Illegal Lights on Trucks

Abraham

On a run from Westport to Dublin recently at night I could not help but notice the number of articulated trucks equipped with a row (sometimes five sometimes three) enormous 'searchlight' type lights fitted at the highest point on the front of these trucks. These lights are an addition to the ordinary headlights fitted as standard to all trucks.
The chief purpose of these lights seems to be to blind the drivers of oncoming vehicles whose headlight dimming duties are either absent or lethargic.

Some of these truck drivers seem to treat the use of these powerful lights as some kind of comic act. I was flashed a few times when I had actually dimmed a long time previously and on another occasion observed the truck driver flashing a slow driver continuously when passing out the slower vehicle.

Oncoming drivers who don't dim are a nuisance and dangerous too but it doesn't seem to me that having two blinded drivers will improve the situation. Before anyone rushes to point the finger at foreign registered trucks I must say that most of the trucks I speak of were Irish or NI/UK registered.

I must have passed at least 30 trucks fitted with these lights.
Fine and dandy, one may say but hey.....those lights are totally illegal.

Why shouldn't the Traffic Guards tackle the matter ?

slimjimmc

Having auxillary lights is not illegal but they can only be used to supplement the main beam, i.e. they must be switched off when using dipped lights. You are perfectly entitled to fit a whole array of lamps to your own car if you want so long as they are white or yellow and switched off during dipping.

What you've witnessed is the illegal use of such lights to dazzle or harrass other drivers.

dsane1

What about the blue lights that lots of cars and trucks are using too?I thought they were illegal?

corktina

slimjimmc wrote: »

Having auxillary lights is not illegal but they can only be used to supplement the main beam, i.e. they must be switched off when using dipped lights.
.

as must front fog lights when not foggy of course...

slimjimmc

dsane1 wrote: »

What about the blue lights that lots of cars and trucks are using too?I thought they were illegal?

Correct.

The only colours permitted are :
White or yellow : Forward facing lights
Red : Rearward facing lights (excluding number plate lights which must be white).
yellow/amber : All indicators including side repeater lights

Abraham

Is there illegality attached to having an uneven number of lights facing forward ?
Say 3 lights so deployed ?

Wishbone Ash

slimjimmc wrote: »

Having auxillary lights is not illegal but they can only be used to supplement the main beam, i.e. they must be switched off when using dipped lights

I don't think that is correct. I don't have the details to hand now but there is a maximum height for fitting lights on a truck. Those ones fitted above the cab are illegal if wired AFAIK. Hence the reason why they are disconnected prior to putting the truck through the DOE.

Wishbone Ash

Abraham wrote: »

Is there illegality attached to having an uneven number of lights facing forward ?
Say 3 lights so deployed ?

No (once there are at least two). DeValera's old presidential Rolls Royce has three headlights.

ttm

Now just how many lorry drivers get dazzled by on comming family cars driving on full beam? Not that I don't dip my lights for every vehicle on the road but my lights aren't going to make much difference to the vision of someone sat 10 foot off the ground.

Simon201

I believe that the only legality is that the front facing lights must be symmetrical (and rear lights I suppose as well?)

Wishbone Ash

ttm wrote: »

Now just how many lorry drivers get dazzled by on comming family cars driving on full beam? Not that I don't dip my lights for every vehicle on the road but my lights aren't going to make much difference to the vision of someone sat 10 foot off the ground.

Coming over the brow of a hill, a truck driver will be blinded by your lights for a few seconds before you see his lights as he is sitting much higher up.

millington

I have 4 big spots on my Escort which will be used at assholes who don't dim, Xenon lights do my head in aswell even when dimmed but at least they dimmed.

Wishbone Ash

millington wrote: »

I have 4 big spots on my Escort

ttm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Coming over the brow of a hill, a truck driver will be blinded by your lights for a few seconds before you see his lights as he is sitting much higher up.

That would assume that he hasn't got any lights on otherwise it might just be a give away in the dark that there was another vehicle on the road and I needed to dip my lights. But I do see your point,however if I see any other vehicle lights in front of me lighting up the road (I don't wait till I see the actual headlamps) I dip mine, hopefully other drivers do the same.

millington

Haha,that took me a minute to get..

Abraham

Is there anybody reading/posting here who could enlighten us all in regard to the legislative provisions laid out under the ' Constructuion, Equipment and Use of M.P.V.s ' or whatever the relevant enactment is ? What about the height of lights facing forward on public roads ? Any restriction there ?

Quite apart from actually using auxiliary lighting, is there any legislation that actually prevents a vehicle from being so fitted ?

Wishbone Ash

I've just had a look at my copy of Statutory Instrument 189/1963 Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963.

It's heavy going but basically, in layman's terms (unless the vehicle was registered before 1st Jan 1952) front headlights (except fogs) must be at least 1 foot 8 inches off the ground and not more than 4 feet off the ground. Fog lights may be lower.

(Part VI - Section 44).

Abraham

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I've just had a look at my copy of Statutory Instrument 189/1963 Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963.

It's heavy going but basically, in layman's terms (unless the vehicle was registered before 1st Jan 1952) front headlights (except fogs) must be at least 1 foot 8 inches off the ground and not more than 4 feet off the ground. Fog lights may be lower.
(Part VI - Section 44).

Tks WA.....very informative, indeed.
So Dev's old Rolls is irrelevant because it's in exemption territory having been built pre1952.

But where does the law as quoted by you leave our friends in the trucking industry with their rooftop floodlighting ? Aren't they swishing around the country in their hundreds if not thousands every single day clearly in violation of the lighting code ?