Can You Illuminate the Undercarriage of Your Vehicle

[Chuck77]

Is there a specific vehicle code violation in California for illuminating the undercarriage or fender wells of a vehicle? How about having LED's on your wheels?

My point, there may not be a specific code violation for shining a violet colored light out your windshield but it probably falls under another more general code violation that covers the above.

[cdwjava]

Oops, I did mix this post with the other thread on police exercising discretion. But I did ask a simple question that is not being answered" What CVC makes undercarriage and fenderwell lights illegal?

You guys love to be asked questions because it means you can answer it anyway you want because I don't know the answer. So, have at it.

The section for undercarriage lights you are thinking of is VC 25400 et seq., but it does not prohibit ALL such lights.

Again, there is nothing in the CVC that makes the display of these Lyft lights clearly unlawful. And, I doubt it will be an issue any time soon. Other states are certainly free to legislate as they wish, and good for them. But, the OP is in the state of CA and law enforcement here can only enforce the laws on the books here ... and, then, only when there is the political desire to do so given the seriously limited resources that now exist. If enforcing Lyft lights ever becomes a great community concern, then we will truly reside in utopia!

[Chuck77]

The section for undercarriage lights you are thinking of is VC 25400 et seq., but it does not prohibit ALL such lights.

Again, there is nothing in the CVC that makes the display of these Lyft lights clearly unlawful. And, I doubt it will be an issue any time soon. Other states are certainly free to legislate as they wish, and good for them. But, the OP is in the state of CA and law enforcement here can only enforce the laws on the books here ... and, then, only when there is the political desire to do so given the seriously limited resources that now exist. If enforcing Lyft lights ever becomes a great community concern, then we will truly reside in utopia!

Police enforce whatever CVC's they feel like enforcing. Maybe it is just a coincidence (not) that I have never seen a fixed light shine outward from the interior of a vehicle at night. IOW, I don't believe that there is no CVC prohibiting it. It's just a lack of interest by the police to enforce it, much like the lack of enforcement of tinted windows and LED light bars above 4WD cabs.

Is "clearly" the trick word you inserted to cover yourself? How about generally unlawful?

[cdwjava]

Police enforce whatever CVC's they feel like enforcing.

Sometimes. More often than not, they enforce those CVCs they are instructed to enforce, and those directions often cme from their local politicians through their command. They are also influenced by the local courts. In my time I have seen courts, cities, and even counties change priorities and even define what offenses officers will be permitted to enforce and what violations the courts will not entertain. It's not as simple as saying that an officer has such absolute discretion, since it's not entrely true.

Maybe it is just a coincidence (not) that I have never seen a fixed light shine outward from the interior of a vehicle at night. IOW, I don't believe that there is no CVC prohibiting it. It's just a lack of interest by the police to enforce it, much like tinted windows and high intensity light bars above 4WD cabs.

You can think what you want. No one has yet pointed out a CVC that definitively addresses the issue.

Oh, and window tinting IS often enforced ... maybe not in your area, but it is relatively common. Though, in some court jurisdiction the court wants to see a measurement of the tint and aside from a handful of CHP and traffic officers, few officers have such devices (since they usually have to buy them themselves, and they can use the eyeball of the tint as reasonable suspicion to detain the vehicle and occupants to investigate further - which is the primary reason that patrol officers make traffic stops in the first place.

I can't speak to the light bar issue as they are most often covered in my neck of the woods ... and I live in redneck central.

Ultimately, the police cannot enforce every CVC even if there is a statute making the act or omission a violation. There are simply not enough officers or a lack of political will to do so. In many larger cities, traffic enforcement is only generally permitted by dedicated traffic officers due to diminished resources, so even if we were to make Lyft signs unlawful tomorrow, don't expect a noticeable crackdown.