Originally Posted by
ruppster
I followed a friend's Cherokee with 4 mountain bikes on a tray rack one day. The only visble light was the 3rd brake light. I mentioned to him about not being able to see turn signals. It would not be fun to be rear-ended with $10k+ of bikes on a rack. I'm pretty sure the bikes were more valuable than the Jeep.
The bigger risk than the ticket would be getting rear ended, and having the other driver's insurance company refuse to pay for your $10,000 worth of bikes, arguing your negligence in obscuring the brake lights.
That should be reason enough to make sure your lights are visible.