Whackers gonna whack

Turd Ferguson

Member
Jul 3, 2011
2,250
Sumner, Wa
Personal feeling, kinda disrespects his father's memory doing that stuff.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Tony P

LLS

Member
May 23, 2010
517
NYC
Considering that he was born in 2001, that would make him 18.

I'm guessing that being 12 and having your dad killed in the line of duty can do things to a kids head.

He probably needs to see a therspist more than a jail cell.
 

Station 3

Member
May 21, 2010
3,395
Edinburg Texas
Turns out he was lying about his dad dying and even being a cop lol
 

Turd Ferguson

Member
Jul 3, 2011
2,250
Sumner, Wa
Why that little punk a$$ SOB. They should throw him in a cell with the big guy that goes by the name of Drain Pipe.
 

dg0223

Member
Feb 20, 2011
703
USA/Texas
Well, there's whacking then there's criminal impersonation. Yes, sometimes the two go hand in glove, but the simple fact is there are way more whackers than there are criminal impersonators. With the exception of those who are law enforcement or some sort of first responder who has to use their POV, almost everybody has shades of whackerism in them, myself included. That said, the degree to which one is a whacker is important.

I collect vintage lightbars and emergency lighting, and I have some more modern LED lightbars. That makes me a whacker, since I do not have job where I would need to use emergency lighting. I do not mount any of the lights to my vehicle. I simply have them in my storage unit and at home.

The problems begin when people start installing emergency lights in their vehicle who really don't need them for their job or for any practical reason. Installing tons of amber lighting on your vehicle when you don't work for a place that needs all that emergency lighting is a whole other level of whackerism. The level of whackerism increases when you try to justify why you need to have all those lights installed in your vehicle.

There was a thread on this page where someone was outfitting their personal vehicle to do security work in a hospital parking lot. I can't even begin to imagine why a security guard would need to use their own personal vehicle to respond "code" to anything in a hospital parking lot. I understand some security guards have responsibilities that might require them to be seen in a vehicle with flashing emergency lights, but I don't see why they would need to put all of those lights on their own personal vehicle for any reason other than they like flashing lights and they want to have them on their vehicle.

I understand this is a niche hobby, and I understand this hobby can attract some interesting and strange characters, but I think there is a growing community of people who are installing lights on their vehicles for no good reason. Those people are giving collectors who don't install lights on their vehicles a bad name — one only needs to look through the whacker thread on this page to see what I'm talking about.

There are whackers, then there are WHACKERS. If you don't have a job that requires you to have emergency lights on your vehicle, then don't make up an excuse to put emergency lights on your vehicle.
 

Nolines

Member
Apr 5, 2018
1,678
Margate, FL
Can't we just Wack the Whackers upside the head and tell them to stop making the rest of us look bad??
I like lights they allow me to be seen, and just because I drive a former police crown Vic with or without lights I get stared at and cause traffic jams wherever I go... Ahhh so much fun, but when I need to get to a police or fire call or respond for my own business it can be annoying people don't care
 

dg0223

Member
Feb 20, 2011
703
USA/Texas
@Nolines

Unfortunately, like the title suggests, whackers are going to whack.

Water is wet, the sky is blue, whackers are going to whack.
 

ronaconda

Member
Mar 7, 2018
35
Salt Lake City, Utah
...whackers are going to whack.

Indeed. But I think the lightbar collector, former police or not, is far from a whacker...just a little mentally ill because we like the blinky lights. We will have to agree to disagree with a definition that is certainly subject to interpretation. I think we will also have to agree to disagree on the definition of "emergency" lighting as well since that definition varies from state to state. In Utah for example, amber, white, and red lighting, when used in the proper place on the vehicle, is not considered "emergency" lighting nor does it make the vehicle an "emergency" vehicle. Having said that, the rules regarding the type of lighting, color, and placement are so loosely enforced that anyone could get away with anything unless that person is impersonating a LEO, i.e. headlight flashers and blue lighting. In Utah, headlight flashers are reserved for true emergency vehicles, but nearly every highway construction vehicle I've seen lately has one installed. And the penalty is essentially a slap on the hand. Blue is reserved solely for police, but many fire departments have blue lighting on their rigs. And who is going to tell a fire department that they can't use it? Not me.

To further my $.02, the kid that is driving a Charger and stopping people is a whacker gone to the extreme, one that has gone to the impersonator side of the whacker spectrum. Does it make me a whacker simply because I purchased a police Interceptor Utility? Perhaps to some. Would it make me a whacker to install lighting to be able to run "code" to my employment at a steel fabricator? Most definitely. But I don't see "whackers" as people who tastefully install amber or red lighting in the rear of their vehicle to make them more visible during times of their own personal "emergency" such as stopped on the side of the highway immobilized when hazard flashers simply don't cut it in my opinion. I'm in the process of installing red lighting to the rear of my vehicle solely for this purpose and am contemplating adding a traffic advisor. I am also contemplating adding red lighting to my other vehicles, again, with the sole intent of making my vehicles more visible during personal emergencies. Does this make me a whacker? In my opinion, absolutely not.

Again, we will have to agree to disagree...
 

Sparky_911

Supporting Donor
May 15, 2013
2,648
Central Illinois
There's several threads on here about these type of idiots. Any dipstick putting flashing, rotating, blinking lights on a motor vehicle and trying to conduct traffic stops without law enforcement authority should be punished severely, period. That said.....

My .02 cents is this....
Anyone putting emergency/warning lights on a POV without authorization from a private employer, public response agency, or other entity shouldn't do so either.

Doing so only sets one up for liability if used incorrectly even once. If you use a traffic advisor and an accident is the result, then you are liable. Good luck getting your insurance company to pay that bill (just ask any vollie ff that's been in an accident POV). Let alone the citation(s) law enforcement will likely hand you.

Most states have move over laws on highways and modern factory vehicle lighting meets the legal requirements for USDOT and NHTSA standards. The only exception I could see for adding additional lights is if they only activate and/or flash at the same time/rate as the factory installed stuff. Good example would be adding an extra brake light on a motorcycle.
 

dg0223

Member
Feb 20, 2011
703
USA/Texas
@ronaconda

So, you want to split hairs over the use of the term whacker, yet you'd rather use a term like "mentally ill" when so many people suffer from legitimate mental illness? That's not a problem. You can choose to use whatever term you would like to use. You don't have to agree with me at all. I'm simply saying those who collect emergency lighting all have a shade of peculiarity since it is such a peculiar item to be interested in collecting. Call it whatever you'd like.

And regardless of what state anybody lives in, and regardless of whatever the law states it really boils down to one thing — just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. In my home state, amber lighting is pretty much allowed for use for almost anybody. Blue lighting is also very loosely regulated. That doesn't mean because as far as the letter of the law is concerned something is legal to do, I should go out and do it. Again, emergency lighting, blinking lights, flashing lights, or whatever else you want to call them should NOT be installed on a vehicle unless it is for a legitimate purpose. I can put as many amber flashing lights on my truck as I'd like — buy why would I? I'm a schoolteacher. I have no business installing flashing lights on my truck, even though the law says it's ok to do so.

I'm in the process of installing red lighting to the rear of my vehicle solely for this purpose and am contemplating adding a traffic advisor. I am also contemplating adding red lighting to my other vehicles, again, with the sole intent of making my vehicles more visible during personal emergencies. Does this make me a whacker? In my opinion, absolutely not.

This absolutely makes you a whacker. Again, why would you need to install red lights and a TA in your vehicles so they can be more visible during a "personal emergency?" What does that even mean? I have a personal emergency when I am driving and the digestive system issues I have tell me I have to hit the head ASAP. That doesn't mean I fire up the emergency lights I've installed so my vehicle can be more visible. How many times do you anticipate being broken down on the side of the road that you'd need red lights and a TA to be more visible?

Anyone putting emergency/warning lights on a POV without authorization from a private employer, public response agency, or other entity shouldn't do so either.

Doing so only sets one up for liability if used incorrectly even once. If you use a traffic advisor and an accident is the result, then you are liable. Good luck getting your insurance company to pay that bill (just ask any vollie ff that's been in an accident POV). Let alone the citation(s) law enforcement will likely hand you.

Exactly what Sparky_911 said.

Again, regardless of what term you want to use, installing flashing or blinking lights in your vehicle without a legitimate reason — unless your job absolutely requires you to have emergency lighting in your vehicle — should not happen. Just like one of the most recent videos posted in the whacker thread showed, some kid who is a member of some Community Emergency Response Team decided he'd invent something called a Community Emergency Response Vehicle and install some amber lights and an eBay siren. You don't get to make up an imaginary job or an imaginary vehicle that justifies your reasons to install emergency, blinking, or flashing lights.

Same thing with the "Oh, I'm using the vehicle on private property so I can have a siren or emergency lights on my 'security' car" argument. Call it whatever you'd like, but you just like having flashing lights on your vehicle.

In my opinion, emergency, blinking, or flashing lights are not regulated enough. Again, I see no problem with collecting vintage or other lightbars. I see no problem with installing emergency lighting on a vehicle that legitimately needs them. I enjoy vintage lightbars more than the average person does. That said, all these cars driving around with lights that don't need to have them are ridiculous and cause legitimate problems for those of us who actually collect these lights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Station 3

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
I agree with the guy above.

You won't find any non OEM lights on my F150. The last time I broke down? I pulled off the interstate completely and put my hazards on. Like a normal person.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Station 3

Nolines

Member
Apr 5, 2018
1,678
Margate, FL
And then you put on a reflective vest so people could see/aim for you?? The hard part of those lights is sometimes you can't see them cause most of them went out long ago with some drivers and they never look till it's a ticket or accident. I love how people forget which side of the vehicle just got the flat tire and put themselves in harm's way by pulling off to the wrong side of the road safely. Absolutely Hated that when I drove a tow truck. But I digress, let's wack those who have no reason to install lights for no reason or purpose that are not legitimate, or authorized, I myself had to to my personal vehicle for work cause my bosses were too cheap to provide a vehicle.
 

Station 3

Member
May 21, 2010
3,395
Edinburg Texas
I'm a Deputy and my personal truck is totally whacked out in RED BLUE SIREN BUT my personal vehicle generates around $20k on the side gig cash a year due to my lighting and I have the blessings of my Chief. In my agency a dash light is not going to get the blessings of the chief to work side gigs "aka" traffic control or police security. Its whack it out 360 degrees or you dont get the gig. You even need to get certified by TXDOT to work said gigs. I wear several hats I'm a certified first responder "EMS" I am a former Lieutenant in the fire service and im a Deputy. I am qualified to have said lighting. My work truck is my work truck I dont use it to go to the store I have a family car for that and it has no lighting even if I'm more than qualified to have lighting I dont. I have hazard lights that are more than sufficient for flat tires. Dont be a whacker.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,962
Messages
449,805
Members
19,102
Latest member
Hilux01

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.