The first generation Ford Raptor came with a very interesting design feature. They put three tiny lights on the grille which was mandated by law for trucks which were wider than 80-inches and any passenger vehicle wider than 80-inches had to follow similar guidelines as commercial vehicles do.
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The Ford Raptor was not the first one to have these lights, however, these lights were already a thing on large semi-trucks and pickup trucks which were wide enough. However, the Raptor definitely started a trend of putting these marker lights on your front grille. This is one of the reasons why these lights are known as the “Raptor Lights” even though they are known as “identification lamps” in technical terms. This is especially popular with off-road builds, however it is not always required since there is clearly a law stating when these lights are required. As is with all new trends, people have taken this trend a little overboard by putting them on everything under the sun.
This means that every truck bro puts these lights on because they think it looks “cool” regardless if they lie in the legality of the rules put down by the government. There are kits that one can buy for their regular Toyota Tacomas and Toyota 4Runners and even the smaller Ford Ranger, which already comes with slots to fit these lights in its grille.
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What the rule book says
According to the Code Of Federal Regulation (49 CFR 571.108 S4. “Identification lamps”), “Identification lamps are lamps used in groups of three, in a horizontal row, which show to the front or rear or both, having lamp centers spaced not less than [6 inches] 15.2 millimeters nor more than [12 inches] 30.4 millimeters apart, mounted on the permanent structure as near as practicable to the vertical centerline and the top of the vehicle to identify certain types of vehicles.”
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Many vehicles have this on the roof, for example semi-trucks, but this doesn’t stop manufacturers from adding them on to the grille. There are a set of three tiny lights at the rear as well. This means the Raptor, the Dodge Ram TRX and every pickup truck which is wider than 80–inches can have these lights. Some other vehicles that come with these lights are the Ford Bronco Raptor and the Toyota Tundra.
The main purpose of these lights is to increase visibility. They are required by law on larger vehicles for others on the road to get the idea of the vehicle’s width. There is, however, no requirement for these lights to be on smaller trucks. Fitting these lights to your vehicle will not make it wider, and neither will it make it a Raptor. This can also get you in trouble, but this will depend on how stringent the local laws are in your area.
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