Is it ILLEGAL to have a rosary hanging from the mirror?

[Hoosier_Daddy]

It’s perfectly fine to disagree with the law – but getting snarky with the police officer who’s attempting to enforce the law is not the place to do it. You write the legislators in your district and get inform them of your opinion. It doesn’t sound like the officer was being rude in any way. He/she just informed them of the law.

Police officers have a job to do – just like everyone else. They ENFORCE the laws they do not MAKE the laws. I get really frustrated with people who take out their dislike of the laws on police officers when they have absolutely no control over what laws are passed. They just do their job and enforce them. Put your anger where it will do the most good – work to get the law changed.

Okay. Stepping down from my soap box

Or a policeman can just take advantage of the fact that an out of stater probably will not know or look up any little odd law of some state they happen to be driving though.

Either write me a ticket or don’t, but don’t bully me with some silly little infraction.

I will say this, I have out of state plates on my cars right now. I have kept them registered in my former state because we are not permanent in this situation.

Having the out of state plates has probably cut me a lot of slack I probably should have been pulled over several times that the officer was probably just shaking his head at the “foreign” plated driver. I have been pulled over once for speeding in the last year. I was exceeding by quite a bit. I should have gotten a ticket. The officer just gave me a warning and we chatted about college football because of my plates. It was a very pleasant stop and would have even been pleasant if I had revived an infraction.

But I didn’t. I usually don’t.

I used to open a store in at 4 am in the morning years ago. I would get pulled over all the time because they are just looking for DUIs and I have no problem with that, I like them getting the drunks off the streets because it helps my safety gettting to work. But they would pull me over and then feel they needed to justify why. It got a little silly. " My trunk was riding low" 2 miles and hour over etc. No tickets they just need a reason to pull you over and believe me they can find one.

 

[Ophelia23]

…No tickets they just need a reason to pull you over and believe me they can find one.

I have a hunch that this is what happened. I don’t mean that the officer had sinister intent–not at all. But likely the car looked somehow suspicious (we small towners don’t like you outsiders! ) and they came up with a reason. There are many states that have the no obstruction laws, but my impression is that most states don’t fully enforce them. Otherwise they would be pulling over every other Tom, Dick and Harry who had an air freshener or a Rosary or anything of the sort on the mirror.

 

[Rhubarb]

When I was in Driver’s Ed in California we were told firmly that nothing may hang from the rear-view mirror.

 

[rayne89]

Years ago when I first started driving I used to have a rolled up bandanna with rock buttons pinned to it. My dad advised me I could get pulled over for that for obstruction of view. It never did happen and I’m not entirely sure it is at all actually illegal in our state (we had moved from another state when I was younger) because their is every kind of contraption hanging from mirrors around here now. Baby shoes, garters, beads, rosaries,graduation etc tassels but it may have been a law at one time and I’m guessing probably still is a law in some states.

 

[PaulinVA]

I’ll just throw this out there.

1. In my state, you have to pay personal property tax on your car. You have to title your car in Virginia within 30 days of moving here, and register it within 30 days of obtaining the title. If you don’t do this, it’s a registration problem, and also a tax problem - if you don’t register you are technically evading taxes.
2. Rosaries from mirrors - what’s up with that? What’s the idea behind that? Most people I see driving with a rosary on the mirror drive in such a way that I think of that (sacrilegious) cartoon of Jesus hanging on for dear life to the cross as the car flies down the road.

If you do this, are you being a good witness for Catholicism?

 

[rayne89]

If you live in a small town “I tried” is not going to go over well. If he said nothing, he meant nothing. You are asking for a ticket.
How about something like this for your car
thedecalguru.com/car-decals/catholic-rosary-car-decal/?vm=r&s=1
or this
amazon.com/Rosary-Catholic-Metalic-Christian-Religious/dp/B007PQU534

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I’ll just throw this out there.

1. In my state, you have to pay personal property tax on your car. You have to title your car in Virginia within 30 days of moving here, and register it within 30 days of obtaining the title. If you don’t do this, it’s a registration problem, and also a tax problem - if you don’t register you are technically evading taxes.
2. Rosaries from mirrors - what’s up with that? What’s the idea behind that? Most people I see driving with a rosary on the mirror drive in such a way that I think of that (sacrilegious) cartoon of Jesus hanging on for dear life to the cross as the car flies down the road.

If you do this, are you being a good witness for Catholicism?

I can address number two.

What is up with that? Well, I’ll tell you. Both my wife and I have rosaries hanging (most of the time) from our mirrors. When they are not hanging, they are in our hands. It has helped me drive better and more Christian just by being there to remind me that I can’t exactly steal someone’s parking spot or fly by them and cut them off if I have a visible representation of who I am swinging from my mirror. It also is a good conversation starter, I have commented on others rosaries who had no idea what they were or how to pray them. I have even taught some people.

Plus, it reminds me if I am stuck in traffic somewhere, hey, instead of wasting time listening to two idiots banter about sports, I could be praying the rosary!

 

[EasterJoy]

It intersting Easterjoy that you found that article becaseu I am in CT, in fact my husband was stopped today within site of Father McGivney’s old parish - (Elisium23 knows him!).

Okay, so i need to obey the law officer even if the law isn’t perfectly clear on it. I do not feel like fighting the letter of the law. But what if I got a tinier skinnier rosary? Mine has clear pink and solid cream colored plastic beads and is blessed and special to me… and I like how I can see the solid cream beads from far away when I approach my car… I guess the policeman could see them too. I like how its corded, not linked beads, so it can take a beating and not break. I appreciate the suggestion of the finger rosary or 1 decade one, however, I *like *the full rosary. I wonder if I could find a very tiny one…

I would think if you had a cross hanging from your review mirror that was less than six inches long and not reflective in any way, you could have a copy of the Connecticut decision in your car with you!

Otherwise, you might want to consider hanging your rosary from the windshield wiper control next to the steering wheel, or some other place. It’s not as if the rearview mirror is the world’s most convenient place for a rosary. Otherwise, you are at the very least giving the police a good reason to seriously interrupt your day and make your heart rate go WAY higher than you need to have it going! (And if your car smells like liturgical incense, too, he’ll probably have you get out of the car while he calls for the drug-sniffing dog. )

 

[mommamaree]

Here are a couple of solutions for blessing the car with sacramentals in a legal fashion:

(1) Command Hooks! These things are great, because they can be used to stick to your dashboard and hold your rosary within sight and easy reach at all times, and they will not mar the finish of the vinyl of your dashboard. And then you will be in compliance with the law, while still having your rosary in a similar location.

(2) In many cars, the gear shift is in the center of the car, part of the center console or attached to the dashboard. This is another excellent location for a rosary.

(3) If you want to use other sacramentals in your car, as well as the rosary, there are some wonderful ones designed specifically for the car. A St. Christopher visor clip, which has a medal in the center, or a small statue of a saint with double-sided adhesive on the bottom are things that I commonly see in cars of Catholic people.

In answer to the question of why a rosary hanging in the car, it is the same reason a Catholic might wear a crucifix or a medal of a saint. They are sacramentals, and they remind us of our faith, they identify us as Catholics, they bring actual blessings to the user (or wearer), and they help us remember to always act accordingly. I know that my van is clearly identifiable as belonging to a Catholic, because of my hanging rosary, and so I simultaneously feel more grounded in my faith while I am driving and more reminded to always be a good witness for Christ-like behavior, no matter how much a driver might deserve to be yelled at or flipped the bird. Plus, it is pretty. (that last remark was just because I am a girly-girl and I like pretty things.)

 

[jlc2k2]

Here are a couple of solutions for blessing the car with sacramentals in a legal fashion:

(1) Command Hooks! These things are great, because they can be used to stick to your dashboard and hold your rosary within sight and easy reach at all times, and they will not mar the finish of the vinyl of your dashboard. And then you will be in compliance with the law, while still having your rosary in a similar location.

(2) In many cars, the gear shift is in the center of the car, part of the center console or attached to the dashboard. This is another excellent location for a rosary.

(3) If you want to use other sacramentals in your car, as well as the rosary, there are some wonderful ones designed specifically for the car. A St. Christopher visor clip, which has a medal in the center, or a small statue of a saint with double-sided adhesive on the bottom are things that I commonly see in cars of Catholic people.

In answer to the question of why a rosary hanging in the car, it is the same reason a Catholic might wear a crucifix or a medal of a saint. They are sacramentals, and they remind us of our faith, they identify us as Catholics, they bring actual blessings to the user (or wearer), and they help us remember to always act accordingly. I know that my van is clearly identifiable as belonging to a Catholic, because of my hanging rosary, and so I simultaneously feel more grounded in my faith while I am driving and more reminded to always be a good witness for Christ-like behavior, no matter how much a driver might deserve to be yelled at or flipped the bird. Plus, it is pretty. (that last remark was just because I am a girly-girl and I like pretty things.)

I used the gear shift in my old, pre-kid car. I’ll have to try command hooks in the minivan.

 

[Allegra]

Hanging things from rearview mirrors if very common where I live. I have a rosary on mine. It is not a distraction and doesn’t obstruct my view.

 

[PaulinVA]

I can address number two.

What is up with that? Well, I’ll tell you. Both my wife and I have rosaries hanging (most of the time) from our mirrors. When they are not hanging, they are in our hands. It has helped me drive better and more Christian just by being there to remind me that I can’t exactly steal someone’s parking spot or fly by them and cut them off if I have a visible representation of who I am swinging from my mirror. It also is a good conversation starter, I have commented on others rosaries who had no idea what they were or how to pray them. I have even taught some people.

Plus, it reminds me if I am stuck in traffic somewhere, hey, instead of wasting time listening to two idiots banter about sports, I could be praying the rosary!

I guess I don’t get it. My rosary is in the center console. When I see a car with a rosary hanging from the rearview mirror, I wonder what they are trying to say, because it’s a very public pronouncement of something. Your reply has helped me understand.

 

[Joe_5859]

I imagine the law (and the enforcement thereof) varies from state to state.

In college, I drove through one of those late night “catching-drunk-drivers” intersections where they were directing all traffic into a parking lot to make sure people weren’t drinking and driving. The officer did mention that I wasn’t supposed to have anything hanging from the mirror (I had a rosary there), but he didn’t make me remove it or issue a ticket or anything. It was so thin, I never found it distracting. Certainly, the rearview mirror itself is much more of a visual obstruction than anything hanging from it.

In my present car, though, a hanging rosary would be very much in the way, so I don’t have one hanging there anymore. It would hang down and interfere with the shifting mechanism. I definitely don’t want that!

 

[on_the_hill]

In some “not legal” states it isn’t enforced as every High School graduate in the country hangs their graduation tassel from their rear view mirror.

I had mine hanging for a couple years, no troubles, in Pennsylvania.

I wouldn’t do it now, as an adult, because it would annoy me. Frankly, I don’t like the idea of hanging a rosary there. It kinds of lumps it in with the tassels, Mardi Gras beads, air fresheners, and fuzzy dice, and makes it seem more like costume jewelry. At least in my own little opinion.

 

[MJJean]

I imagine the law (and the enforcement thereof) varies from state to state.

Not only from state to state, but officer to officer! Some stickler officers will ticket a driver for am item hanging from the rear view mirror, some will give a verbal warning, and some don’t seem to care at all so long as you aren’t driving like a crazy person.

My kids go to a charter school and they don’t provide transportation. The parking lot is insanely crowded during drop off-pick up and so is the main road due to regular traffic patterns. Drivers need to be on their toes to avoid an accident. I can’t tell you guys how many times in the last few months I have been blinded by a sparkling rosary or clump of rosaries. One lady had so many that I figure she either has a huge family and brings along all of their rosaries or she’s some kind of seller/collector! Just because it doesn’t block the driver’s view doesn’t mean it’s not a distraction or safety hazard to others.

I really like the idea of a Command Hook or using the radio knobs (if you still have a car w knobs). Hmm, maybe even the vent tab thingie would work.

 

[oldgraymare2]

In Wisconsin you can’t have ANYTHING hanging from your rear view mirror, including rosaries.

This is true for those of us living here.

 

[EasterJoy]

Hanging things from rearview mirrors if very common where I live. I have a rosary on mine. It is not a distraction and doesn’t obstruct my view.

Depending on your jurisdiction, though, it can be an excuse for the police to pull you over, not to mention a way for a police officer to “kick the dog” when he or she is having a bad day by citing you for a nitpicking traffic violation.

If you want to hang anything from your rearview mirror, check to see if it is legal to do that where you will be driving. It is like cell phone use in another way: even if it is legal, you need to think about whether or not it is wise. A polished metal or crystal-beaded rosary could send a flash of light into your eye or someone else’s eye at just the wrong time. The constant movement of a swinging object in your peripheral vision could fool your eye into missing another movement you’d have otherwise noticed. Even if it is allowed, make sure anything you hang in your car is small, non-reflective, and out of your line of sight while driving.

 

[Allegra]

Depending on your jurisdiction, though, it can be an excuse for the police to pull you over, not to mention a way for a police officer to “kick the dog” when he or she is having a bad day by citing you for a nitpicking traffic violation.

If you want to hang anything from your rearview mirror, check to see if it is legal to do that where you will be driving. It is like cell phone use in another way: even if it is legal, you need to think about whether or not it is wise. A polished metal or crystal-beaded rosary could send a flash of light into your eye or someone else’s eye at just the wrong time. The constant movement of a swinging object in your peripheral vision could fool your eye into missing another movement you’d have otherwise noticed. Even if it is allowed, make sure anything you hang in your car is small, non-reflective, and out of your line of sight while driving.

I’m positive it’s not against the law where I live. My beads are wood. They aren’t bothering anyone who is minding their own business. Anyway, I’m skeptical of the claim that a plastic bead has the ability to blind people through two tinted windshields, particulary since the cars themselves are made entirely of highly reflective materials such as metal, glass, and mirrors. I have to call BS on that one.

 

[Cricket2]

It is in fact illegal to have anything hanging from your mirror in the car. The reason being that it does block your view. One is required to remove handicap placards from the mirror for this reason.

You will need to find a place to hang your rosary that does not cause this issue.

 

[Cricket2]

I’m positive it’s not against the law where I live. My beads are wood. They aren’t bothering anyone who is minding their own business. Anyway, I’m skeptical of the claim that a plastic bead has the ability to blind people through two tinted windshields, particulary since the cars themselves are made entirely of highly reflective materials such as metal, glass, and mirrors. I have to call BS on that one.

Sorry, but you are wrong. It is illegal due to possible visual interference with the driver. It is illegal to hang anything on your rear view mirror for this reason. It is also illegal to have your rear window blocked with junk in the back of the car. If you have enough stuff in the car to block the view out the back window you are supposed to have side mirrors to compensate for that issue.

So in the winter if you fail to clean the snow off the windows of your car (any of them) you can get a ticket for that.