Rear window = obstructed view?
Posted on February 12th, 2008 – 6:05 AMBy Roadguy
You may have seen this story from a few days ago, in which a driver was cited four times for having a giant decal in the rear window of his car. Roadguy is generally opposed to anything that makes driving more complicated than necessary, and being able to see out one’s rear window can be pretty darn helpful.
The article reminded me that, a few weeks ago, I encountered one of those drivers who think it’s a great idea to turn the back of one’s car into a toy store:
(A little hard to tell with the solar glare, but you can probably make out the doll heads and get the idea.)
Roadguy is not opposed to vehicular self-expression, but this car had self-expression covered elsewhere — it had both a “Jesus” fish and a “Satan” sticker. Decals on the trunk seem much wiser than blocking one’s sightlines. If you agree, or if you are quite proud of the Beanie Babies that peek out the back of your Saturn, share a thought or two in the comments below.
22 Responses to "Rear window = obstructed view?"
I can’t stand having something obstruct my rear window. (In fact, it took me months to get used to my car’s rear spoiler. It used to drive me crazy that I could see it in the mirror.) We have stuffed animals in the car too, but they stay on the back seat where they aren’t distracting to the driver.
In PA and NY you can’t have anything on any of the glass except a state inspection sticker. They are pretty strict about it.
If you have ’stuff’ on the back package shelf, it can become a projectile, if you have to hit the brakes!
How about panel vans or I see trade vehicles with blocked windows? They’re stuffed with supplies. Do panel vans require special mirrors?
How is a blocked rear window different from a cargo van without a rear window at all? How about a car or pickup pulling a tall trailer? These things are legal and done every day with no problems.
For many years all new cars have been required to have both a left and right side mirror. If people would use them (and adjust them correctly) that would help lot.
Even though left & right mirrors have been required, I’m sure quite a few brain dead motorists don’t even realize they have them. Then there is the idiot who’s driving around 3-4 days after a snow storm with his rear window STILL covered in snow/ice? How lazy and stupid can someone possibly be?
Would the guy with the Ton Paul decal have been cited had he had a McCain/Obama/Clinton/Romney sticker? (Someone more…. “electable?”)
/Ron Paul
I love having no obstructions in my rear window… but I find it hard to drive my dad’s suburban on those rare occasions… it has the double-door thing in the back, so there’s essentially a line splitting the window in two. Bugs the crap out of me! 
I am pretty much against having anything unsecured in the vehicle since they all become potential deadly missles in an accident. The brother of a co-worker was killed in a minor accident. The impact was not what killed him; it was the small toolchest that was on the floor in the back seat area. It was launched by the collision impact and hit him at the base of his skull and killed him.
This is a hard one to judge. Who hasn’t, while moving or shopping, had something large in their backseat block their rear view, if only temporarily? And as others have said, why is a sticker not allowed, but hook up a camper to his vehicle and all’s well?
Also, I’ve never driven more than a mile without seeing someone with an assorted collection of beads, garters, dreamcatchers, etc., hanging from their rear view mirror, also illegal. Where’s the crackdown on that?
What is it with the people and their stuffed animals on the back dashboard? Are they the same people who decorate their cubicles at work with tons of toys?
“Also, I’ve never driven more than a mile without seeing someone with an assorted collection of beads, garters, dreamcatchers, etc., hanging from their rear view mirror, also illegal. Where’s the crackdown on that?”
A few years ago I got a ticket for having fuzzy dice hanging from my rearview mirror. I didn’t know it was illegal until I got the ticket. I wasn’t speeding, running stop lights or anything else illegal. I guess the cops in Rosemount don’t have enough real crime to worry about. The part that made me maddest was that when I was pulled over I was on my way home from a funeral for someone who was killed by a drunk driver.
The plaintiff’s arugment about free speech is not a winner. Instead he needs to focus on the enforcability of such laws, and/or the subjectivity of the law. What degree of ‘obstruction’ is allowed? Would a bumper-sticker applied to the window trigger a citation? Would two? three? Are officers writing tickets for such obstructions?
Of course, the officer interviewed did note that the kid ‘talked himself into getting a ticket’ which probably reduces his chances of successfully beating the rap.
Timbo,
I think it’s safe to say you’re correct. I never understood decorating up your cube/office like it’s your home. For the record I don’t have anything extra in my vehicle that the mfg didn’t install. As for my cube, I only have a small picture of my girlfriend & I at Ffryes Beach in Antigua.
My dash and rear areas are for empty beer cans. Mind your own business.
He sounds like someone who enjoys challenging authority. Four times in one week is just asking for a ticket. He should have gotten the message the first time. In a smaller town like Owatonna, the cops know who he is after the second time. By the fourth time, it’s become obvious to all he’s spoiling for a fight. And now he’s got one. Hope he’s happy. I’m guessing the judge will dash any hopes he may have to present a political argument but quick.
I’ve got decals on the side windows of my car, a fairly common model. It helps me spot it in big parking lots. But nothing on the back.
If you can’t drive with out a rear-view mirror you shouldn’t be on the road. Almost all profesional drivers have no rear window, let alone mirror.
Projectiles from a rear dash are dangerous, but only to the driver and his passengers. Darwinism!
A significant difference between cargo vans without rearview mirrors and ordinary cars with toys stuffed in the rear window is that cargo vans have extended mirrors on the left and right that allow drivers to see both the sides and rear.
However, cars must resort to using the left- and right-mirrors as rear mirrors, this inevitably creates larger blindspots to the left and right to compensate for the self-created blindspot-of-toys.
Which brings me to one of my other curmudgeonly peeves, people who use side mirrors as rear mirrors. Grr!
Again, there is no need for a rear mirror. I’ve got 1 million+ miles with no accidents and can never see right behind my trailer.
Keep your side mirrors where they are.
Anyone ever seen undercover cop cars with a collection of baseball caps in the rear window? Whenever I see this display, I know it’s a cop. Weird.
I agree that it’s a bad idea, but why is it illegal to obstruct your window but legal to not have a window at all or complete obstruction by a trailer or such?
Also, I’ve been test driving new cars lately, and I’m suprised at how difficult it is to see out the back in some cars.
The Pontiac Aztek was the most poorly-designed car I’ve ever driven when one considers rear-viewability. The back window has a huge thick bar that runs horizontally right in the middle of the window, so when you look back in the rearview mirror expecting to see cars, you see wheels and maybe the tip of a hood. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
