Flashing your brights at oncoming cars? Extra wide tires? Here's what's legal and what's not

Reader question: Is it against the law in Wisconsin to flash your brights at another vehicle?

Reader question: There seems to be more and more vehicles with tires much wider than the fenders on the vehicle. Isn't this illegal?

Answers: I'll take these traffic questions in order.

No, it's not against the law for motorists to flash their high-beam headlights, or brights, at another vehicle to get them to turn off their brights. You can't leave them on high, though.

Wisconsin statute 347.12 makes this clear. It says,

"Whenever the operator of a vehicle equipped with multiple-beam headlamps approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, the operator shall dim, depress or tilt the vehicle's headlights so that the glaring rays are not directed into the eyes of the operator of the other vehicle. This paragraph does not prohibit an operator from intermittently flashing the vehicle's high-beam headlamps at an oncoming vehicle whose high-beam headlamps are lit."

The law also applies to when a motorist "approaches or follows another vehicle within 500 feet to the rear."

Neenah's traffic safety officer Anthony Edwards said police do stop motorists who keep their high beams on, but the momentary flashing of high beams isn't a concern unless it is being done in an overly aggressive or obnoxious manner.

Watchdog Q&A: Duke Behnke answers your local government questions

Regarding the second question, the Wisconsin Administrative Code, Trans 305.30(3), defines the legal width of tires. It says,

"The tires on any vehicle required to have fenders may not protrude more than 2 inches beyond the fender line at the highest point of the tire. The measurement shall be from the original fender line of the vehicle as equipped by the original manufacturer."

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation further says the protrusion must be covered by a fender extension. The penalty for a violation of the code is between $10 and $200.

The code was written to protect public safety. Fenders are designed to catch the rooster tail of water, mud or rocks coming off tires, so vehicles with tires wider than the fender are bypassing this safety feature.

"It shoots back at cars," Edwards said of the debris. "You'll send a rock into somebody's windshield."

Enforcement of the code typically is based on a complaint or whether the violation contributed to a crash or damage to another vehicle, Edwards said.

"We're not seeking those out," he said. "We're not stopping every one of those trucks because, quite frankly, in this state, we have a lot of trucks that are like that."

Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to [email protected] or call him at 920-993-7176.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Flashing your brights at cars? Extra wide tires? Here's what's legal