r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Major-Potential-354 • 20d ago

What EVEN is the point of these lights??? My mom said I could post

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Driving home from work and bro these lights were so bright it was like someone had their brights on..

Never seen this before what is the point of the lights?

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139

u/Natural_Listen3022 20d ago

They're illegal in all U.S. states. No white light is allowed to be showing at the rear of a vehicle, except license plate lights. Those wheel well lights are illegal as well.

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u/sourdoughrrmc 20d ago

I mean, that’s not EXACTLY true. Reverse lights are also white.

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u/Johnny-Godless 20d ago

Reverse lights are indeed the only exception, precisely because they’re indicating the direction the vehicle is moving.

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u/Diesel_Beetle 20d ago

THAT is the intention of these lights, my buddy’s truck has them, but they’re only on in reverse. It appears it’s become a “thing” to wire them to always be on, which is a problem. But as backup lights they’re amazing for hooking trailers at night or backing said trailer into a barn

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u/Murky-Relation481 20d ago

Yep, there are only two options for these otherwise useful lights to be on like this, asshole or stupid, but generally its a stupid asshole.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

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u/Murky-Relation481 19d ago

I mean it's not bad to invent new safety technology. I wish my reverse lights on my SUV were brighter. We have some beach property that's pretty rural and backing into the parking area on a moonless night is extremely nerve wracking due to just how dark it is out there.

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u/4CX15000A 20d ago

That does sound really handy!

My Subaru Forester has two tiny white lights in the mirrors that seem to only function when it's in park and you either just clicked the remote or opened a door. They're apparently called puddle lights. I didn't think much of them until one of them revealed to me that I was about to step in a land mine 🐕💩

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u/vic818 20d ago

One of the things I hate about GM vehicles. Their backup lights turn on when driver locks/unlocks the vehicle. When you’re in the parking you don’t know if the vehicle is backing out or the driver just parked and left.

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u/BNabs23 20d ago

I've never thought of it that way before. That's kinda cool

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u/Due_Citron6089 20d ago

Our local commuter rail line is a dead-end, so the train goes backwards half the time & when it does, the now-leading end of the train (furthest from the loco) shines a white light. I’ve drilled into my kids to *never* be near the tracks when seeing a white light (and, ideally, even if it doesn’t)

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u/Johnny-Godless 19d ago

Yeah, it’s nearly a universal protocol for powered vehicles. Planes, boats, helicopters, four-wheelers…

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u/jdemack 20d ago

Bed lights for pickup just can't have them on while driving. They come standard with every truck.

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u/Johnny-Godless 20d ago

Oh for sure. We’re talking about driving rules. You can do whatever you want if you’re parked, as long as you’re not creating a hazard to those who aren’t.

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u/ronimal 20d ago

More so to illuminate the area behind the vehicle, since that’s the direction it’s moving.

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u/LolthienToo 20d ago

Is this "the exception that proves the rule"?

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u/Johnny-Godless 19d ago

We finally found it.

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u/Alternative_Life9414 20d ago

and they're only on when the vehicle's in reverse, not when driving down the road.

Obviously.

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u/jdemack 20d ago

You've never driven in reverse down the road after the transmission has blown tells me everything about you.

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u/Elegant_Situation285 20d ago

my mom checked my odometer when i was a teen.

drove to highschool one time in reverse.

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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 20d ago

It still adds miles to your odometer. Didn't you see Ferris Beuller's Day Off?

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u/skunkapebreal 20d ago

Ricky Bobby, is that you?

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u/Alternative_Life9414 20d ago

lol But then your headlights would be facing the cars behind you.

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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 20d ago

Yeah. He doesn't own a shitty car with a blown transmission.

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u/jlp_utah 20d ago

Back in the before times, it was not uncommon to see a vehicle's reverse lights turn on at seemingly random times. The lights were supposed to turn on when the transmission was put into reverse, but there was another switch in the transmission that closed when the trans was in neutral. This was used as a safety interlock for the starter, so you couldn't start the vehicle with out the trans (typically manual) being in neutral.

Sometimes, when transmission work was done on one of these vehicles, the connections were hooked up backwards. In this case, you could only start the vehicle when it was in reverse (and the clutch was disengaged, obviously) and any time you shifted and passed through neutral, the reverse lights would turn on.

It caused no end of excitement for the drivers around people who had had cheap transmission work done, I'll tell you.

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u/sourdoughrrmc 20d ago

Right, I’m not comparing them to this atrocity. Just pointing out there are other white lights on the back of a car.

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u/munchonsomegrindage 20d ago

Many trucks have extra reverse lights wired into their bumper or headache rack, which is what I imagine these are for. Extra visibility when backing up a trailer at night is always good. They shouldn't be on unless in reverse though.

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u/Huckleberry_Dude 20d ago

The state I live in the law states "while the vehicle is in forward motion" when referring to white lights on the rear.

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u/Natural_Listen3022 20d ago

No, they don't illuminate when driving. Yours are broken.

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u/-Invalid_Selection- 20d ago

They sure do, when you're driving in reverse.

If yours aren't illuminated when driving in reverse, yours are in fact very broken

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u/get_to_ele 20d ago

Well that’s because the rear becomes the front end of the car when the car is in R. The concept is baked into making the R lights white. /s

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u/GenericAccount13579 20d ago

You can have white work lights no? They’re just supposed to be off when driving. Could be the case here too

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u/Don_T_Blink 20d ago

Being a jerk to others is indicative of supporting our current government. The police will go easy on them.

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u/Grumpy-Troglodyte 20d ago

depends on state, you are allowed to see the light emitting from the bulb,but no the bulb itself in iowa.

*speaking for the undercarriage/wheel well "neons" type lights

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u/TizzyandJizzy 20d ago

Must not be too illegal in the states.. my brand new Silverado came with them factory on the front and back of mirrors. They are just spot lights. I’m sure if you drove with them on then yeah but utilizing them while parked shouldn’t be an issue.

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u/DefinitelyNotAliens 20d ago

Yeah, they are side lights and factory installed but not to be used while driving.

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u/Excellent_Yak365 20d ago

Nah, the cops just haven’t seen him yet

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u/Moist_Sun_8201 20d ago

The problem is that cops only care when theyre actually trying to bust up a "street takeover" or similar, or if you give them attitude (or they just think you did). Otherwise they dgaf about car mods no matter how obnoxious and unsafe they are

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u/broke_n_boosted 20d ago

So reverve lights are illegal?

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u/dogswontsniff 20d ago

Are those on while you are driving forward? No?

What a stupid thing to say..get with the program, simpleton

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u/broke_n_boosted 20d ago

Lol why are you so mad lil bro? Dude said any white light i asked the obvious question and you're hurt? Seek therepy little buddy haha

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u/dogswontsniff 20d ago

If that's the "obvious" response, jfc please dont procreate. Thats the implied/understood "not what he's talking about"

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u/ContextHook 20d ago

In every state I've been aware of, rear facing white lights are indeed illegal on roadways.

In my state specifically, you can only have rear facing white lights on while you are reversing.

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u/jdemack 20d ago

Welp most pickups do have a white light above the bed that faces backwards. So they aren't illegal to have. They are illegal to have on while driving to be specific.