# Are these even legal anywhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075 "2002-11-22T02:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hayduke\_Lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hayduke\_Lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hayduke_Lives)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/1 "2002-11-22T02:34:18Z")
I’ve seen people use [these](http://www.radartest.com/STORE.html) on the freeway. People think they’re those “wig wag” lights cop cars have and pull over into another lane. I would think they would fall into the catagory of something like maybe “improper lighting” or something. Are they actually legal anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/2 "2002-11-22T02:45:48Z")
Volunteer firefighters in some states are allowed to use lights like that. As far as I know, each state (or possibly municipality) has its own rules regarding what kind/color/etc light they may use. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/3 "2002-11-22T02:47:55Z")
A check of the state statutes might be in order for you, or a simple call to the State Patrol. My WAG is that people who use them are relying on a general assumption that most people believe only the police use them, and that’s why they pull over. With that in mind, could a case be made they are impersonating a police or emergency vehicle? ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/4 "2002-11-22T05:11:53Z")
At the very least, couldn’t they get you for using your high beams too close to another vehicle? ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/5 "2002-11-22T07:48:17Z")
The Man stopped me and busted my chops for flashing my lights (low beam only)after passing a radar trap aimed at traffic going the other direction. He said the only emergency vehicles were allowed to have flashing lights. I’ll take the chop busting over the ticket anyday! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/6 "2002-11-22T08:44:53Z")
Virginia tried to pnish a guy who (after passing a speed trap facing the other way) held up a sign towards the approaching traffic. (How could the police object? The object of a speed trap is to reduce speeding right? Any revenue is just happenstance.) Anyway, he won, free speech and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/7 "2002-11-22T15:38:15Z")
In New Jersey, USA…it is illegal to flash your lights at another motorist. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/8 "2002-11-22T16:59:37Z")
I don’t flash my lights at cars because I’m afraid they’ll u-turn and chase me down in some god-awful gang initiation. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/9 "2002-11-22T18:07:23Z")
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to use wing wags unless it is an emergency vehicle. The law applied to volunteer firefighters as well, they can’t use them either. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/10 "2002-11-22T19:43:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Paul in Saudi \* > \*\*Virginia tried to pnish a guy who (after passing a speed trap facing the other way) held up a sign towards the approaching traffic. > > (How could the police object? The object of a speed trap is to reduce speeding right? Any revenue is just happenstance.) > > Anyway, he won, free speech and all that. \*\* I don’t recall this case. Do you, by chance, have a cite? - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/11 "2002-11-22T20:24:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*In New Jersey, USA…it is illegal to flash your lights at another motorist. \*\* Interesting. I’m in Ontario, Canada. When I was in drivers ed, we were encouraged to flash our lights at the car ahead of us to signal to them that we were pulling out to overtake them. I’ve never seen anyone do it except on the expressway – and then it’s almost always truckers who are signalling each other or car-truck combinations (tougher to pull a big rig in and out of traficc, so you blink-blink to let them know they’re clear to pull in front of you.) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-even-legal-anywhere/138075/12 "2002-11-22T20:35:09Z")
I did a short search last night, and found that wig-wag headlights are specifically illegal in Virginia and Illinois, at least. I’ve never seen any on civilian cars here in California. Peace mangeorge