Florida Driver's Handbook 2008

5. Your Vehicle

Equipment Standards

The equipment on your car must meet certain standards. These are listed below.

Brakes

Your car must have two braking systems. Each must be able to stop the car alone. The parking or emergency brake should be strong enough to hold the car on any hill. Your brakes must be able to stop your car within the distance shown on the chart.

Braking Distance

You must be able to stop your car within the distance shown by the black cars when you use the foot brake. For safest driving, keep your brakes in such good condition that you can stop within distance shown by the white cars.

It is important to note that the graph illustrates the braking distance AFTER YOU HAVE APPLIED YOUR BRAKES.

NOTE: Reaction times in laboratories are 3/4 of a second. In the driving environment, your reaction time would be closer to 1.5 seconds and the distance you would travel at 50 mph would be 110 feet. To this must be added a REACTION DISTANCE, which is the distance you travel from seeing the danger to putting your foot on the brake pedal. Since 3/4 of a second is the average reaction time, a motorist will travel 11 feet for each 10 MPH of speed before hitting the brake. At 50 MPH this distance would be 55 feet!

Steering Lock Operation

Vehicles have various systems used to remove the keys from the ignition. Remember, some ignitions will automatically lock the steering wheel if the key is removed while moving. Here are some common steering wheel lock systems and a description of how to remove the key:

The Transmission Park System
Park. Shift the transmission into the "park" position. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

The Two Hand Button System
Park. This system requires two hands. Depress button below the steering column. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

The Lever System
Park. Depress lever located near the ignition. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

The One Hand Button System
Park. Depress button located near the ignition. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

The Push In System
Park. Turn key to OFF, push in. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

The Turn and Remove System
Park. Turn key to LOCK and remove.

Lights:

Your car must have the following lights:

Bright (high-beam) headlights which show objects 450 feet ahead.
Dimmed (low-beam) headlights which show objects 150 feet ahead.
Two red taillights mounted on the rear, visible from 1,000 feet.
A white light that makes the license plate visible from 50 feet (The plate must be kept clean).
Two red stoplights. They must be seen from 300 feet in the daytime, and must come on when the foot brake is pressed.

All vehicles, including animal-drawn vehicles, must have at least one white light visible from a distance of not less than 1,000 feet to the front. They must also have two red lights visible from a distance of not less than 1,000 feet to the rear, or one red light visible to the rear for a distance of 1,000 feet and two red reflectors visible from all distances from 600 feet to 1,000 feet.

Other Equipment Standards

Horn: Your vehicle must have a horn which can be heard from a distance of 200 feet.

Windshield Wiper: Your vehicle must have a windshield wiper in good working order for cleaning rain, snow or other moisture from the windshield.

Windshields: Must be safety glass and may not be covered or treated with any material which has the effect of making the windshield reflective or in any way non-transparent. It must be free of any stickers not required by law.

Side windows: May not be composed of, covered by, or treated with any material which has a highly reflective or mirrored appearance and reflects more than 35% of the light.

Directional signals: You must have electrical turn signals if your vehicle measures more than 24 inches from the center of the top of the steering post to the left outside limit of the body, or when the distance from the steering post to the rear of the body or load is greater than 14 feet.

Tires: Your tires should have visible tread of at least 2/32 of an inch across the base with no worn spots showing the ply. Smooth tires on wet roads contribute to thousands of serious crashes.

Mirrors: Your car must have at least one rearview mirror which gives a view of the highway at least 200 feet to the rear.

Keeping your Car in Good Condition

No matter how well you drive, you are not safe unless your vehicle is in good condition. If it is not, you could have a serious crash.

Brakes: Check to see that the pedal stays well above the floor when you step on it. If the car pulls to one side when you use the brakes or you hear any scraping or squealing noises, your brakes may need to be repaired.

Lights: Replace burned-out bulbs and clean lenses often. Dirty headlights can cut your night vision by one-half. Burned out signal lights or brake lights mean you can’t tell other drivers what you are doing. Keep your lights adjusted so that you don’t blind oncoming drivers.

Windows and Windshields: Keep the glass clean, inside and out, to reduce glare.

Equipment Not Permitted

You may not have on or in your vehicle:

Red or blue emergency lights. These are for emergency and law enforcement vehicles only.
A siren, bell or whistle.
A very loud muffler or one that lets out smoke.
Signs, posters or stickers on the windshield or windows (except those required by law).
A television which the driver can see.
More than two spotlights, cowl or fender lights, fog lights (in front), or other extra lights (in front).
Headsets worn by driver while operating a vehicle.

Rear windows: When the rear window is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material which makes the rear window non-transparent, the vehicle must be equipped with side mirrors on both sides.