Q: Hi Honk: A number of cars and motorcycles have blue running lights, and when approaching them, are mistaken for police or emergency vehicles. Are these blue lights legal?
– Ed Skebe, San Pedro
A: No.
Civilian motorcycles, trucks and cars should not have blue lights anywhere on their exteriors, said Bobby Eurin, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol out of the Torrance office that patrols the 110 Freeway in your community, Ed.
“Those are not legal,” he said.
The law was likely enacted way back when for exactly the reason you broached, Ed — so the public can tell that that is an officer’s vehicle.
Having those blue lights could get the owner a fix-it ticket, Eurin said, but that can graduate to as high as an arrest if the officer believes there is enough evidence to suggest the offender is impersonating law enforcement.
Running lights, for those who may not know, are lower-wattage lights near the headlights that often turn on when the vehicle does.
Q: Hello, Honk: What’s the rule on paper license plates? Is there a time limit for them to be on a vehicle? Today, I was behind a car that had paper plates from 2020.
– Mario Luna, Anaheim
A: The switch from dealership advertisements in license-plate holders to temporary license plates is one of Honk’s favorite laws. It just makes so much sense instead of letting criminals and scofflaws cruise around without valid plates.
The law took effect on Jan. 1, 2019.
Those temporary plates are to be replaced when the permanent plates arrive, no later than within 90 days. The expiration date is on the paper plate itself.
“(They) are printed on a paper product able to withstand variable weather conditions and contain a QR code that contains basic information for that specific vehicle,” said Katarina Snow, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson.
New permanent plates take four to six weeks, typically, to land in the vehicle owner’s mailbox. If that doesn’t happen, extensions for the temporary ones can be had.
Getting personalized plates can take eight months, Snow said. So, if getting new ones from the DMV for a new vehicle, the owner would go through temporary plates, metal “permanent” plates and, finally, get to slap on those personalized plates.
Mario, Honk has no idea why an officer hasn’t pulled over that car with the 2020 plates.
But if the owner hasn’t been paying registration fees, he or she will get hit with them and be rewarded with penalties to boot at some point, such as when trying to sell the car.
HONKIN’ FACT: That bike mentioned here last week that was on the auction block, one of 14 used in 1985’s “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” ended up going for $125,000, according to People magazine. This one was in some iconic scenes with the late, great Paul Reubens portraying Pee-wee Herman. Van Eaton Galleries, which handled the sale, had forecast a $30,000 to $60,000 price tag. Pee-wee, you might recall, said: “I wouldn’t sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million, billion, trillion dollars!”
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk
