PA Jeepers Be Warned - You can get fined!

[macintux]

In some localities, maybe all of them with door laws, the vehicle as it shipped from the factory matters. Older CJs which had no doors from day 1 are not required to have doors on the road.

There aren’t many places with door laws. I believe New Jersey has them, and British Columbia as well.

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[rallydefault]

Never trust police to know the law. Seriously.

That may be so, but they tend to be the people pulling me over, so I'd like to know what one of them has to say about it.

I also have a friend whose father is a judge, so maybe I'll try to bump up a level lol

 

[BeeLDub]

That may be so, but they tend to be the people pulling me over, so I'd like to know what one of them has to say about it.

I also have a friend whose father is a judge, so maybe I'll try to bump up a level lol

Like most laws/codes/etc, it is generally up to police discretion. Like how one cap may pull you over for going 5mph over the limit, while another won't pull you over til your 15mph over the limit. Neither of them are wrong, they're just picking their battles. Maybe one day they even wanna give a guy a break because he we headed to the hospital to see family.

Another point, is that it is not a Law, it is a PennDOT Vehicle Code. You cannot get arrested for this, you get fined. It's like having excessive tint. It's an inspection requirement that Police have the right to enforce as they see fit. I'm sure most Police are much more familiar with the laws than they are the vehicle codes.

 

[macintux]

it is a PennDOT Vehicle Code

Thanks for clarifying. I looked through the PA state code and couldn't find anything, so I was curious.

Here in Indiana we don't, so far as I know, have any vehicle code other than state law itself. Certainly no inspections, for better or for worse.

One of our state laws is that the vehicle must be "equipped" with a windshield. Hoping I don't have to argue before a judge someday that mine was equipped...just not engaged.

 

[Tritonman]

Went to Rausch Creek this past weekend from NY and after leaving Rausch in a jeep convoy, one of our guys got pulled over for no doors. Jeep is registered in NY and they gave him a warning citation for no doors. One of the guys with us is a trooper so i'm not sure if that helped or not getting only a warning.

 

[macintux]

The Supreme Court limited the states' ability to impose vehicle restrictions when the registration is in a different state, but that was a case involving commerce and a situation where it simply wasn't reasonable to expect trucks to swap out mud flaps each time they crossed state lines.

Unfortunately, it's not obvious that precedent would apply to Jeep doors. Not a commercial application, and it's much less unreasonable to expect Jeeps to have doors.

 

[BeeLDub]

Went to Rausch Creek this past weekend from NY and after leaving Rausch in a jeep convoy, one of our guys got pulled over for no doors. Jeep is registered in NY and they gave him a warning citation for no doors. One of the guys with us is a trooper so i'm not sure if that helped or not getting only a warning.

He probably only got a warning because this can't be enforced on vehicles registered to other states. I wonder if the LEO that pulled him over knew he was from NY prior to pulling him over...

 

[macintux]

He probably only got a warning because this can't be enforced on vehicles registered to other states.

ish. See my note just before yours.

 

[BeeLDub]

Change.org petition to help change the code:

https://www.change.org/p/kurt-masse...76-allow-doorless-jeeps-on-pennsylvania-roads

Please sign and share!

 

[keda69]

Never trust police to know the law. Seriously.

why? just like lawyers cops specialize some are great with traffic laws, some with drug cases, and others with domestic violence

 

[keda69]

ish. See my note just before yours.

I dont know what this whole penn dot codes are, but if they are just for inspection , they are not enforceable on outer state vehicles.

 

[randyp]

One thing you can do to help reduce the likelihood of being pulled over for this, is to give them nothing else worth stopping you for.

By this I mean, get some mirrors to replace the ones that come off with your door, wear your seatbelt, keep the music at an appropriate level, don't be excessively speeding, and don't let anyone hang out of the Jeep.
.

So much for freedom. We have to make ourselves small and inconspicuous to the police state. I find this repugnant.

 

[rallydefault]

Just spoke to a former police chief in my town. He said no doors are definitely against vehicle code whether hard top, soft top, no top, etc. Now, he also said it would be up to the discretion of the individual officer, so...

Yea. I really don't want to drive around constantly looking over my shoulder and depending on the good graces of whichever officer I'm passing at the moment (I live in a small city with a fairly large police force; I probably pass a cop while driving every single day). I'm gonna go with half doors until PA gets its act together and changes the vehicle code. I already signed the online petition, but I'm down for helping draft a letter to a representative.

It is bonkers when you think about it. Motorcycles are cool for public roads, but gosh - you better have your doors on your much larger vehicle with seatbelts that also has a roll cage!

 

[Scottroxxx]

I'm coming to PA from NJ with my doors off to buy fireworks they sell only to out of state residents.

 

[JJexp]

I'm coming to PA from NJ with my doors off to buy fireworks they sell only to out of state residents.

Not anymore! We can have all the fireworks we want now

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