My question involves vehicle maintenance laws for the State of: CA
I am having trouble researching/finding the answer to a question regarding a recent Fix-It ticket and CA traffic law...
I was recently cited for a broken taillight- Code 24252(a). I was rear-ended by an uninsured motorist 6yrs ago. Being the nice guy that I am, I accepted his minimal compensation to resolve the matter. Truth be told, the car is OLD and not worth fixing the bumper/body/paint damages.
Problem is: a small piece of my taillight's plastic covering was chipped off exposing minimal white light.
Question: is there a minimum % of white light exposure required in order to be cited? Or can you be cited if ANY white light is exposed??
The taillight covering is: 5"h, 24"w
Chipped piece: .75"h, 4"w * height measurement is misleading since that is the peak height measurement... actual chipped piece is jagged with the majority less than .25"h *
Imagine taking 2 plastic straws from McDonald's... cut them in half... stack them on top of each other. THAT is the size of the missing/chipped-off taillight covering.
Am I guilty or can I be saved by a minimum % requirement???
Also, if I use red taillight repair tape, will that suffice in getting a law enforcement officer to sign-off/certify the correction? A new plastic covering is $260 for a car I minimally use! So not worth it.
THANKS in advance!

