Police remind motorists that torches aren't headlights

The Knoxville Police department in Tennessee are reminding motorists that torches (flashlights) are not headlights. Flashlights are great for providing light at night, but not as vehicle headlights, they say.

This follows a Sweetwater resident being stopped not once, but twice in an eighteen hour period for driving his vehicle after dark while only using flashlights to light up the roadway. The motorist had strapped flashlights onto his bumper with a bungee cord.



The motorist was first stopped at approximately 2:00am on February 2, 2015, in East Knoxville. The same vehicle was stopped by another officer at approximately 8:00pm on the same day in North Knoxville.

In both traffic stops the driver was cited for Improper Headlights, Violation of the State Registration Law, and Driving Without Insurance. Bungee-cording two flashlights to the front bumper of a vehicle is not acceptable as proper headlights and is very dangerous to the driver and other vehicles sharing the road, they add.