Is it illegal to hang things in your rearview mirror in Pennsylvania?
(WTAJ) – Putting an air freshener or a parking permit on your rearview mirror might not seem harmful, but could it get you a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to hang anything on the rearview mirror that could significantly impair a driver’s vision, but the law leaves room for interpretation. According to lawItems described include signs, posters or other non-transparent material.
“No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any object or material hanging from the interior rearview mirror or otherwise suspended, placed or secured in such a position as to substantially obstruct, obscure or impair the driver’s view through the windshield or in any other manner poses a security risk,” Pa. Law it says specifically.
Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois, California, Arizona and Texas are some of the few states who consider such small items as air fresheners to be a nuisance to drivers. However, this law was later tested In April 2021, a driver was fatally shot.
A driver was reportedly pulled over by police in Minnesota for having an air freshener hanging on his mirror, and upon inspection, police discovered his license plates were expired. After an alleged fight, the driver was shot dead on site by officers.
While the law can be viewed as subjective and vague, police said traffic stops for minor violations helped them solve more serious crimes, according to a police report Associated Press.
Drivers are allowed to have Store GPS, registration stickers, sun visor and passports in the windshield without obscuring visibility.
So can you get pulled over because there’s something like an air freshener hanging on your rearview mirror? Ebensburg Deputy Police Chief Robert Sapp says police won’t stop you if you have air freshener or something similar in your rearview mirror. This only becomes a problem if either the front or rear windshield has an obstructed view.
In 2022 Philadelphia The police are prohibited from carrying out stops for minor traffic offenses, including stops for mirror decorations. Drivers are still eligible for a secondary offense ticket if they are stopped for a separate primary offense.
