5 days ago we learned just how big a deal it could be if you were caught "getting it on" in your car, and we've found ourselves with another question involving cars, all thanks to a huge movie franchise.

The Fast & Furious franchise is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. According to Movie Web, this franchise ranks 8th in highest grossing movie franchises ever made. The first Fast & Furious movie was released in 2001 and focused mainly on illegal street racing in the city of Los Angeles.

As the franchise grew in popularity, the franchise turned more into blockbuster action flicks, with all of the explosions and special effects actions fans could hope for. I took a trip down memory lane yesterday and watched the second movie created by the franchise, 2 Fast 2 Furious.

This movie was released back in June of 2013 and it was really interesting to see how far these movies have come, as the 10th installment will be released in May of 2023. There was a moment in this movie that made me wonder if this pretty cool car accessory is legal in Iowa. I wondered this because in the state I grew up in, Minnesota, this accessory is completely illegal. It's also illegal in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

If you've never seen any of these movies, the character's name in this scene is Brian.  You'll notice a blue neon "underglow" or "ground lighting" under Brian's Nissan Skyline.

Is Underglow Legal In Iowa?

According to Neon Laws, "Iowa law does not specify restrictions on additional vehicle lighting which would include neon underglow. Therefore it’s our conclusion that in Iowa neon underglow is not illegal"

Neon Laws does mention there are some exceptions, such as;

• red color should not be visible from the front of the vehicle and the end of the vehicle should only display the color red
• All Flashing Lights are prohibited, except for emergencies
• Blue Lights must never be used on any part of a vehicle except authorized emergency vehicles
• The license plate illumination must be white.

So while the blue underglow in this scene would technically be illegal in Iowa, Neon Laws does find underglow to be legal if you're following the rules and regulations.

Now if only I had a Nissan Skyline...I don't think adding underglow to my Camry would have the same coolness factor as it does in the movie. Oh well. A guy can dream!