These Car Accessories Are Illegal to Use
Andrew Koole
· 3 min read
You can do a lot of fun stuff to a car. You can raise it, add hydraulics, turn it into a
living space
, or install a sound system
of your choice. You can modify its shape, paint a psychedelic mural on its hood, or modify the exhaust system to make it louder. But there are limits—legal limits—to your creativity in this department, some things that you just can’t do. Despite their illegality, products are sold online that enable these illegal activities.
Like many illegal activities, the sale and ownership of paraphernalia associated with them are not illegal. Laws change between states, but in most cases buying these car accessories won’t get you into any trouble. Using them could potentially get you thrown in jail.
Items for impersonating emergency vehicles
Buying a red and blue flashing light or a siren isn’t illegal. You can use it in your home or on private property. But installing it onto your car is asking for trouble. And if you use it on city streets, you risk getting handed some pretty
hefty fines
.On the YouTube show D-List,
Donut Media
said, after prefacing that they weren’t giving legal advice, that driving on public streets with red and blue lights could get you a $500 ticket. But the loudspeaker is apparently the worst of the group of no-nos, punishable with a minimum fine of $650.Law enforcement-themed stickers and decals aren’t illegal on their own unless they’re positioned on your vehicle with the clear intent of impersonating a police car. In that case, it too can get you a nasty fine.
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Items for avoiding law enforcement
Ever since traffic police have used radar to catch speeders, people have sold radar detectors and other products to speeders trying to avoid getting ticketed. Are these devices illegal? It depends.
World Population Review
says radar detectors are legal to use in America (except in Virginia and Washington D.C.) because it’s been argued that it can help people be mindful of and obey speed limits. But because of distracted-driving laws, it’s illegal to mount them on your windshield in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Other radar-related consumer items get a little hairier. Something called a laser jammer is legal in 12 states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and D.C.
Radar jammers, on the other hand, are illegal under federal law.
Other illegal car accessories
As was mentioned earlier, laws differ from state to state. Certain modifications, like tinted windows, neon lights, and even exhaust flamethrowers are specifically
outlawed
in some parts of the country but not in others.One item highlighted on the D-List video above will get you in serious trouble no matter where you are in the U.S., though. The “Show Remote Control Retractable Hide Hidden Flip Car License Plate Flipper go n,” if used to post a plate not registered to the car it’s on, could land the driver in prison on fraud charges, plus up to $10,000 in fines. Not worth it.
You know what else isn’t worth it? Spending more on
car insurance
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