Wednesday, March 13, 2002
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002 |
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Beware, drivers: Blue light special may lead to arrest By JOHN MUNFORD
Some Fayette motorists are driving vehicles equipped with accessory lights that are in violation of Georgia law. Local teens in particular are following a metro-Atlanta trend toward adding extra lighting on vehicles in areas such as the windshield wiper dispensers. But if those lights are blue and can be turned on or off, that vehicle violates Georgia law. The law states that any vehicle equipped with a blue light that can be flashed is in violation, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Officials are worried that drivers could flash the blue lights and create the appearance of a police vehicle attempting a traffic stop. Although drivers doing so might be pulling pranks, such activities are against the law, Hannah warned. "Some of them are hooked up to the flashing (hazard) lights," Hannah said. "Others have a separate toggle switch to turn them on and off." Both scenarios violate the law, Hannah said. In the past few weeks, deputies have pulled over approximately 10 violators, most of whom have been given warnings and not citations, Hannah said. The discretion is left up to the officer involved, he added. Another common violation is on vehicles that have smoke-colored headlight covers, which are also illegal, Hannah said. Replacing red reflectors on the sides of the vehicle near the rear with clear reflectors is also a technical violation of the law, Hannah explained. Replacing the tail light's white bulbs with red bulbs doesn't help meet the law's guidelines, either, Hannah said. "They have to be SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) approved or it's improper to be on the vehicle," Hannah said. Parents have questioned why the specialty items are sold in stores if they are illegal, Hannah noted.
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