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Although it doesn't offer any benefit aside from making motor vehicles look more appealing to some people, underglow has become widely popular in the country. Nonetheless, this is not legal in all states since some of them restrict additional vehicle lighting.
Hence, Missouri citizens often wonder if underglow is legal there or if there are any limitations to it. Anyone asking themself that question landed on the right page.
The Powell Law Firm is always available for people with different law inquiries or in need of legal help, so anyone with any law-related concern should call it as soon as they can. Powell Law Firm can answer questions like, "Is it illegal to have blue lights on your car in Missouri?"
Read on to know if Missouri neon underglow is legal!
Does Missouri Restrict Additional Vehicle Lighting?
Missouri doesn't restrict additional vehicle lighting, but there are no specific laws that say anything about neon lights. Since the law doesn't say anything about neon underglow, people can assume it's legal to install it as long as they follow state restrictions regarding aftermarket lights installed in a car or other motor vehicles.
This means people can install underglow or auxiliary lamps on motor-drawn vehicles in Missouri with no problem.
It's worth noting that the restrictions the state has on vehicle lights don't apply to emergency vehicles since they often need those lights to move fast or across other cars to take care of emergencies. That's actually one of the reasons these regulations exist in the first place.
When ambulances, for example, need to get to the ICU, they turn on various lamps that flash in red colors to let other drivers know they have to move faster than them. Showing those lights to drivers is essential to keep any accident from happening.
The same occurs when police officers chase criminals and turn on flashing red and blue lights to follow them. If all vehicles started to have the same lights, no one would know when an emergency happens, which would lead to many vehicle crashes.
Things to Consider When Installing Missouri Neon Underglow
As mentioned before, people can install Missouri neon underglow on their cars as long as they follow the light regulations stated by the law. Even if underglow is not illegal itself, installing lights that ignore state restrictions will make the vehicle driver get in trouble with the law.
However, there are not many regulations or complex-to-follow restrictions in this state regarding the lights people can install on their cars, so here are they:
Make Sure There's Not a Red Light Visible from the Front
Whether it's underglow or any other kind of lighting, cars can't have any red light plainly visible from the front of the vehicle in this state. Hence, any device thereon displaying red lights from the front will be breaking the law.
There are, though, some exceptions to that rule. Only a school bus or an emergency vehicle can show red lights from the front. Since people can see underglow from the front of the vehicle, no one should install red underglow on their cars in Missouri.
While there are not any regulations to any device thereon displaying blue lights, most people recommend not installing them since blue and red lights are often used for police cars.
If people still want to get red lights on their cars, they have to make sure their cars don't exhibit lights close to the rear registration marker or on a rear lamp. Either such rear lamp or any other light close to it is also off-limits.
While vehicles with school purposes are not exactly emergency vehicles, they are full of children and need to be extra careful around other cars, which is the reason the law allows them to ignore some of these restrictions.
No Flashing Lights
Unless it's an emergency vehicle, cars can't have any flashing warning signals regardless of which color they are. While neon underglow doesn't often show flashing lights, it's best if everyone knows this to prevent any issue from happening.
Why does Missouri law have these regulations? Well, flashing neon lights can confuse other drivers on the street unless they come from the specified vehicles mentioned before. People often drive slower or become scared of vehicles with flashing neon lights since they are often emergency cars in a rush.
Therefore, having those flashes in a regular car would make the driver take unfair advantage of that. The same happens with red lights since people who see any red light visible from the front of the vehicle will think it's an ambulance, police car, or school bus.
Any person violating these restrictions will be guilty of a misdemeanor, and while misdemeanors are not as severe as felonies, they are not to take for granted as they still appear on people's records when others look for them.
What If Cars Exhibit Lights Substantially White?
Motor vehicles lighted shall exhibit lights substantially white since auxiliary lamps have to show that color according to the law. Apart from that, license plate illumination must be white all the time, so it also complies with restrictions regarding that matter.
Naturally, this doesn't include white flashing neon lights since they are still not legal for any kind of regular motor vehicle. However, there doesn't seem to be any regulation regarding vehicles that exhibit lights substantially white in the form of underbody glow.
Bottom Line - Hire an Experienced Lawyer from the Powell Law Firm!
As this article shows, any motor-drawn vehicle can have underglow lights as long as they are not red or flashy. Thus, people don't need to worry about if their car has lights of any other color. This also applies to motorized bicycles.
The Powell Law Firm is always available for Missouri citizens looking for experienced car accident attorneys who offers a free consultation on a personal injury case. This law firm works with excellent personal injury lawyers, so they are more than qualified and experienced to help any clients who call it. Powell Law Firm also has information on Missouri workers' compensation laws.
However, if people have any questions about what Missouri law states about vehicle regulations and related subjects, they can also contact this company for answers.