Virginia Administrative Code › Title 19 - PUBLIC SAFETY › Agency 30 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE › Chapter 70 - MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION REGULATIONS › Part III - Inspection Requirements for Passenger Vehicles and Vehicles Up to 10,000 Pounds (GVWR) › Section 19VAC30-70-190 - Signal device (intention to stop or turn), hazard lights, stop lamp

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Any motor
				  vehicle may be equipped with a switch that will permit all turn signal lamps to
				  flash simultaneously.
B.
				  Supplemental turn signals, properly wired into the turn signal circuit, may be
				  installed. These may be either approved type turn signals or clearance
				  lamps.
C. Single face lamps are
				  permissible on the front, except tractor units shall be equipped with two-faced
				  lamps mounted on the front fenders or on or near the front of the
				  vehicle.
D. Inspect for and reject
				  if:
1. Motor vehicle, or trailer, except an
				  antique vehicle not originally equipped with a stop lamp, is not equipped with
				  at least two brake lights of an approved type (DOT or SAE-S) that automatically
				  exhibits a red or amber light to the rear when the brake pedal is
				  actuated.
2. Every passenger car
				  manufactured for the 1986 or subsequent model year and multipurpose passenger
				  vehicle, truck, or bus whose overall width is less than 80 inches, manufactured
				  September 1, 1993, and subsequent model year is not equipped with a
				  supplemental center high mount stop lamp of an approved type (DOT or SAE-U, U1
				  or U2) mounted at the vertical centerline of the vehicle which functions only
				  in cooperation with the vehicle's stop lamps, brake lights, and hazard lights.
				  Any other vehicle on which a supplemental center high mount stop lamp is
				  mounted shall have the lamp mounted at the vertical center line of the vehicle.
				  The lamps shall be of an approved type and shall function only in conjunction
				  with the stop lamps. The high mount stop lamp must be steady burning and not
				  wired to flash with turn signals or other wig-wag device.
"Multipurpose passenger vehicle" means any motor vehicle
					 that is (i) designed to carry no more than 10 persons and (ii) constructed
					 either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road
					 use.
NOTE: Camper shells or rear spoilers that obscure the
					 original manufacturer's high mount stop lamp must be equipped with a center
					 high mount stop lamp in good working order.
NOTE: The original manufacturer's center high mount stop
					 lamp will not be considered for inspection if it is obscured by a camper shell
					 or rear spoiler that is equipped with a center high mount stop lamp of an
					 approved type.
NOTE: No sticker or other foreign material shall be affixed
					 to the vehicle in such a manner so as to obscure the center high mount stop
					 lamp.
3. Proper signals do
				  not go on with each throw of the switch or if stop signals do not go on with
				  slightest pressure on the brake pedal. Turn signals may flash, however stop
				  signals may not flash except when the vehicle is equipped with a brake warning
				  system or device which will cause the brake lights to flash when the vehicle is
				  in motion but committed to an emergency or panic stop.
4. Motor vehicle was manufactured after
				  January 1, 1955, and is not equipped with approved signaling devices
				  (SAE-I).
5. Vehicle is not equipped
				  with a turn signal if such signal is not working properly or does not continue
				  to function in the same manner as when it was originally manufactured. (The
				  turn signal switch shall lock in place when positioned for a left turn or a
				  right turn, and the turn signal indicators must function. Do not reject a
				  vehicle if the self-canceling mechanism in the switch does not function when
				  the steering wheel is rotated.).
6.
				  Switch is not convenient to the driver and not of an approved type.
7. Any vehicle so constructed so as to
				  prevent the operator from making a hand and arm signal, if such vehicle is not
				  equipped with an approved type signaling device.
8. Turn signal lens is not clear or amber to
				  the front, or red or amber to the rear. Lens or bulb color has been altered or
				  modified. If the turn signal lens is clear, then the bulb shall be amber.
NOTE: The pink color lens found on 1998 and 1999 Honda
					 Accords emit the proper color light (amber) when the lamp is activated. There
					 may be other manufacturers using the same configuration and are not in
					 violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
9. Wiring or electrical connections are
				  defective or filaments do not burn.
NOTE: LED (light-emitting diode) lights with a clear lens
					 are acceptable if of an approved type. For those vehicles that are equipped
					 with a multiple LED light (not filament-burning bulbs), they will pass
					 inspection if more than 50% of the diode lights are burning.
10. Lens has a piece broken from it. The lens
				  may have one or more cracks provided an off-color light does not project
				  through the cracks. Taping or gluing cracks or pieces is not
				  permitted.
11. The hazard warning
				  signal operating unit does not operate independently of the ignition or
				  equivalent switch and when activated cause all turn signals to flash
				  simultaneously.
NOTE: They are deemed not to be installed if none of the
					 lights burn or flash when the switch is activated and the hazard warning signal
					 flasher unit has been removed.
12. Device is not mounted near the rear for
				  rear signals or near the front for front signals (except supplemental turn
				  signals) or if the signal is hidden by a bolster or other part of body
				  chassis.
13. All "Class A" signals
				  are not mounted at least three feet apart. (This does not apply to the
				  combination rear signal device.) However, signal lamps that are mounted as far
				  apart as practical inside and at the rear of the frame so as to be properly
				  visible will meet inspection requirements.
14. Any vehicle has wire, unapproved lens or
				  plastic covers, any other materials that are not original equipment or any
				  colored material placed on or in front of the signal device (intention to stop
				  or turn), hazard lights, or stop lamp.