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Question: What are the laws limiting the different color lights you can have on your tires or undercarriage of your car? Are under vehicle ground effect lights legal in Arizona?

Answer: There are many different extras you can add to your car to make it look really cool, including several types of lights that attach to various places on your car. Although these lights can make your car look cool, safety is one of the first considerations for Arizona laws on this topic. There are very specific guidelines in Arizona Law concerning colored lights and undercarriage or "Ground Effects" lights.

Arizona law says (ARS §28-931) that any reflectors or lights mounted on the front or front side of a car be "amber" which is a yellowish-orange color. And any reflectors or lights on the back or side back must be red, except for signal lights which must be red, yellow or amber. The light illuminating the license plate must be white.

Arizona Law (ARS §28-940) also addresses other car and truck lighting equipment. A car or truck cannot have:

  • more than two side or fender lights and they must be amber or white color.
  • more than one running board light on each side and they must be white or amber color.
  • more than two backup lamps (like a spotlight) but the backup lamps must not be shining while the vehicle is in motion.

Also, Arizona Law (ARS §28-947) has restrictions on the type of headlights you can have, and their brightness. And it is against Arizona Law for any car other than an emergency vehicle to have a red or blue light visible from the front of the vehicle.

So, Arizona Law allows you to have certain lights of certain colors on your car, but you cannot put differently colored lights on the body, under carriage or tires of your car. Safety is the priority, and colored lights can be distracting. People's eyes need to be on the road instead of looking at cool lights in order to avoid causing accidents.

Don't forget that some lights on your car are mandatory, like break lights, turn signals and headlights. You can be pulled over if any of these lights aren't working properly, so make sure to do regular maintenance on you car.


Comments
41 thru 45 of 60 comments
On 02/20/04
Alan from AZ said:
For Sean who tried to use fancy words to get his point across, driving a vehicle in the State of Arizona is not protected under the Constitution, because you see, driving is a privilege and not a right. If you obtain enough citations for violations of traffic laws, that privilege may be taken from you for a period of time. It is plain to see that he has little or no respect for the laws or those who serve to protect the citizens of this state. It is those that obey the smaller laws that will also prove to be law abiding citizens when it comes to more serious laws.
On 02/20/04
JR from AZ said:
I HAVE A 91 HONDA CIVIC, THESE CARS ARE VERY EASY TO MODIFY MY BIG QUESTION IS... WILL I GET PULLED OVER FOR HAVING BLUE CORNER LIGHTS ? TO BE VERY HONEST THEY DONT EVEN LOOK THAT BLUE BUT MORE LIKE A TEAL. I LEFT THE TURN SIGNALS ON MY BUMPER ALONE, THOSE ARE STILL ORANGE (( ORANGE !!! I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH MY CAR !!)) BUT IF LEAVING THOSE 2 TURN SIGNALS ORANGE WILL KEEP ME FROM GETTING IN TROUBLE THEN I GUESS ITS OKAY. IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME OUT WITH THIS QUESTION PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENT. I LIVE IN ARIZONA.
On 02/14/04
Pat from NJ said:
flashing blue and/or red lights are reserved to for emergency vehicles.. this includes volunteer firefighters or emergency medical personel responding to emergencies. If you see a vehicle with a flashing blue or red light, PULL OVER. If you were in trouble, you'd appreciate these volunteers who are trying to help you. In NJ, any vehicle with these lights is an emergency vehicle. They are not "just to look cool"
On 02/05/04
Dylan from AZ said:
I hate this law i think we should be allowed to have undercar neon lights
On 02/05/04
Walter from AZ said:
I WANT NEON LIGHTS UNDER MY CAR
41 thru 45 of 60 comments



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