The Equipment Stop
RCW 46.37.020 — a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, and one thousand feet
When. Every vehicle on a highway displays lighted headlights and other lights from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, and at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles are not clearly discernible at a distance of one thousand feet ahead.
The tail lamps. At least two tail lamps on the rear emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of one thousand feet to the rear, located at a height of not more than seventy-two inches nor less than fifteen inches.
The plate lamp. A tail lamp or separate lamp illuminates the rear registration plate with a white light and renders it clearly legible from a distance of fifty feet to the rear, wired to be lighted whenever the head lamps or auxiliary driving lamps are lighted.
Other equipment the code requires, from brakes to mirrors, is set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a lamp was out, or the conditions called for lights, is a question of fact, and whether a stop on that basis was lawful is a question for a licensed Washington attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- RCW 46.37.020 — When lighted lamps and signaling devices are required
- RCW 46.37.050 — Tail lamps, and the registration plate lamp
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Washington attorney.