Here’s a New Jersey rule a lot of drivers genuinely don’t know: if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights have to be on too. It’s the law — not just a safety tip — and along with the general headlight requirements, it’s a common reason officers give for a stop, especially in rain. Understanding N.J.S.A. 39:3-47 and the wipers rule helps you avoid an avoidable ticket.
What the law requires
N.J.S.A. 39:3-47 sets the basic requirement that vehicles display lighted headlamps during the times and conditions the law specifies — generally from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise, and whenever conditions limit visibility. New Jersey layered on a well-known additional rule: headlights must be on whenever your wipers are in continuous use because of rain, snow, fog, or other weather. Daytime rain with wipers going but no headlights is a ticketable violation.
Why these stops matter
A headlight or wipers-lights violation is a relatively minor equipment-related matter on its own. But like other small infractions, it gives an officer a lawful reason to pull a car over — and a rainy-day stop for “no headlights” can become the front end of a DWI investigation or a search. When a minor lighting violation is the stated basis for a bigger charge, whether the stop was actually justified becomes a real question, the same dynamic as failure to signal and an obstructed windshield.
How these tickets get handled
- Were the conditions actually ones requiring headlights — was it dark enough, or were the wipers genuinely in continuous use?
- Were your lights in fact on, contrary to the officer’s account (DRLs vs. full headlights is a common point of confusion)?
- If a bigger charge followed, whether the lighting violation justified the stop — the question that can shape the whole case.
- Equipment fixes — correcting any actual lighting defect.
Whether it carries points depends on how it’s charged, but even a minor equipment ticket can be worth handling rather than reflexively paying — the familiar plea-by-mail mistake.
Ticketed over headlights — or stopped because of them? Get it reviewed
On its own it’s a minor ticket, but if a rainy-day lighting stop led to something more, the basis for that stop is worth a closer look. If you’re in that situation anywhere in New Jersey, it’s worth a free call.
Part of our complete guide: For every related New Jersey offense, claim, and defense in one place, see our NJ Traffic Ticket Defense Guide.