Can Maine Drivers Just ‘Fix’ a Broken Tail Light with Red Tape?

I miss my old RAV4 sometimes.

It was my first car. I was a late bloomer when it came to driving, so I may have had a deeper sense of accomplishment when I got my first car than most teenagers probably would. It's kind of like getting to enjoy summer vacation as an adult, which I've also had the pleasure of re-living.

These days, that RAV4 actually still runs. I sold it to a buddy who jury-rigged every possible aspect of that car after I sold it to him, to try and keep it on the road. Replacing headlights, gas tank straps... you name it. These days he just uses it where works as a yard car for hauling junk around. But it runs... Barely.

Do you try and fix your own car?

There's a fine line between doing your own repairs, and just "fixing" a car. Repairing a car sounds like something that would be done by a professional in a professional environment. Fixing is more like what I might be able to do. Need your wiper fluid topped off? I'm your man. Need a headlight changed? I can't even do that.

One person on Reddit was wondering if they're personal fix of a broken tail light would pass inspection. Specifically whether or not red plastic repair tape would suffice. The language at Maine.gov seems to indicate that anything wrong with any of the "lamps" on your vehicles must be properly repaired.

This says to me that you may wanna think twice before you head to the inspection station with some tape fixing your tail light. There's a good chance the tape could help you avoid a ticket, but you'd probably want to fix it before your next inspection. If you're going to try it, try it early in the month, in case it doesn't pass. Then you have the rest of the month to fix it. Or do like me, and have your very handy wife fix it. Win-win!

Pretty sure gas was over $4 a gallon when I started driving. Not much has changed.