Road Warrior

The in basket: My wife, The Judybaker, asked me if driving with one’s dome light or other interior illumination on in the vehicle is against the law. We both have been told that it’s not a good idea, but I didn’t know the answer to her question.

The out basket: Krista Hedstrom, spokeswoman for the State Patrol detachment in Bremerton, says, “There is not a law that states that it is illegal to drive with the dome light on.  However, it is harder for a driver to see outside of their

vehicle when dark if they have their dome light on, so it is not

recommended.  

“There are several models of pickup trucks that have a bright white light on

the outside of the truck above the rear window,” Krista continued, “that comes on with the

dome light, which is designed to illuminate the bed of the pickup. Having

that light on IS illegal, and could result in a $124 fine.

“Anyone who has ever been behind a pickup truck with the outer dome light on should know how extremely bright they are,” she said.”

  “White light

illuminated to the rear”  is the infraction, which more commonly occurs with broken tail lights, allowing the plain bulb inside to be seen.