Just got a ticket for this.

[jamal1984]

I'm not mad at all, but i got a laugh for us government, to give ticket for something like THIS. Oh My God.

[tomato]

what did you get a ticket for, no front plaque?
black car?
too much wax on the car? not enough wax?
Having a sedan instead of a LB?
the possibilities are endless ...

[sqcomp]

I'd give him a ticket for the bubbles under the eyelid decal...

What exactly was it for though? As much as I rag on some people for receiving tickets...they're mostly for speeding which is easily their fault. If yours is truly for the decals on the top of the headlamp assembly, I'm on your side. What municipal statute was broken here? It'll probably say on the ticket.

[tomato]

not to sound like a dork or anything ;) but are eyelids illegal?

Originally Posted by sqcomp

I'd give him a ticket for the bubbles under the eyelid decal..

[jamal1984]

It's the eyelid
The reason you guys see bubble under eyelids is because my headlight got burned there. That is why i put the eyelids on.
The cop pulled me over because i got an eyelids, he said i can't have any sticker on my headlight.
I was also about to pass out when i heard him said that and write me a ticket for it. I just shook my head and leave
Do the government need moneys that bad?
Ticket wrote illegal stickers on headlight.

[jamal1984]

I told the cop the reason why i put the eyelids there because it's got burned and the eyelids is not even affecting the headlight output at all. He looked at me and said I DON'T CARE BUY YOUR SELF A NEW HEADLIGHTS.

[BailOut]

It's a small thing but it makes sense to me as it blocks part of the headlight beam. Form should follow function, as we all know, but in this case the form was in the way of the function. The manufactured headlight covers that are sold here on YW carefully avoid getting into the beam's path. Your decals do not.

How did you burn your headlight housing, anyway? That's one of the oddest things I've ever seen.

[sqcomp]

I say all he'd have to do is to trim the decal on the same plane as the hood line.

Still, we need to refer to the municipal statute for reference. I'm SURE this isn't a state law, it's too petty.

[MadMax]

Took me less than a minute to find it....

According to the Georgia Code of Motor Vehicles and Traffic - Title 40, Section 40-8-22, subsection (d):

The headlights required by this Code section shall be maintained in proper working condition and shall not be covered by any type of material, provided that the covering restriction shall not apply to any vehicle on which the original factory headlights were covered.

So, you really don't have much of an argument...ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

[BaknBlak]

I'm pretty sure all eyelids are illegal. Like he said, nothing on headlights, period. I'm kinda surprised he didn't get you for no license plate and things hanging from your rear view mirror while he was at it. All illegal in CA. Right or wrong, he gave you a break.

[tk-421]

Sorry to hear about that, @jamal1984!

Yeah those eyelids definitely get in the way of the light beam. Plus the material you used (I'm guessing vinyl?) is too flexible to cover anything up under there.

You really should consider getting some proper eyelids for your car. They're not as aggressive-looking as yours, but they are fine for daily use (they don't get in the way of the beam at all) and they can cover up the burn in your headlight a lot better. .02

[JBougie]

They really just want to pick on those who mod their cars. They know it's an easy way to make a buck.

I think it's stupid. They don't hurt or harm the functionality of the damn light - they should just leave it alone.

You can't tell me the police don't have more important things to be doing than screwing with people who have eyelids on their car.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by BaknBlak

I'm pretty sure all eyelids are illegal. Like he said, nothing on headlights, period. I'm kinda surprised he didn't get you for no license plate and things hanging from your rear view mirror while he was at it. All illegal in CA. Right or wrong, he gave you a break.

The OP is in Georgia, which does not have front tags, hence it is not against the law not to have one.

Also, there is nothing against hanging things on a rearview mirror in the Georgia Code of Motor Vehicles and Traffic either, so he didn't "get a break."

If you are going to pass judgment on someone, at least use the applicable state laws...

[tomato]

Oh, well, if that is the law, better take them off before you get a repeat ticket (I'm guessing that'd be more expensive and more of a hassle).

[MadMax]

Just a quick question for the OP, considering you could easily remove the "eyelids;" can't this be handled as a "fix it" ticket? You remove the material, then take it to a police station or someplace to verify it has been removed, and the ticket is dismissed. Is that an option?

But given the law, I would either find aftermarket headlights or forgo putting any "eyelids" on at all; as even if this ticket is dismissed, it will still be on you record and if you get caught again it could have more serious ramifications!

[tomato]

they charge us for "Fix-it" tickets in California, these days.

I had one for lack of registration - my sticker fell off !! - when I had my old car, even though, my car WAS registered and they could easily check it. I asked them to remove the "non registration" ticket but they said no, I ended up paying a "fix-it" charge and having to pay again to get my sticker re-issued a second time grrrrrr

That was in Berkeley, though, they're notorious for stuff like that. They hate cars Actually that day, I got 2 tickets since I also got a fine for an expired meter (2 minutes expired)

[sbergman27]

I don't think that this is a case of it, but... a few times during the last few years I've been stopped on the Interstate for reasons which were obviously bogus. A Kansas HP officer stopped me a week or two ago, asking if my tag was expired. It was a temporary Oklahoma tag from the dealer, reading the purchase date of "02/25/10" and I didn't even have the paperwork to get a real tag yet. I noted that he was careful not to *say* it was expired, but to ask. I told him I'd just bought the car a couple of weeks ago, and he lamely explained that in Kansas they put the expiration date on the tag. (Hello? How long have you been a highway patrolman in our neighboring state of Oklahoma? And in all that time, I'm the first person with a new car from Oklahoma that you've stopped? Even though you are claiming that it's the soul reason you stopped me? And you look about 45 years old?)

And then the questions started. Where are you coming from? Where are you headed? Have you done any drugs or alcohol today? (It was 10:27 in the morning.)

Eventually, it appeared that the business had concluded. He started to walk away. But then, he turned... and I swear this felt just like an old Columbo episode... he asked the expected question: "Can I have a look in your trunk?"

I'm a male driver traveling alone, so I must be carrying drugs, you see. This happened to me a couple of times before. So I looked up just what my rights were. They can ask. I can refuse. So I refused. (Actually, that's what I did the two previous times, but it was on instinct and not knowledge.)

Now, understand that I didn't have anything more interesting than dirty underwear in the trunk. Any of those times. I simply choose not to do recreational drugs or transport them. But it is just plain *wrong* to stop people on bogus pretense, and then prey on the victim's presumed ignorance of his rights to intimidate him into letting you conduct a search.

So we talked political philosophy for a while. Really, we did. I couldn't believe I had the nerve to fence with a highway patrolman like that, but this third attempted violation of my rights and privacy really had me ticked.

( And yes, a lot more than even my friend Brian, in this forum, has managed to do. :-P )

What it finally came down to was that he admitted that he couldn't force me to allow the search. But... he could force me to wait for a K9 unit to arrive. I told him fine. If that's what we have to do, then fine. It's still wrong. But fine. He said it might take a while. Maybe 30 minutes. (He waited for my reaction.) I said fine.

He went back and talked to his buddy. After a while, he came back and said that the K9 unit was 30 minutes away and that he wasn't going to detain me any longer. I told him I appreciated that. And put out my hand to shake. He said that "everyone" said what I had said. (I have difficulty believing that real drug traffickers made exactly the arguments I did, or as well. But perhaps that's just vanity.) He shook my hand, and I looked him in the eye and told him, in as sincere a voice as I can manage, that there really *wasn't* anything of interest in my trunk. I didn't do it, but I probably should have asked him to think about that sometime when he had chance. But I was rattled. And my nerves have limits.

I was glad to be on my way.

-Steve

Edit: One really strange thing that I forgot to mention is that while he asked me if I had insurance on the car... he never so much as asked me for my driver's license or proof of insurance.

[tk-421]

Originally Posted by MadMax

But given the law, I would either find aftermarket headlights or forgo putting any "eyelids" on at all; as even if this ticket is dismissed, it will still be on you record and if you get caught again it could have more serious ramifications!

This is a very good point. I hadn't thought of that.
I think eyelids may not be in your future, jamal...