Check your Stop lights - Or else !! Why read on

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Just as you may not be using the cruise control each time you go for a drive, you probably wont be checking your stop lights each time either. But I'm sure I use the cruise control a lot more often than if I check the stop lights say once a week.

True that.

It might seem like I'm harping on a bit on this one, but I have to do vehicle inspections every day and bulbs go all the time. It's easy to have a couple of spares, even of you
a) don't know the're blown or
b) you don't know how to change them.

All I'm saying is that if you appear to be a little bit prepared, you may not get the defect sticker.

Obviously, you can't be prepared for everything, but a couple of globes??? (that you will need eventually)

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by SYZ

What makes this so silly is that the old Holden 48-215 only had a single tail light as standard. So now the cops reckon a vehicle with better tyres, brakes, suspension and steering needs three times the brake lights to be safe? Yeah... that makes sense. Not.

Originally Posted by ratter

cops don't reckon it, the Australian Design Rules for the car dictate it.

The ADRs from 1972 (when they were introduced) actually stated one centrally located brake light, or a pair of brake lights located equally apart from the centre line of the car, and also had specs on the minimum separation distance for them. The rules were actually like this until 1990.
They only changed with the ADR introduction of the CHMSL - the high mounted 3rd brake light.

Originally Posted by Sabantien

Funnily enough I've seen quite a few police cars with brake lights and headlights not working lately.

Guy beside me at work got pulled over for an RBT very late one night - literally just outside the driveway of the local RSL. Unfortunately for the cops who were waiting, his 4 passengers were his sons & mates, and he was sober - just picking them up. It was the passenger in the cop car that did the test, and his boys were a bit smart to her about him being sober, and wasting their time. So she then proceeded to berate him about driving with fog lights on and how much the fine is, pulling out the ticket book.

He claimed he didn't realise, and it must have happened accidentally (I called him out on this by pointing out the dash indicator, and the fact that on his car you have to pull out the headlight switch to turn them on).

Quick thinking - he looked in the mirror, and noticed the cop car foglights were also on. With the utmost of diplomacy, pointed this out to her. The attitude quickly went from snarly to "have a nice night and don't let me catch you with them on again."

Originally Posted by mik

i think Supras had bulb monitoring from the first model in 1979, even had 4 speed auto back then.

First Supra wasn't until 81, and I don't think Australia got it until 82 or 83.

GM cars had the 4 speed trans from '81 in the USA. Took Holden another 7 years to get it (1988 VN - if you discount the 86 VL as a Jatco) and Ford were a bit longer again to the 4 speed EA.

But in any case the whole "euro is better" thing doesn't apply here, as the "technology" and it's very basic technology, existed in Australian built cars decades earlier....

[olfella]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Meanwhile as the policeman is defecting you for a blown bulb, some old lady is getting beat up and having her bag snatched around the corner.

He is doing his job! Did you report the old lady having her bag snatched? If not, how does he know that it is happening? BUT he does know you have a blown brake light!
And while he is doing that he is looking for anything else to add to the list of defects. It does not matter what argument you put up about how trivial you think the offence is, it is still an offence. It could be even be discretionary and that would come down to your attitude once pulled over. That will be the time to use all the excuses cited here.

[OzJavelin]

Defective light is different to usual RWC items .. its either working or its not. Unlike the usual bald tyres, defective brakes, etc which usually take time to develop and time for the driver to notice .. brakelight will just go out suddenly. My VY Commodore had a habit of it, so i would usually check it in the mornings every day before i left home .. but that was no guarentee it would be working on my return trip.

Bit harsh to canary someone for a defective globe .. especially when the remaining stop lights were working (ie wasnt the switch assembly)

[olfella]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Defective light is different to usual RWC items .. its either working or its not. Unlike the usual bald tyres, defective brakes, etc which usually take time to develop and time for the driver to notice .. brakelight will just go out suddenly. My VY Commodore had a habit of it, so i would usually check it in the mornings every day before i left home .. but that was no guarentee it would be working on my return trip.

Bit harsh to canary someone for a defective globe .. especially when the remaining stop lights were working (ie wasnt the switch assembly)

I agree and this is where the discretion comes into it. However you are going to have to convince to ticket writer a lot more if two or more are not working.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by TER2BO

My wife was driving our Ford Territory when she was pulled over by the Highway Patrol in Melb.on 1st Feb.
One of the 3 rear stop lights was not working.
Short story - no please fix it - just a Yellow unroadworty sticker and notice to fix it within 7 days or else .
Did the job in about 45sec.(Territories and Falcon wagons seem to blow bulbs on a regular basis). (Are any bulbs made to last these days???)
But now you have to take the car to Vic Roads to have it inspected and the 'unroadworthy' taken off.
Went there today waited 45mins to be served -then they tell me its $45.10 for them to tell whether or not the brake lights are working.
This new charge just happened to start from the (you guessed it) 1st Feb.
To say I was unhappy and it was a complete waste of everyones time plus the added expenses of travel and loss of income is an understatment.
Heaven forbid if they start to make you have a roadworthy as well- another $200 minimum.
So suggest you check your lights regularly and change those Festoon bulbs on your trailer/caravan for something more robust.

For everyone saying cop must of had a bad day etc, the OPs wife could have copped a lot more. Of course it would be better off with a warning but we do not know if there was previous warnings etc. Plus the police are cracking down on everything at moment due to the whole street racing incident last week.

First thing the officer could have put a major defect on the car, which means that you would need to obtain a roadworthy certificate for the car. Instead he has just sent it to a Vic roads office for an inspection. (Minor Defect).

The second thing is, the officer could of also issued her with a fine of $300 plus for driving an unroadworthy car. This fine is at the officers discretion.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Thats a bit of a grey area, if you aren't hitting the freeway and are just heading to the shop in traffic, are you going to hit cruise?

i use cruise all day every day. any speed zone, 50 through to 110. it confuses me why so many people think cruise is just for highway driving. mind you, the FG is easily the most user friendly system i've come across.

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

If the cops are going to be petty, why cant they target the idiots who drive around in the rain with their headlights off?

agreed. lights are just as much about being seen as being able to see.

[crainger]

Originally Posted by prydey

i use cruise all day every day. any speed zone, 50 through to 110. it confuses me why so many people think cruise is just for highway driving. mind you, the FG is easily the most user friendly system i've come across.




agreed. lights are just as much about being seen as being able to see.

I use cruise for long stretches of road works. Glad the FG lets you put it on at 40. Cops love to camp around the road works here. Cops of the mobile speed camera.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

Common sense needs to used, the car has 3 stop lights, surley safety is not compremised as 2 are srill working. The HP must be hard up for numbers to ping you on that, they do have discresion but this cop dosn't see the mum and dad paying a mortgage and putting food in the table for the kids. What a grub, the cops have changed so much since I was in, (NSW). They are not taught to be a buman these days.

There are endless posts on here with people complaining the cops do nothing but book people for speeding. One cop does do something else and its all hands on deck for a whinge about that.

Why should police be asked to be selective about the law? He was doing his job and he should be commended for it. The problem is not with the HWP officer. It was and is the money grab by the government to get the inspection and all clear. That fee was excessive. Then again we all know that state governments use anything to do with vehicles as a cash cow.

As for losing time to get it cleared for inspection. If it makes the owner check the tail lights more often, I would say job done.

[Blue Shadow]

What he was doing was being was being a tool his job was to ensure that the car was safe, with 2 other brake lights it was safe. All that needed to be done was let the driver know and log it.
Police gain more credibility by using descresion and helping drivers not by burning them for this sort of stuff. Check your lifht every time u drive and one blows while you are driving and you get booked and a defected tell the cop "but i just checked them" and see if that will fly. Cops should be selective in these matters and the traffic act does allow for it. By your standard cars should be defected for tyres beung 2 psi light on air

[csv8]

Front indicator globes on my BF ,you have to take of the wheel and the under fender trim to replace the globe.!!! cannt do it from engine bay !!! My WQ Fiesta you have to take of the front grill to get at the screw that holds the headlight in place !!! What happened is just revenue raising a warning should have been sufficient...

[The Yeti]

seems a little harsh,

But I remember there was a girl at my office the LH rear stop light was out the day she started with us

I pointed it out and thought no more about it until the next time I followed her in to the carpark a month or so later, it was still blown.

I pointed it out again and said I would bring in a bulb and fit it for her the next day all she had to do was call me when she went to lunch and I would pop it in while she waited wouldn't take more than 30secs

true to my word I got the bulb out of the shed (I have one of those old servo bulb displays I got out of my dads workshop when he passed away) and it sat on my desk until she left 3 years later with me reminding here several times through out her employment

I cant see why A/ she never bothered to let me know
B/ How it never got picked up during her yearly pink slip inspection
C/ the police didnt pick here up

but I often wonder if her car still has a blown stop light and also how many cars on the road have a blown globe that the owners know about and never bother to replace for months / years on end

[sprintman1]

Whingeing about checking ones lights are working? There are some sad cases on this forum!

[MercurySilver]

Wow
One brake light out of three not working

Prob really shouldve taken her down the station and read her her rights and sat her in the cells for a night

[SB076]

Originally Posted by Ducati888

Put LED bulbs in.

They still fail, I have had 3 LED lights fail in my house (didnt get close to the 50,000 hours they were guaranteed to last) They were all replaced free of charge

One in three not working, suggest someone was having a bad day and took it out on your wife. Think in most instances police would use their discretion and simply ask her to get it fixed, or worst case scenario ask her to get it fixed and drive past a Police station so they can see its been done.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

There are endless posts on here with people complaining the cops do nothing but book people for speeding. One cop does do something else and its all hands on deck for a whinge about that.

Why should police be asked to be selective about the law? He was doing his job and he should be commended for it. The problem is not with the HWP officer. It was and is the money grab by the government to get the inspection and all clear. That fee was excessive. Then again we all know that state governments use anything to do with vehicles as a cash cow.

As for losing time to get it cleared for inspection. If it makes the owner check the tail lights more often, I would say job done.

If it was a cash grab, the officer could have fined the ops wife $300 plus for driving an unroadworthy car.

[ford71V8]

My old XY used to always blow the drivers side brake bulb.

Always had a couple in the console ready with a screwdriver.

Smirky cop always lightened up when I would say "Again, bugga, let me fix that".
He'd watch me do it then walk around the car asking questions. Few times they'd point out something else they're not happy with but would always let me go.

Show them you're aware of the problem and you have a fix for it, they'd have to be a serious **** to do anything other than let you carry on with your business.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

Whingeing about checking ones lights are working? There are some sad cases on this forum!

...and any suggestions on exactly how you check your own brake lights if you're on your own...? Especially in daylight...?

[blackf6]

I for one am sick of seeing dh driving around with blown tail lights/ headlights, broken lenses ect. That's how it starts. Next they deal drugs to your children. I have to do a pre start on my truck every day. Even need Mudflaps.

[blackf6]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...and any suggestions on exactly how you check your own brake lights if you're on your own...? Especially in daylight...?

Pull your trailer brakes on.
Or broomstick from seat to pedal, or brick on pedal.
Or reverse up to a shop window. Um....

[stevo73]

Wedge a 1200 mm spirit level between the seat and the brake pedal it is made to fit

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by DeJaVu GT

Pull your trailer brakes on.
Or broomstick from seat to pedal, or brick on pedal.
Or reverse up to a shop window. Um....

I thought broomstick was for the loud pedal while you have a stroll around the cab?

[blackf6]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

I thought broomstick was for the loud pedal while you have a stroll around the cab?

Nah, we just use cruise now. Can jump in the bunk for a half an hour break. Whilst the truck keeps working. But make sure you have some string on the trailer brake, just in case you have to do some rear steering for the truck.

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by xisled

If it was a cash grab, the officer could have fined the ops wife $300 plus for driving an unroadworthy car.

Its not a cash grab its a cop being a ******. Cash grabs are everything else the govt does to the motoring public

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

Wow
One brake light out of three not working

Prob really shouldve taken her down the station and read her her rights and sat her in the cells for a night

And then taken a phone book to her then verbaled her into some unsolved murder. Make the numbers look good...lol

[Cav]

It seems everyone is having a say so I thought I would jump right in.

If you have a defective tailight/brakelight it is an excuse for a cop to pull you over.

The cop will more than likely do a licence check and RBT at the same time.

Now I dunno what happened in this case but it does happen that the driver has a go at the cop.

This means that the car will get a thorough inspection and the cop will delay the driver even longer as the driver complains about cops who should be out catching real criminals.

You see it all the time on 'Highway Patrol.'' These people are being filmed and they still carry on!

My apologies if my post offends the original poster. There is no mention of her encounter with the cop and there is no suggestion she did in fact have a go at the cop.'

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by Cav

It seems everyone is having a say so I thought I would jump right in.

If you have a defective tailight/brakelight it is an excuse for a cop to pull you over.

The cop will more than likely do a licence check and RBT at the same time.

Now I dunno what happened in this case but it does happen that the driver has a go at the cop.

This means that the car will get a thorough inspection and the cop will delay the driver even longer as the driver complains about cops who should be out catching real criminals.

You see it all the time on 'Highway Patrol.'' These people are being filmed and they still carry on!

My apologies if my post offends the original poster. There is no mention of her encounter with the cop and there is no suggestion she did in fact have a go at the cop.'

I was a policeman for 20 years, never in the hwp or cockroackes. I can tell you that these shows are edited, a normal traffic stop would not make it on tv, not good for ratings. And yes if the driver, like anyother fleabag is a smart a***e then they get turned over. But there times and more than you can imagine, also when the cop is to big for his boots. The incident in question would not even register in a cops mind, but there are alot of hwp that do go over board,

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

I was a policeman for 20 years, never in the hwp or cockroackes. I can tell you that these shows are edited, a normal traffic stop would not make it on tv, not good for ratings. And yes if the driver, like anyother fleabag is a smart a***e then they get turned over. But there times and more than you can imagine, also when the cop is to big for his boots. The incident in question would not even register in a cops mind, but there are alot of hwp that do go over board,

I was told by a cop that the term cockroach relates to the lowest form of life, you know ping anything for the greatest reward (?). Dunno if its true or not but its somewhat of an ego trip fining everyone for everything. I have had my fair share of rbts and random pull overs, of which I have never been fined, however the 2 drug searches and the sucpision of driving a stolen vehicle stop werent exactly fun, but they did their job which is justified as every time I was wearing a beanie with long hair, though I didn't have socks on my hands. ... ive never lost a point, and most people would see these as harassment, but I look at it as people making a judgement call which is part of their job. The tail light globe fine was rediculous... no further comment

[Trump]

Originally Posted by olfella

He is doing his job! Did you report the old lady having her bag snatched? If not, how does he know that it is happening? BUT he does know you have a blown brake light!
And while he is doing that he is looking for anything else to add to the list of defects. It does not matter what argument you put up about how trivial you think the offence is, it is still an offence. It could be even be discretionary and that would come down to your attitude once pulled over. That will be the time to use all the excuses cited here.

That's all good and well, but VicPol TMU guys are a special breed, they are like that grocery shop that sold close to expired goods, NQR.

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...and any suggestions on exactly how you check your own brake lights if you're on your own...? Especially in daylight...?

You're obviously taking the ****, but just in case shop windows are everywhere.............