Monty Hight: Keeping line of sight clear of utmost importance

Q: There is a law regarding placement of a portable GPS on a windshield (not in the middle of the dashboard, for example, even at the lowest point possible). How is it that new cars with the GPS, speedometer, etc. in the middle of the dashboard (the new Prius, for example) get around this law? A driver still has to look away from the road, to a greater extent than in an ordinary car with GPS on the dash/windshield in the middle.

I was riding in my brother-in-law's new Prius and I found the center dash/digital speedometer/GPS/camera, etc. console extremely distracting.

A: The vehicle code section that you are referring to states: "A portable Global Positioning System (GPS), which may be mounted in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver or in a five-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver and outside of an air bag deployment zone, if the system is used only for door-to-door navigation while the motor vehicle is being operated."

The fact that many of these systems are mounted into the dash eliminates them from being in violation of the aforementioned section. The intent of this section is to keep you from placing items such as stickers, booties hanging from the rearview mirror or anything that will impair your vision through the windshield.

You are absolutely correct that many of these systems - regardless of whether or not they are mounted into the dash, on the dash or affixed to the windshield - do distract the driver from his primary responsibility, which is to monitor the roadway and surroundings.

As the driver of a motor vehicle, we have for the most part learned to glance down at the dashboard to check the speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges and other instruments related to the performance of the vehicle. As engineering has developed, more and more pieces of equipment have been added to the vehicle. We now have gauges that inform you if your tire pressures are correct, the outside and inside temperatures, all of heating and air conditioning switches, heated seats, and the list goes on and on. Throw in the sophisticated stereo systems and many of our vehicles' dashboards equal that of an airplane.

Those days back when I had my 1964 VW bug with only a speedometer and a fuel gauge are gone, and I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Just so you know … there is nothing that even requires you to have a speedometer. They do help when it comes to determining your vehicle's speed. Just sayin'. … It's just like everything else in life, things change and hopefully it's all for the better.

The bottom line on all of these items is that they should be adjusted, twisted, turned, pushed or pulled at a time when it does not impact your ability to safely negotiate the vehicle. In most cases, even the manufacturers' instructions state that you should be stopped prior to making any adjustments with their specific equipment.

I see many cars with the back taillights and license plates covered with boxes, ice chests, wheelchairs and bicycles - therefore not able to see taillights or license plates. Why is this acceptable?

As far as being lawfully acceptable, it is not. Without going into all of the specific vehicle code sections, I can only say that it is not lawful to have anything interfere with the headlamps, taillamps or for that matter any required lighting equipment. The same holds true for license plates, both front and rear.

There are many aftermarket pieces of equipment available that are designed to affix to the front and rear of your vehicle that accommodate caring bicycles, wheelchairs and pretty much anything else. I just returned from a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and pretty much every pickup there was equipped with fishing rod holders on both the front and rear of the vehicles. These were installed between the head lamps and taillamps. Should the installation of these items impact your ability to read the license plates or clearly see the lighting systems, they are unlawful and more importantly unsafe and/or a hazard to not only the vehicle they are equipped on, but other drivers that are relying on seeing those lights.

Ultimately it all comes down to individuals and their responsibility to work within the system's set of guidelines. If you need to transport a wheelchair on the rear of your vehicle there are approved methods of doing so. The same applies to bicycles and anything else that you feel are necessary to transport. If you can clearly see what you have installed limits your ability to see required lights and or license plates, then fix it or go with plan B.

The summer months are upon us, and many of us are going to be traveling to various vacation spots with our bikes, boats, ATVs, ice chests and barbecues. If we can just do it all without the unnecessary distractions of adjusting your GPS, texting, installing CDs or any of the other things that really can be done at some time other than while we are driving, we can all go out this summer and enjoy the ride.