Is anything being done about trucks with tires that stick out past their fenders?
Question: Is anything being done about trucks with tires that stick out past their fenders? I’m pretty sure that’s not legal. Why are people allowed to do that?
Answer: It’s not that the law allows people to drive around with tires that project past their fenders; it’s that some people chose to do it anyway.
Washington law is clear about the need for fenders and mud flaps. There are actually two laws that address the issue:
▪ The Revised Code of Washington states that, “no person may operate any motor vehicle ... that is not equipped with fenders, covers, flaps or splash aprons ...” It goes on to state that fenders and mud flaps must be as wide as the tires and extend to at least the center of the axle.
▪ The Washington Administrative Code goes into more detail about fenders, so you might need to dig out your protractor from your high school geometry class. The law states that fenders must “cover the entire tire tread width that comes in contact with the road surface. Coverage of the tire tread circumference must be from at least fifteen degrees in front and to at least 75 degrees to the rear of the vertical centerline at each wheel ...”
Alright, I promise I won’t ask you to do any more math for the remainder of this article.
As to whether anything is being done, I only have a sample group of one, but the answer is yes.
I spoke to someone in our local law enforcement community about the tire/fender situation, and he said that he takes enforcement action when he sees it.
He also addressed his motivation for it.
Sure, a rock from an unprotected tire can chip your paint or crack your windshield, and that’s frustrating, aggravating and will take some time and money to fix.
But more significantly, if that tire throws a rock in the direction of a pedestrian it can cause real physical harm. That possibility is why he makes a point of stopping vehicles that have exposed tires.
This time of year, as heavy rains seem to magically increase the amount of gravel on some parts of the roadways, the chances of picking up a rock with a tire increase.
Making sure your tires are protected with mud flaps and fenders is important to prevent causing harm to someone or damaging the vehicle behind you. Plus it’s part of being a good neighbor on the road.
Now that we’ve addressed the original question, I’d like to add a question of my own.
I understand modifying a vehicle to improve performance or make it unique. However, I don’t understand spending a lot of money on custom wheels and tires when it makes a vehicle illegal to operate on public roads.
Is it because you don’t think anyone is enforcing the law?
Is it because it’s worth the potential ticket to have the wheels and tires you really want?
If you’ve modified your vehicle with wheels that don’t conform to the law and you happen to run into me (not literally, I hope) around town, take a minute to tell me why you did it. I genuinely want to know.
Since I knew this was this week’s question, I paid extra attention as I drove, trying to spot vehicles that violate the fender and mud flap laws.
I didn’t find that many. It turns out that very few vehicle owners make the effort to violate the law with their tires.
Like many other traffic violations — from serious crimes such as impaired driving, all the way to minor equipment violations — most drivers comply with the law.
That makes sense, because we all want to arrive safely at our destination, and most of the time we drive like it.
Traffic laws aren’t arbitrary mandates put in place to make life difficult for drivers; they’re a set of rules we share so that we know what to expect as we drive, bike or walk. Knowing and abiding by the law is how we (not to get too mushy on you all) care about each other on the road.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
