "high chance of winning" a harassment suit against a peace officer. One, it's not harassment, and two, he had cause to issue a citation.

I'm not defending the entirety of the PD actions, but let's not be silly.

[AZhitman]

In exchange for paying the citation, you could submit a formal complaint, and request for investigation against the cop that issued you the citation. You can bet that it will cost him more than $220 in hassles, and he will also receive a permanent mark on his personnel file too.

Nope. What's there to investigate? How would it cost the officer anything? No, there won't be anything in his personnel file... where do you guys come up with this stuff?

The best advice here so far is to take it up with the judge. If it's not a violation in your state, then one can't be expected to memorize the laws of every state. For example, no, I cannot be cited for no front plate in Calisuckafornia.

Mjkkb2 gave some very wise advice.

[Larz]

First, to the point above:
If you decide to fight this citation (and I don't recommend it), you will need to provide the current statute in your state regarding headlamps / tail lamps and also you will need to have the car inspected to obtain separate documentation that your car is IN compliance with those statues. Next, you have to contact and set a date to drive back to the state where you received the citation. I reckon the cost of obtaining the statutes and paying for an auto inspection to document you're IN compliance, plus the cost for fuel, holiday time from work, and possibly an overnight in a hotel would cost you more than the citation.

FYI if anyone has their plate registerd in FL:
"All motor vehicles must have at least two headlamps with at least one on each side of the motor vehicle. Headlamps must show a white color and any object, material, or covering that alters the headlamp's light color may NOT be placed, displayed, installed, or applied over a headlamp."
--- That eliminates the need to measure lumens or color and is more than enough to back up any citation that you receive here for tint or those goofy purple headlights.

"All motor vehicles must have at least two rear lights, at least one on each side of the vehicle. Rear lamps must emit a red color that is clearly visible from 1,000 feet."
--- That is vague enough that it gives officers freedom to bother you, or not.

On a side note ... Fetucini and I went to Walmart about a week ago to stock up on paper products for the house. There were three police cars in strategic spots half-way into the entrance. Far enough inside the entrance that you could NOT get out of line or turn around. One officer was stopping cars willy-nilly to test the window tint, one officer was writing the citations, and I reckon the third officer was there in the event of a pursuit, or to write reports for the accidents this silly project may have caused. My window tint is NOT 'linousine tint' but it IS one step darker than is allowed, so I opened the sunroof and both front windows and we were waved through without stopping.

[Wangtang408]

As CPJ mentioned above, it's a fixing ticket in Cali, meaning fix it, in this case, remove the tints, get a cop to sign your ticket, his signature will provide proof that the issue has been fixed, go to court and show the judge which will then reduce down to the fixing fee $25.00. Otherwise pay the whole ticket and ride til you got pulled over again.
The cop needed to meet his monthly quota, wrong place, wrong time buddy...