So i got pulled over and thrown the book. apparently i need wide vehicle lights?

[ross neill]

So, what were you actually doing wrong ?

Are you running spacers gladiator normal width is about 74 in so wider tires should only add 4 or 5 inches to the width rims can add width too I would measure the width outside tire to outside tire on the front of you're gladiator if your at or over 82 inches a different offset rim or a Different tire size would fix it. Mounting lights on roof would be my last resort

Sponsored

 

[PuddleJumper]

Wow. I have to say if your Jeep actually looked like it did in your picture that is not muddy at all. Hell, the road to my sister's house is a publicly maintained dirt road and it is a muddy mess whenever it rains. EVERY vehicle that drives on it to get to their home is caked in mud. It's absolutely impossible to not fling mud. Now you slow down and drive slow until the tires clean out but no way I am risking my life standing on the side of a busy two-lane road with a stick or broom scraping mud off the side of my car waiting for someone watching YouTube on their phone while driving to take me out.

And I never knew what those three lights in the grill were for! I saw them and thought they were just some aftermarket $12.99 Advanced auto add-on bling lights to match the angry grill and "Don't laugh your daughter is in here" bumper sticker. How in the hell do they warn you how wide the vehicle is in the dark?! They don't mark the outside width of the vehicle. You still don't know how far the tires stick out. So you see a truck coming with those on what do you do? Pull off into the field until it passes since they do nothing to tell you how wide the vehicle actually is? It could be 80.5" wide or 180" wide those lights don't do anything to mark the actual width.

I get it, by the letter of the law you were wrong. Just like every other forum member on here is every single day they drive when they exceed the speed limit by 1 MPH. You are speeding and you can get a ticket for it but there isn't a person on here who wouldn't be spitting flames over it. And before someone says "Yeah but one MPH over the speed limit isn't endangering anyone." Neither is an uncovered off-road light in the daytime or a dirty license plate.

I think this officer was just having a bad day and his wife probably pi**** him off that morning and you got the brunt of it. I can see you getting a ticket for maybe one of the offenses to send a message but to write all of those! Especially uncovered off-road lights in the daytime? Have a little empathy and give a warning if it is your first time to inform and educate. A ticket isn't needed unless you're a repeat offender.

Now if you get pulled over a second time for it then all bets are off. And they know when they run your license if you have been pulled over before, what for, who pulled you over where they pulled you over, what you were wearing, and if a warning or a ticket was given so that's not an issue for them. They can write a book in the computer and know all.

This is my Jeep after driving on a Pennsylvania publicly maintained dirt road. Again, I am not pulling over on the side of a narrow country two-lane road with a stick to clean this off and get run over. I drive slowly until the mud stops flinging along with everyone else who lives on the road and that's as good as it gets. Mine is way dirtier than yours was.

To me some of those tickets you got where like getting a ticket for 1 MPH over the speed limit and a first time warning to educate would have been more than sufficient for some of those infractions.

I hear ya. I'm just unlucky like that.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Are you running spacers gladiator normal width is about 74 in so wider tires should only add 4 or 5 inches to the width rims can add width too I would measure the width outside tire to outside tire on the front of you're gladiator if your at or over 82 inches a different offset rim or a Different tire size would fix it. Mounting lights on roof would be my last resort

personally there's no way im over 80. I do run 1in spacers. But i measured roughly in my garage and it should be under 78. VSP on the other hand just pace counted and said "yup, thats about 82". I'm not arguing with a VSP trooper over his foot measuring accuracy. quickest way to get impounded, tazed and in jail.

 

[Tommyd]

You’ve been lucky……

Lucky how? I ride dirt bikes and have roost peg me all the time. Also if I see a jeep flinging mud off his tires on the road I’m staying way back till it clears out.
the other day a county tractor pulled on the road and was flinging mud everywhere here. I stayed back. This doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[TheSharksDen]

So as stated in the title. I got pulled over while running my 37s this weekend for an offroad trip. Apparently my width exceeded 82in wide and i need lights for that? So i was wondering, which ones should i get and do i put them in the hood scoop like the TRX or the grille like a raptor? never thought I'd ever be given a ticket for this. But i got multiple. covered/blocked license plate, cover/blocked tail lights, improper lights for highway use, etc. I think this guy just hates trucks/jeeps maybe? anway TIA.

edit 2: "I think this guy just hates trucks/jeeps maybe?" this is satire not a denial of responsibility. I fully assume and understand the point of covered lights and plate.

edit: apparently everyone thinks I was absolutely caked and flinging shit everywhere. So below is a pic of that day it was “too muddy”. I really don’t think it was that bad. I completely understand the block taillights and license plate tho.

nice looking truck, you shouldn’t be bothered, just an @ssh0le. Next time remind him your taxes pay his salary. ?

Then post a new edit. ?

 

[Great Offender]

It's unfortunate that you received multiple citations on one stop. I spent over 32-years in law enforcement (retired Senior Master Trooper with the Illinois State Police), and we had the option of writing written-warnings on most equipment violations (which was far and away my preference as long as there wasn't a ton of attitude on the stop). I am not a lawyer, and I'm not giving you legal advice, but if it were me that got multiple citations like that, I would probably make it a point to plead not guilty and show up for court. If the trooper doesn't make the court call, you have a good chance of dismissal on everything. If he/she does, you can always ask the prosecutor to "dismiss for compliance" (if things were fixed/corrected), and/or to have any movers amended over to a non-moving violation. Good luck with the adjudication, friend. (P.S. - I moved to the Lake of the Ozarks, MO. to get out of Illinois after I retired. ).

Former LEO and I agree. I hated writing tickets and since I worked in what was considered a "drug zone" I would use violations like yours just to pull the vehicle over so I could peek inside.

I worked nights so I hated going to court which was another reason to avoid tickets. If the trooper doesn't show then it is an automatic dismissal (at least in FL). But if I wrote a handful of tickets and you were going to fight them I would be administratively forced, by the department, to go and then you would lose. Why would you lose? Because, again, I hated tickets so I only gave them to people who deserved them. Never left it up to chance.

I was "victim" to a VA ticket while in the Coprps swooping from Jacksonville, NC to NYC. The attitude was over the top so I didn't even argue. VA is a tough state.

 

[bucolic]

I think Virginia has changed some of these laws since this article was written, but it is a good read. I read it back around 2014, and ever since then, when I hit the Virginia state line, you don't want to be behind me.

I drive 5 under, and in construction zones, I drive 10 under. I am not donating to the Virginia State Police fund

https://jalopnik.com/never-speed-in-virginia-lessons-from-my-three-days-in-1613604053

 

[Hootbro]

AFAIK, Virginia does not have any extra or unique laws that are not on the books in other states. Just that Virginia Law Enforcement has a penchant for giving you max everything they can at every stop when they have officer discretion to do otherwise but will not.

When I was in the Army and stationed at Ft. Eustis, VA, they would DUI checkpoint all the major roads coming into base just about every weekend. I got called by some guys in my platoon who were drunk off base and did not want to drive on base and get a DUI. I was sober and went to pick them up and there was too many to put in the cab so about three people were put in the bed of the pickup. Got pulled over at a DUI checkpoint and while I was sober, I got a ticket for the dudes in the back and the dudes in the back got a public intoxication ticket. They made me leave the three dudes in the back at the checkpoint and I had to make a second trip back to get them. It was a goat fuck of a night.

The following Monday, the 1st SGT found out about it and I thought we would all be in trouble but he actually looked at it from the viewpoint everybody was looking to avoid the DUI and he got JAG involved with a few phone calls made to the VA State Police and eventually everybody's tickets from that night got dropped.

 

[Scott L]

I think Virginia has changed some of these laws since this article was written, but it is a good read. I read it back around 2014, and ever since then, when I hit the Virginia state line, you don't want to be behind me.

I drive 5 under, and in construction zones, I drive 10 under. I am not donating to the Virginia State Police fund

https://jalopnik.com/never-speed-in-virginia-lessons-from-my-three-days-in-1613604053

Interesting thanks for sharing. I know right where he got nailed in fact used to drive that way regularly. Big part of the reason I went with a Jeep opposed to the muscle car I wanted.

 

[LostWoods]

I think Virginia has changed some of these laws since this article was written, but it is a good read. I read it back around 2014, and ever since then, when I hit the Virginia state line, you don't want to be behind me.

I drive 5 under, and in construction zones, I drive 10 under. I am not donating to the Virginia State Police fund

https://jalopnik.com/never-speed-in-virginia-lessons-from-my-three-days-in-1613604053

It's a tad more lenient on the maximum speed than it used to be but that story would have the same ending.

 

[Cburd61]

Lucky how? I ride dirt bikes and have roost peg me all the time. Also if I see a jeep flinging mud off his tires on the road I’m staying way back till it clears out.
the other day a county tractor pulled on the road and was flinging mud everywhere here. I stayed back. This doesn’t make sense to me.

I don’t know how long you’ve been riding, but, I’ve been riding over 50 years. When you are confident, and least expect it, shit happens. Make sense now?

 

[Rusty PW]

I have a close friend who used to be a VSP. He did it for about 10 yrs. He hated it. Said most of the troopers think of themselves as Judge Dredd. He got on with DHS. He said that was even worse. Said that DHS is weaponized against the American people. Did a lot of shady shit. Did that for about 5 yrs and went back to VSP. That lasted 2 yrs. He only went back until he got on with being an air marshal. He's loving this job.

 

[Rusty PW]

I don’t know how long you’ve been riding, but, I’ve been riding over 50 years. When you are confident, and least expect it, shit happens. Make sense now?

Years ago on a Sunday morning group ride. I watched 6 of my friends go down because of some asshole blew his grass clipping out on the road in the middle of a turn. Looked like dominos falling down.

 

[Tommyd]

I don’t know how long you’ve been riding, but, I’ve been riding over 50 years. When you are confident, and least expect it, shit happens. Make sense now?

No it doesn’t. What’s goi g to happen? Mud hit you in your shield? Stay back and you have nothing to worry about. Like I said I’ve never heard this as an issue.

 

[Tommyd]

Years ago on a Sunday morning group ride. I watched 6 of my friends go down because of some asshole blew his grass clipping out on the road in the middle of a turn. Looked like dominos falling down.

That’s a little different there.

Sponsored