Legal question

[tubbytommy]

Just out of interest, can the police make you turn a set of illegal lights on if they are turned off while driving? Not sure that makes sense lol

[kristel10589]

:err: why would they do that?

[Hannah]

Like neons?...

[Oli_K]

As in making you turn the illegal lights on and then doing you for them, even tho you dont use them on the road ?

I duno sounds like entrapment to me, but just having them fitted while the car is on the road could be enough.

Awaits someone with more knowledge.

[tubbytommy]

kinda... i had a set of blue/red flashing neons in my bmw front grille, and got pulled over and made to switch them on so they could see. they then made me strip them out. now i know they illegal but they wernt on while driving and they were brhind a grille. can they do that?

[tubbytommy]

like this

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q101/tubby_tommy_vts/IMG_2044.jpg

[Oli_K]

kinda... i had a set of blue/red flashing neons in my bmw front grille, and got pulled over and made to switch them on so they could see. they then made me strip them out. now i know they illegal but they wernt on while driving and they were brhind a grille. can they do that?

Yeh i tihnk they would be able to, tbh.

I mean how do they know your not going around impersonating a police car etc, there have been a fair few incidents of people doing that ive heard of.

EDIT: how they know they were there in the first place, pulled you over for something else and just noticed them ?

[tubbytommy]

nope just stopped in traffic behind him and he jumped out and said can you turn them on

[Oli_K]

Hmmm its a dodgy area tbh.

I would think he can make you remove them purely for being flashing blue and red.

I am not 100% sure tho, maybe ask a police man their are a few on here, and will find the thread soon enough.

*awaits*

[Hannah]

My Mum works for Sussex Police and said they can do because you don't need them on your car and you can be mistaken for police if you had them on whilst driving (I know you didn't but still) :)

[tubbytommy]

fair enough, just thought that was a bit random to be pulled over and asked to turn them on, oh well they gone now

[Mugello]

i think they can make you as they are most prob illegal, and plus they are on the road even if not on, and you could be mistake for a undercover cop car, and that BMW would fool me. looks like cops.

[gozzy-vtr]

its because there was alot of crime last year, people were ktting there cares out with blue flashing lights and making people stop, they'd then get out pretending to be an officers then hi-jacking there cars! silly i no but any additional lights generally are seen as suspicious

[mrolinc]

Was probably the fashion police...

[matt-88]

Tell them 2 shaft

My m8 got nicked for haveing footwell neons, he took them to a really small court and won the appeal. :)

[essex_sx]

my best mate is a copper, he just told me it is at the officers dicretion. It really is a grey area because laws around modifying cars take such a long time to be passed, as well as the police having to keep up with what illegal mods are available. seems to me u were just unlucky to be stopped by that officer, another guy may not have bothered...

[craig180]

If you weren't using them on a public highway there is NOTHING they can do.

You could have just played dumb and said "turn what on?"

When the officer points out the lights to you say they are just the backings off the AA and RAC badges you had on your grille

If all else fails say they can't be switched on because they aren't wired to anything.

Pretty unlikely any officer (even a really bored one) would follow it up

[Oli_K]

If you weren't using them on a public highway there is NOTHING they can do.

You could have just played dumb and said "turn what on?"

When the officer points out the lights to you say they are just the backings off the AA and RAC badges you had on your grille

If all else fails say they can't be switched on because they aren't wired to anything.

Pretty unlikely any officer (even a really bored one) would follow it up

Nice one for a deffinitive answer. :y: