Neon Lights -Illegal?

wba88

Hey,

@mods: If this is more suited to the mod motors forum feel free to change it.

Had a quick search and i couldnt find anything on it.
I bought a car a few weeks ago and found out after i bought it that it has neon lights underneath it, was just wondering are they illegal as i have gotten a lot of mixed answers from friends. Thanx

Zascar

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think they are illegal. Anwyay if they are not on you are not doing anything wrong! If they are not doing any harm and you cannot notice them, leave them there and they are fun for the odd time you want to tuen them on to show your mates. Just don't hvae them flashing all over the place with your windows down blaring nacker trance lol

What is the car? Pics?

wba88

Punto '04, its a garda magnet so if i was to turn them on id wait till my full licence m8 was in the car and there was no way the gards could catch me out. ill try get a pic now

wba88

Pic - http://www.sendspace.com/file/27f7xp

Anan1

The car looks fine. I can't see how it would be a Garda magnet, unless it had a set of neons under it.;)

bennyx_o

IIRC, they're illegal if you can actually see the light source when they're lit.

neacy69

looks nice wouldnt be my first choice of colour but looks nice...I dont particularly like neon lights but as far as i know they are perfectly legal and there are plenty of boy-racer types going about here with them


ps: in case you need the cash flow for the new motor i made you an offer on the Ireland jersey

wba88

bennyx_o wrote:

IIRC, they're illegal if you can actually see the light source when they're lit.

Im pretty sure the body kit covers them so you can only see the reflecting light from the ground.

bennyx_o

Then you should be OK. As a last resort you could pop down to your local Garda station and ask them.

wba88

neacy69 wrote:

looks nice wouldnt be my first choice of colour but looks nice...I dont particularly like neon lights but as far as i know they are perfectly legal and there are plenty of boy-racer types going about here with them


ps: in case you need the cash flow for the new motor i made you an offer on the Ireland jersey

Well it has very low mileage and it was sitting in the garage for 6months+ coz of the colour, as a first car i dont care about the colour but it turns out i have been getting nothing but compliments about it. And i got it for a steal coz the guy wanted to get rid of it coz of the colour.

p.s. yeah i saw it, a little low im afraid:o

Anan1

I actually think the colour suits the car. Why not just forget about the neons? You have a nice car as it is, turning on the neons will make the car look cat, make you look like a tosser and quite likely get you and the car searched under the misuse of drugs act. Just my personal opinion, mind.:)

wba88

ok thats ur opinion, but what the hell is cat?

Anan1

wba88 wrote:

ok thats ur opinion, but what the hell is cat?

Bad, cheap, tacky, chav, etc.:)

neacy69

cat is a slang term for Catastrophe

wba88

Oh rite.

Wishbone Ash

Could be some legal difficulties if used in a public place:


Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI189Y1963.html

42. No lamp (other than direction indicators) fitted to a vehicle shall show or be constructed or adapted so as to be capable of showing a flashing light unless such light is invisible to persons outside the vehicle.

44. (1) Every lamp (other than a lamp referred to in sub-article (3) of this article) which is fitted to a mechanically propelled vehicle or trailer and which, when lit........

........(b) (except in the case of a fog lamp) no part of its illuminated surface is less than 1 foot and 8 inches from the ground.

48. (1) No lamp which, when lit, is capable of misleading other traffic, shall be fitted to a vehicle.

Car Mad

there illegal full stop.dont mind this bs about differant colours been legal there not.you can have them on the car but when you switch them on there illegal the only reason your allowed have them is for shows.source local garda station

wba88

rite so. thanx for all the replies. i think ill ask a few gards for reassurance.

icemanjimbo04

Car Mad wrote:

there illegal full stop.dont mind this bs about differant colours been legal there not.you can have them on the car but when you switch them on there illegal the only reason your allowed have them is for shows.source local garda station

This be true.

A friend of mine had them turned on on the beach and the guard said there only illegal if you drive with them on.

Looks crappy anyway id takem off and sell them.
Then buy a nice car

rkeane

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

wba88

How much would they be worth?
make: eurolight, multiple colours, its hooked upto the radion so lights can be set to match the beats of the music.

wba88

rkeane wrote:

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

Yeah, as i said earlier they are a garda magnet

rkeane

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

Fey!

Nice looking car. Is it a Sporting (looks like that old sporting yellow)? Enjoy it.

PS - what's the Irish jersey bit?

antodeco

rkeane wrote:

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

Hmm, interesting! All mods or specific mods? Also, if a mod has already been done, how can you revert back? (ie you change ur exhaust, but you cant go back to the original one, so you have a non removable permanent mod)

wba88

Fey! wrote:

Nice looking car. Is it a Sporting (looks like that old sporting yellow)? Enjoy it.

PS - what's the Irish jersey bit?

thanx yeah its a 1.2 16v Sport

check out my sig im selling an Irelend jersey

Fey!

rkeane wrote:

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

So if I upgrade my exhaust to a manufacter available exhaust, does the count as a mod? Same with springs like m-tec being put into non m-tec cars?

Also, I have tinted windows which are legal. With new legislation making my previously legal tint illegal, does that mean that I can be fined for what was originally a legal mod?

In other words, can they back date the legislation?

rkeane

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

antodeco

rkeane wrote:

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

I wasnt argueing the point! I was just wondering how specific it actually is. There are 2 different types of mods. Performance and appearance. Yes, if some 17 year old has a modded car for racing, thats fine. But somebody who is in their 30's, has spent alot on a car, and wishes to make it appear nicer (small bodykit, tinted windows), is a totally different kettle of fish.

maidhc

rkeane wrote:

Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

What is a modification?

I think the Governments hands are tied on this matter. All cars, and modifications (e.g. towbars) must meet type approval regs before they can be sold in the EU. Once they meet the standards, then they cannot be banned.

Thus if I want to put lexus lights on my car, once they meet the EU standards, the Government cannot ban them except in very limited circumstances.

To ban modifications would be a disproportionate response to a particlarly vague and undefined problem. E.g. is a 17 year old in a starlet with go faster stripes more likely to crash than a 35yo in an M5? If so, are the go faster stripes are the issue, or the attitude of the person who affixed them... should one ban the go faster stripes or uneducated and ignorant drivers?

Car Mad

rkeane wrote:

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

ah now cant you give the lad a brake his driving a punto after all:D
is there a fine for having them on rkeane?

rkeane

rkeane wrote:

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

Right...
Do you have any sources on this or do we just have to take your word on it?

Turner

Illegal.

You can onlny have white or amber lights the front and red and amber lights showing from the rear.

You could have white or red neons but then there are strict height requirements for lights.

Trucks with fancy displays all over their cabs are highly illegal, also all the **** they have dangling from their windscreens is illegal also.

Small chance of being prosecuted unless you are a "modified car enthusiast" and have alot of other illegal modifications, exhaust, wheels that wont turn full lock, incorectly fitted bucket seats, tints, sun visors etc.

But when things go wrong like in the case of an accident... "I though he was braking because his car was lit up with red neons like brake lights>>>blah blah" you know the story.

Car Mad

Chief--- wrote:

Illegal.

You can onlny have white or amber lights the front and red and amber lights showing from the rear.

You could have white or red neons but then there are strict height requirements for lights.

remind me again didnt I say before that all that is complete bull ****e they are illegal to have turned on on a public road and are only used for shows.didnt a guard just say that he would pull people over for it.Can people not read or is everyone completely brainless

Anan1

Car Mad wrote:

remind me again didnt I say before that all that is complete bull ****e they are illegal to have turned on on a public road and are only used for shows.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but wouldn't your assertion would be more credible if you quoted the relevant legislation?

Car Mad wrote:

didnt a guard just say that he would pull people over for it.Can people not read or is everyone completely brainless

Did they? No offence to rkeane, but we have no way of knowing whether he/she is indeed a Guard, or even whether he/she is conversant with the relevant legislation.

Wishbone Ash

Car Mad wrote:

they are illegal to have turned on on a public road and are only used for shows......is everyone completely brainless

The relevant Statute Instrument refers to the 'capability' of the lights, not whether they are on or off (or for shows). In other words, it is illegal for a vehicle, in a public place, to have these lights whether the are in use or not.

Car Mad

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The relevant Statute Instrument refers to the 'capability' of the lights, not whether they are on or off (or for shows). In other words, it is illegal for a vehicle, in a public place, to have these lights whether the are in use or not.

well you can have them if there not lighting whos going to know if they cant see them.As i said my source was my local garda station if you ask most guards in the country they will say there illegal (which they are) and why would rkeane say he/she was a guard if he/she wasnt it dosnt make sence:rolleyes: Why dont you show me a law that says there legal anan1

5500

rkeane wrote:

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

I'll believe and outright ban when i see it,Sounds like something you'd read in the daily sport.

Ive got a letter from the Super in my station with the following on it,i asked for clarification on "mods" before and this is what i got.

MODIFIED VEHICLE OFFENCES

1: Silencer,excessive noise. Covers situation where the noise level has been increased due to the exhaust being modified or replaced.

2: Lights at rear of vehicle other than red. Covers situation where lights other than red are shown to the rear, includes lights fitted under the vehicle with the exception of number plate lights.

3: Flashing light on a vehicle. It is an offence to have a flashing light of any colour fitted on the vehicle inside or outside the vehicle. Covers neons, led's, and "nightrider" style lights

4: Fog lamps. It is an offence to have fog lamps lit other than in fog and falling snow.

5: Tints - Darkened windscreen and side windows. An offence if glass is so dark that it interferes with the view of the road and other traffic to the front or side

6: Alloys - large wheels. It is an offence to have wheels fitted that when the steering is locked they touch the body.

7: Lights fitted to the front of a vehicle other than white or yellow

8: Front or rear reg plates displaying letters or numbers other than those proscribed.

Number 4 may intrest some drivers,looks like your a boyracer if you have them on!

Seth Brundle

So would # 1 mean that someone could get in trouble driving with a dodgy exhaust as a garda at the side of the road isn't qualified to determine if it is an OEM feature?

#2 suggets that reverse and indicator lights are not allowed. #7 suggests again that indicators are not allowed
#5 is open to huge differences of opinion

528i

They should ban those loopy ear rings their skanger girlfriends wear, and maybe introduce a compulsory inter-cert level of education before allowing these numbskulls to run free on our roads. Might cut down on the carnage.

Wishbone Ash

Car Mad wrote:

whos going to know if they cant see them.As i said my source was my local garda station

Whether they can be seen or not is irrelevant in legal terms. I wouldn't use the Gardaí as a source of information in relation to Road Traffic Regulations. Most only know the basics. Search the Statute Instruments. You'll get it all there.

maidhc

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Whether they can be seen or not is irrelevant in legal terms. I wouldn't use the Gardaí as a source of information in relation to Road Traffic Regulations. Most only know the basics. Search the Statute Instruments. You'll get it all there.

The relevant instruments date back to the 60's and have been amended in a piecemeal fashion since. I have a masters degree in law and find Road Traffic Law a PITA to follow. The bits in relation to drink driving are pretty clear, but the rest is really open for debate.

Not the mention the fact that the Chinamen who got the job of digitising the statute book made a mess of it.. blah.

galwaytt

rkeane wrote:

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

This is the exact sort of nonsense that gives Garda a bad name. Ill informed, and inaccurate combined with the ability to 'police' means a completely adhoc and inconsistent application of what law there is - and, as a poster pointed out, v.old law that.

First: neons. They are not illegal if continuously lit, according to links posted here, only if flashing. And, the element not being visible from front, rear or side of the car, it doesn't flout the existing ones. In short - they're NOT legislated for - one way or another.
Second: modifications. They will not be banned. All modded cars, being fitted or modified to, or with, parts and practices conforming to EU harmonising standards, are legal in the entirety of the EU.
Third: Retrospection. Impossible. They cannot even retrospectively apply the various ugly laws attached to rape etc - witness the famous cases doing the rounds, and as car legal requirements are set at various points in time, they cannot be re-written retrospectively. E.g. Cat convertors not needed on early 90's cars.
Fourth:Silencers & excessive noise. First you have to define what that is. And the frequency range. Then you have to measure it. We are all familiar with the noise of a flat out moped at midnight, and the crisp sound of a Harley, say. The moped will annoy, but be legal, whilst the H-D may be illegal, but no offensive. And no, holding a Maplin's noise meter at the side of the road doesn't qualify - it has to be measured under the same conditions as the harmonising test for the (approved) product. For bikes, for example, it requires that the bike be ridden at a specific distance from the meter, at a specific speed in a specific gear at a specific rev, for the test to be valid. The LIDL car park on a Sat night does not meet that standard, believe me.......
Fifth: as for 'comprehensively enforcing' the law - this is a joke, right? I suppose there's a first time for everything......why not start by enforcing drink driving laws and careless/dangerous ones, to lower the fatality & casualty rates, first? Those laws already exist. And no, pulling people on a dual carriageway or motorway for 5 over the limit gets you no credibility with me. Nor does covert policing for the same thing. Why no overt? What's there to lose............oh, right, the fines..........silly me. I won't even mention the forthcoming privatisation of speed 'pulling'. It will make NTR look like a misdemeanour..............