Ticket for blinkers being too close?!

I got a fix-it ticket for my blinkers being less than 9" apart.  The California VC that the cop wrote down was 24252(a).  Below is that law, and I don't see anything about 9" apart.  I'm guessing that i'll have to figure out a fix though, huh?  Anyways, if anybody has any advice on where to put signals and keep the tail clean let me know.  I was thinking about micro flush blinkers and putting them upside down under the tail far enough up that they're 9" apart.  Does anyone see any problems with that?  Do they have to be near the tail of the bike?

Check out my photo album, I have an integrated light right now (which is in the vehicle code below... so not sure about that one).

Also check out my new 15" Carbon Fiber Two Bros M2... took them 2 months to get it to me, but it looks and sounds sick!
Lighting Equipment Requirements 24252.  (a) All lighting equipment of a required type installed on a vehicle shall at all times be maintained in good working order. Lamps shall be equipped with bulbs of the correct voltage rating corresponding to the nominal voltage at the lamp socket. (b) The voltage at any tail, stop, license plate, side marker or clearance lamp socket on a vehicle shall not be less than 85 percent of the design voltage of the bulb. Voltage tests shall be conducted with the engine operating. (c) Two or more lamp or reflector functions may be combined, provided each function subject to requirements established by the department meets such requirements. (1) No turn signal lamp may be combined optically with a stoplamp unless the stoplamp is extinguished when the turn signal is flashing. (2) No clearance lamp may be combined optically with any taillamp or identification lamp.

Looks more like a harrasment ticket instead of a fix-it ticket.

Was it a CHP officer?

Now no offence to LEO's out there, but I've found some PD and SO  officers out there arn't the best experts on vehicle code issues

So I suppose the ticket says your in vilolation of VC 24252(a), Did the officer state on there that the reason your in violation is because the lights are not a min of 9" apart?   If the vehicle code your cited under doesn't actually address that, go to the CHP and see if they can sighn if off since your not in violation, 

Since this isn't an infraction I dont think you can even go to court over it can you? if so get a court date and show up with a copy of the VC, I have and I've gotten two tickets dismissed before, but it involved riding an off road registerd bike across a public street,
I got cited by a CHP officer, and another CHP officer told me what I did was not illegal, My father who was a CHP LT at the time. he gave me his VC book that I took to court, showed the judge, he read it, told the officer to review what ever code it was and said dismissed!

By the way... I got the ticket on one of the last days of August, I wonder if some sort of quota hadn't been met.  It was totally harassment.  I saw the cop pull onto the freeway from pulling someone else over.  My friend was driving behind me because I just filled the air in my rear tire on account of it was kind of low and I was unsure if i had a slow or fast leak.  So i was going right on the speed limit, or even a little under.  Well, he sped right up and got right behind me, which there wasn't much room because my friend in his car was right on my tail too.  He rode like that, super close to me for like a mile or two, and then of course here come the lights.  To top things off this was right in the middle of the SoCal heatwave and it was like 110 degrees in the valley and of course I ride 35 miles through gnarly traffic so i have my leather jacket and gloves on... I was sweating up a storm!

Anyway, I'm kind of mad because I can't figure out a good way to fix it.  Do you think I can take the ticket in and say the law doesn't specify signal width?  Maybe I'll fix it to look good without having just integrated signals.  What a hassle...

Thanks for the replies though, I'll figure this out somehow...

quote:

ORIGINAL: brianm767

My father who was a CHP LT at the time. he gave me his VC book that I took to court, showed the judge, he read it, told the officer to review what ever code it was and said dismissed!

i dont even understand why they would give you a ticket in the first place. shouldn't they have just read up that you're father was a CHP LT and they could have just said "dont do it next time"... i've had an instance where i was with a buddy of mine and we were pulled over for making a left turn at a spot where you couldnt make left turns around 4pm-7pm. and my buddy's dad was a sergeant and he just told the officer that and the cop pissed in his pants basically and told us to have a nice day. just like everyone in this world, nobody's perfect and not even perfect @ doing their job. so yeah some cops may not know everything as the veterans do...

ps... must be nice to have family in the force!

Well I wasnt in the area my dad worked, and I didn't try to drop any names , I've never really done that, and I've gotten tickets, but last week my wife and I did get pulled over in her car for too dark of window tint, he saw the KA4993 license plate frame  he asked who do you work for? I said well I'm not on the patrol, the frame is from my dad, who is now a retired CHP Capt, he said well your windows are too dark, I'll just tell give you a verbal warning to remove the tint, but the next time I see you I will cite you. My wife was kidding me for dropping the name, I said yah well I din't get a ticket, unlike you who did get one in the same car last year for the same window tint,

And it is nice to have LEO 's in the family, but I've never  really tried to drop names when getting pulled over, believe me I've  gotten my share of tickets,  my dad would always say you should, it couldnt hurt, but there have been a couple of times when the officers reconised the name and asked if I knew who Ken M$#@ was? I said yah thats my dad, then I got out of a few tickets, one was in norther Cali almost at the Oregon border, I live in the middle of the state, so were hundreds of miles away from home, the guy said I used to work with your dad, he's one of the best guys I've ever worked with, that was good to hear,  but now my dad is retired, and my two first cousins are also retired CHP but my son is a crrent Sherrifs deputy and he still calls my dad and ask about VC regs at times, 

Have some fun with it make a stand for some large trailer lights, run a power lead off your battery with a couple of switches for the signal and mount them to the back of the bike. The officer signing off the ticket will probably have a good laugh about it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: drewj31
Does anyone see any problems with that? Do they have to be near the tail of the bike?

why do you think that the stock bikes has that fender that has those lengthy turnings signals? its because the manufacuters stick to the state laws.
it sucks that you got pulled over for such bs but you do have a violation of code, especially in CA.
in NYC were are required to have 6" clearance from the tail to the signal.

btw, you should read some of our other descussions about the intergrated signals. for most part they are illegal in most states. dont let the DOT approved sticker fool you.

I had Virginia inspection shop tell me they'd fail my bike and one of the reasons was my tail light doesn't meet the DOT 8" min distance apart.  They also said they'd fail me for not having the bicycle reflectors on my bike and I think there was a few others.... I just started laughing and said it's a good thing I'm moving back to Ohio before my inspection runs out.  Freaking nazi states with there rules.... next, they will try to stop us from speeding. 

I've asked several officers in San Diego about that law.  Nobody has EVER been able to tell me the requirement.  I've went through the VC several times and still could not find this 9" law.  Strange!!!  

OK so I sent the original post to my dad, he's a retired CHP capt, but he still keeps pretty up to date?  here's what he had to say, I dont understand legal talk, but the botom line is, yes you are in violation, even if the section (a) of the VC  doesnt clearly state it.

Here it goes.


Towards the bottom of CVC Section 24252 (a)  it says, "...subject to requirements established by the department." This refers to the California Code of Regulations, which is the administrative code for the state. There are many "Titles" (think of  divisions) in the CCR. One "Title" is for the Highway Patrol. The CHP, in conjunction with the University of California, Manufacturers, and Industry groups across the country, develop regulations covering everything relating to transportation issues including:  loading regulations, vehicle equipment requirements, and on and on and on. The advantage of this system is the State Legislature does not have to enact an actual state law covering every tiny facet of these lengthily, complicated, and technical regulations. That would be virtually impossible.