what qualifies as a third brake light
 

storytime

so driving home friday night from school i got stopped at a dui checkpoint. of course lucky jon (me) gets stopped and they give a 360 degree walk around of my car (not looking at me at ALL, which is what dui checkpoints should do). but anyways, the cop tells me my third breaklight is out. i told him, theres a functional one on my spoiler that does work, the one in the car however, doesnt. he said the one in the car HAS to work.

i end up getting a ticket.

now does anyone know the rule on this? it passed inspection in march the way it is now with the third brake light on the spoiler, and ive never heard of having 4 brake lights...and im absolutely positive there are cars that have rolled off the lines with third brake lights on spoilers.

every light your vehicle comes with on the exterior must be operational.

Why do you have an interior and exterior 3rd brake light? Which one isn't stock?

My '87 only has the spoiler mounted 3rd, nothing inside.

- Justin

oh i forgot to mention that this was on my civic

My understanding: A checkpoint can only be used for the stated purpose. So, a DUI checkpoint can not become an inspection check point whenever the officers fgeel like it.
That is just my understanding though.

Ahh....well if you have a functional light in an aftermarket spoiler, and your factory one isn't working, then the ticket is valid. Stock lights all have to work, regardless if you have replacements.

- Justin

i would take third one out and since u have a spoiler one then u cant get a ticket for ur third break light out...cops r dicks wat you expect sorry. call police station and ask what the law is and dmv also.

if it was the aftermarket light that was not operational and the stock high mount third brake light was it would be a different story.

go to the place you got your car inspected and talk to them and see what exactly has to be working. Ny and Nj are different so i cant help you, all i know is the only lights we dont have to have operational are the fogs i believe.

My dad's subaru outback sedan came with a dealer installed spoiler, however, it still has the inside light. The way its wired is that it bypasses the interior light and lights up the one on the spoiler... he's never had any sort of problem with it as far as police go...

take a picture of your brake lights lit and go to court with it. ask them why you got a ticket. see what happens.

on my 01, if you get the factory option spoiler, you get both lights, but the one in the window is covered....

From what ive seen on honda civics is that when you have a factory spoiler with 3rd brake light the one inside the car is disabled.It doesnt light up.I have a 96 civic ex without spoiler and thats why i take notice to all the ones that do have the factory rear spoilers

False. They can not target cars for any reason except using methodical selection (stopping every car, stopping every third, every fifth, etc.)

Once you are stopped they have full rights to give you a ticket.

I'm not familiar enough with the laws to say whether that is a valid brake light. My gut says you CAN have an extra third brake light in your spoiler but your stock one has to remain functional (preventing people from adding a stupid third brake light and complaining it complies with all regulation).

While this is true (I believe), that is a factory job. Every light that came from the factory lit, remains lit. . This was aftermarket.

I'm sorry that's a ******** ticket...legal or not the cop was being a dick, no question about that. If you still had a functional 3rd light(factory or not) then he was just being a douche.

yeah thats what i have a 96..i put the aftermarket si spoiler on it with the functional third breaklight on the spoiler.

but how would cops know the difference between an aftermarket third brake light and a factory one if some cars are sold with both like cbrmike said..

definitely a bullcrap ticket...the funny thing is, they didnt even LOOK at me when they stopped me, they went around my car looking for anything BUT a dui. they had limited space to pull people over and they filled it up most likely giving ******** tickets, toward the end of the stop before i got my ticket i heard on their radios to let the 'traffic go' because they didnt have enough space to pull more people over..so people who could have been driving drunk were allowed to drive through and people with not functioning third brake lights were let go.

great fundraiser

you were in the wrong. thats why. stop whining and pay your fine. if you dont wanna get bothered by it take the pedestal brake light out inside the rear decklid.