the" blue lights on the front of a vehicle "question keeps popping up so I thought id look at the wording and try to work it out for my self. Alas with most laws there is still an element of interpretation and either side of the argument could have reasonable grounds to justify they are legal or not
I will start of with the Norfolk constabulary website who clearly indicate that ANY blue light at the front is illegal
their wording is a direct quote from the road vehicle lighting regs
http://www.norfolk.police.uk/safetyadvice/roadsafety/advicetoroadusers/howlegalisyourvehicle.aspx
Then there is this wording from the same act , the point here is the only light that is deemed illegal from the front is red
to read full see the site
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/regulation/11/made
quote ----
Colour of light shown by lamps and reflectors
11. (1) No vehicle shall be fitted with a lamp which is capable of showing a red light to the front, except–
(a)
a red and white chequered domed lamp, or a red and white segmented mast-mounted warning beacon, fitted to a fire service control vehicle and intended for use at the scene of an emergency;
.
(b)
a side marker lamp or a side retro reflector;
.
(c)
retro reflective material or a retro reflector designed primarily to reflect light to one or both sides of the vehicle and attached to or incorporated in any wheel or tyre of–
.
(i)
a pedal cycle and any sidecar attached to it;
.
(ii)
a solo motor bicycle or a motor bicycle combination; or
.
(iii)
an invalid carriage; or
.
(d)
a traffic sign.
.
(2) No vehicle shall be fitted with a lamp which is capable of showing any light to the rear, other than a red light, except–
(a)
amber light from a direction indicator or side marker lamp;
.
(b)
white light from a reversing lamp;
.
(c)
white light from a work lamp;
.
(d)
light to illuminate the interior of a vehicle;
.
(e)
light from an illuminated rear registration plate;
.
(f)
light for the purposes of illuminating a taxi meter;
.
(g)
in the case of a bus, light for the purposes of illuminating a route indicator;
.
(h)
blue light and white light from a chequered domed lamp fitted to a police control vehicle and intended for use at the scene of an emergency;
.
(i)
white light from a red and white chequered domed lamp, or a red and white segmented mast-mounted warning beacon, fitted to a fire service control vehicle and intended for use at the scene of an emergency;
so to summarise, one part of the regs says that the only light deemed illegal is a red light at the front and the other part of the regs says that anything resembling a blue warning beacon is illegal,
so would the police consider say a blue led side lights as " resembling "a warning beacon??
article on the police specials website, read the section about blue lights
http://www.policespecials.com/forum/index.php/topic/66035-the-ultimate-blue-light-thread/
Norfolk Police site summarizes it nicely.
No red to front, no white to rear is the basic rule (except reversing/indicators)
Blue lights are a no-no, as is anything resembling a blue light.
Lights to side are generally restricted to orange/amber position lamps.
The crap on the Specials site about filaments/diodes is cobblers. It has to resemble a blue light - ie be blue, so clear LED with no discernible colour would be legal.
If lights are obviously blue then expect attention. If they flash then really expect attention!
I cannot understand why anyone would want anything other than 'white' lamps as anything else doesn't light the road up!
Quote from: Winston Smith on September 11, 2014, 10:57:22 PM
Norfolk Police site summarizes it nicely.
No red to front, no white to rear is the basic rule (except reversing/indicators)
Blue lights are a no-no, as is anything resembling a blue light.
Lights to side are generally restricted to orange/amber position lamps.
The crap on the Specials site about filaments/diodes is cobblers. It has to resemble a blue light - ie be blue, so clear LED with no discernible colour would be legal.
If lights are obviously blue then expect attention. If they flash then really expect attention!
I cannot understand why anyone would want anything other than 'white' lamps as anything else doesn't light the road up!
I agree with all that but the 1989 regs state that the only colour illegal at the front is red, then it goes onto say that you must not have anything " resembling" a warning beacon, well a warning beacon is intense ,its flashing , I think that in a court case a judge could accept that a simple blue diode is not resembling a warning beacon , its just a static blue light , which is not deemed illegal.
its very ambiguous and a smart lawyer could poke holes through it. I don't intend to break the law however I do fancy the angel eyes/devil projector lights that kevstrom has , the backlight to the devil eye is blue , they don't do white I don't want to fit them and then have to take them off!
i was under the impression that any blue light on the front or rear of a bike was an mot failure,i had a zzr 1100 years ago which failed its mot as it has a blue side light bulb fitted ,they wouldn't pass it till i changed the bulb for a clear one, the police dont need much of an excuse to stop you if they want number plate letter spacing .colured light bulbs for example . but the law may have changed since i had my old zzr 1100 ,?????
Quote from: keith on September 12, 2014, 05:27:07 PM
i was under the impression that any blue light on the front or rear of a bike was an mot failure,i had a zzr 1100 years ago which failed its mot as it has a blue side light bulb fitted ,they wouldn't pass it till i changed the bulb for a clear one, the police dont need much of an excuse to stop you if they want number plate letter spacing .colured light bulbs for example . but the law may have changed since i had my old zzr 1100 ,?????
mmm good point, im going to phone my MOT guy and check with him
As usual Whinny puts the points over very well.
The problems arise Mr Viper with not so much as what is written in legislation and the Road Traffic Act but with whom you come into contact with at the side of the road.
I would like to think that Officer Rusty would use, as usual, a large dollop of common sense and discretion .... I may wag fingers and sigh but would I stop you in the first place ? Doubtful ... unless of course things are flashing and then your bike would flash away in an instant on the back of a recovery truck ...
Young keen and " I love to tick boxes " brand new Traffic Officer ( yes I was one once ! ) may go straight in there and dish out tickets and report you for stuff allowing the courts to decide what is right and wrong .. it might come to nothing but time and months of waiting and solicitors bills may put you off ..... :yes:
Quote from: Rusty on September 12, 2014, 10:01:46 PM
As usual Whinny puts the points over very well.
The problems arise Mr Viper with not so much as what is written in legislation and the Road Traffic Act but with whom you come into contact with at the side of the road.
I would like to think that Officer Rusty would use, as usual, a large dollop of common sense and discretion .... I may wag fingers and sigh but would I stop you in the first place ? Doubtful ... unless of course things are flashing and then your bike would flash away in an instant on the back of a recovery truck ...
Young keen and " I love to tick boxes " brand new Traffic Officer ( yes I was one once ! ) may go straight in there and dish out tickets and report you for stuff allowing the courts to decide what is right and wrong .. it might come to nothing but time and months of waiting and solicitors bills may put you off ..... :yes:
like
On my previous GTR I had blue leds. It was great at getting peoples attention until you realise that cars are moving out of the way cause they think you're a copper. Some of the drivers moved their cars in a panic, so I soon got rid of them as I didn't want to be responsible for causing a crash.
I can never understand why people would want !! Extra !!! or different coloured lights, ie over and above the ones fitted by the manufacturer. As the police motorcyclist on Royal escort duty has just proved, having a white helmet, a day glo jacket and flashing blue lights, plus the standard headlight, which was probably also flashing, is sometimes not enough to stop dozy car driving muppets pulling out in front of you. Apart from having good headlights to assist in seeing where you are going, all the "Extra" and different coloured lights are just a waste of time and money.
Surely point B from the act wouuld cover most blue lights ... and if it doesn't it should! :nono:
Fed up with catching a glimpse of a flickerng blue in the mirrors, look to move over only to find it's some modded heap with very blue lights. Grrrrrrr. The sooner the existing lighting regs (colour, wattage, placement) in this country are vigorously enforced the better.
Quote from: Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989Restrictions on fitting blue warning beacons, special warning lamps and similar devices
16. No vehicle, other than an emergency vehicle, shall be fitted with–
(a)a blue warning beacon or special warning lamp, or .
(b)a device which resembles a blue warning beacon or a special warning lamp, whether the same is in working order or not.
mmmmm, .....I have PIAA lights on my Super Tenere, when turned on they are bright (but legal) they may improve my chances of being seen, but then again they may not...who is to say for sure ?
I have been informed by some of those who I ride out with that they are effective and improve my road visibilty :yes:
(http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n326/oldeconey/2014-06-07110812_zps224e28bb.jpg) (http://s336.photobucket.com/user/oldeconey/media/2014-06-07110812_zps224e28bb.jpg.html)
Quote from: O.C. on September 13, 2014, 09:02:12 PM
I have been informed by some of those who I ride out with that they are effective and improve my road visibilty :yes:
Google's "Remove Politeness Filter©" changed this to:
I have been informed by some of those who I ride out with that they are ******* annoying in their mirrors. :wink: :mfr_lol:
Quote from: STX1300man on September 13, 2014, 09:10:28 PM
Google's "Remove Politeness Filter©" changed this to:
I have been informed by some of those who I ride out with that they are ******* annoying in their mirrors. :wink: :mfr_lol:
Don't worry my friend, you won't be affected by them, as its highly unlikely that I'll ever be
behind you :whistling: :mfr_lol:
im not planning on fitting blue lights to the front , I just like to know my facts and has id been reading up on the lights regs I thought id get the view of some of the great experience on this site.
The regs are ambigious and it does say that anything " resembling" a warning beacon is illegal, im sure there are some judges that would dismiss the ticket and set a legal precedent for future cases.
if im bobbing along at 70 mph with my blue devil eyes the front forks will also be bobbing up and down and this may look like flashing blue lights, I don't want that and I certainly don't want plod to have to waste valuable time and tax revenue in stopping me.
I do fancy the projector upgrade so I will find a way of changing the blue devil bulb ( only comes in red green or blue) or turning that part off.
thanks guys for your input , I think that it is most likely that blue lights at the front are illegal.