You could be slapped with a fine for putting baby on board signs on your car's rear windshield

AMERICANS could get in trouble for putting "baby on board" signs on their car's rear windshield and face a hefty fine.

Despite the prevalence of this message inside our cards, over half the states in the USA have strict obstruction laws when it comes to the windshield.

Here are some of the rules of the road when it comes to putting signs in your car if you live in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

In California, drivers aren't allowed to put anything on the windshield or side mirrors that would obstruct their view – and if they break the rules, they could be with a $196 fine plus $1,000+ in insurance hikes.

Vehicles can have toll payment devices, glare shields approved by a doctor, and very small stickers placed on the lower corners in the Golden State.

But according to American Automobile Association (AAA), these stickers must be 7-inch square and place in the lower-left corner of the windshield and not near the driver.

Alternatively, they can be a maximum of 5-inches and placed in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver.

Over in Minnesota, Section 169.71 (3) is stricter but it has been subject to criticism for the vague wording and inconvenience it presents for more techy drivers – what's more, it doesn't list the potential fine.

"Any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper … displayed by law," aren't allowed.

Idaho doesn't allow signs, posters, or other non-transparent materials that could inhibit the driver's view, which is illegal.

The Auto Blog, which specializes in car-related news and reviews, notes that if a driver breaks windshield laws in-state, they could be whacked with fines of $67 to $90 for every infraction.

New Hampshire residents can't put "any sign, poster, sticker, or other nontransparent material upon or adjacent to the front windshield… which shall obstruct the driver's clear view of the way or any intersecting way."

Each windshield infraction will cost drivers in The Granite State $75 per offense.

Meanwhile, New Jersey doesn't allow any obstructions under Section 39:3-74 (201) either.

It states: "No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, sticker or other non-transparent material upon the front windshield."

No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, sticker or other non-transparent material upon the front windshield.

This also applies to the "wings, deflectors, side shields, corner lights adjoining windshield or front side windows of such vehicle" other than official certificates or an article that needs to be displayed by law.

"No person shall drive any vehicle so constructed, equipped or loaded as to unduly interfere with the driver's vision to the front and to the sides," the revised statute states.

The law also provides examples of violations, which include items hanging on the rearview mirror, like religious objects, dice, air freshners or electronics – which could even include E-ZPass transponders.

A 2017 article published on App.com noted that fines were on the rise but breaking this law would most likely result in a windshield obstruction summons.

Criminal defense attorney Ian Goldman told the publication that cops usually issue a ticket as a warning, which usually amount to around $47.

Windshield stickers are prohibited if the driver’s view is obstructed in Arizona, according to the AAA.

Seven-inch square stickers "in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver" are allowed; likewise, if they're "displayed in a five inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver."

Title 75, Section 4524 covers the "obstruction on front windshield" rules in Pennsylvania and this includes Baby On Board stickers.

No "sign, poster or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield which materially obstructs, obscures or impairs the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway" are allowed.

However, drivers in PA are allowed to have an "inspection certificate, sticker identification sign on a mass transit vehicle" or a sticker that is required to be there officially.

Police video and audio recording equipment are also exempt.

Back in the eighties, the "baby on board" stickers made headlines, namely in Bucks County, where then-Republican Rep Roy Reinard disagreed with fining parents $42.50 for using the illegal signage.

"They're so widely used at this point that to turn around and [then] fine the parents would not serve the public interest," the former GOP representative said.

"A vehicle would not pass inspection with one of those stickers in the window," a local sergeant told The Morning Call in 1987 but it isn't clear what the fine is in 2021.

But the United States isn't the only country with strict windshield laws in some areas: in the UK, police can hit Brits with a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points if a sticker obstructs the driver's view.

Depending on the severity of the incident, you could be hit with a maximum £5,000 fine, nine penalty points and even be disqualified from driving.

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