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Special lamps
By Les Oldridge, TEng (CEI), MIMI :EGULATION 64 of the Road 'ehicle Lighting Regulations 971 permits the use, by the mergency services and certain ther organisations and percins, of blue and amber flashing eacons.
The Road Vehicles Lighting \mendment) Regulations 1980 lade considerable changes in is law and introduced a green ght for the use of doctors and ie changes came into operation February 28 this year. In view f these changes, it now seems -1 appropriate time to review le whole of the law in this J bject.
Blue lamps may be carried by le following vehicles: vehicles
3ed for police, fire brigade, am
Jlance and for fire salvage pur Dses; owned by the Forestry ommission and used for
)hting fires; owned by the ?.cretary of State for Defence Id used for bomb disposal; :hides used by the Naval nergency Monitoring Organition in connection with a clear accident or an incident volving radio activity, or by the \F Mountain Rescue Service. The lamps may also be used r the Blood Transfusion Sere, Royal National Lifeboat stitution or HM Coastguards; Worm! Coal Board vehicles ed for rescue operations at Ines; and motor vehicles used imarily for conveying human sue for transplanting or for a nilar purpose.
4mber lights may be carried road clearance vehicles and eakdown lorries; vehicles ed for the purpose of testing, )intaining, improving, cleans] or watering roads or in nnection with apparatus iich is in, on, under or over a Jd; vehicles used under the thorisation of Special Types gulations (for example, carry' abnormal loads); Custom ri Excise vehicles used for the rpose of testing fuels.
The new green light may be ried on vehicles used for the 'pose of an emergency by a dical practitioner. The blue light for vehicles carrying human tissue and the amber one for the Custom and Excise vehicles are new additions to the list of vehicles permitted to have special lamps.
Each of the lamps must be at least 1.2m from the ground (under the old regulation the minimum distance was 5ft (1.5m). Where only one lamp is carried, the light shown must be visible from any point at a reasonable distance from the vehicle. If more than one lamp is fitted the light shown by at least one of the lamps (but not necessarily the same one) must be visible from any point around the vehicle.
There is no requirement for the lamp to consist of a rotating beam or for the lamp to be fitted on or near the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
Lamps may be fitted to one side of the vehicle and may consist of a flashing light. The flashing rate must be between 60 and 240 times per minute (the maximum flashing rate, under the old regulations was 150 times per minute). No maximum wattage is now specified.
All three of these different types of lamp may only be used when the vehicles to which they are fitted are being used for the relevant purposes outlined above. They may only be used when it is necessary or desirable either to indicate to other road users the urgency of the purpose for which they are being used or to warn them of the presence of the vehicle.
In the case of breakdown vehicles, only the amber light may be used in connection with, and in the immediate vicinity of, an accident, or when it is being used to draw a broken-down vehicle. It should not be used on the way to a breakdown.
It would seem that this regulation has two purposes —when the blue or green light is used to ensure that the vehicles are given a free passage by other road traffic, and in the case of the amber light to warn other traffic of an obstruction being caused by a vehicle engaged on an unusual task.
There are obvious risks of improper use being made of these lamps either by criminals impersonating the police or by some irresponsible person carrying them "just for fun". The law caters for such miscreants for lamps, similar in appearance to the blue, amber or green lamp must not be fitted to any vehicle except those specified above.
For example, the driver of a vehicle carrying an imitation blue light which is not connected into the electrical system of the vehicle and which it is impossible to light, still commits an offence.
Normally it is an offence to show a white light to the rear of a vehicle. There are exceptions to this general rule — reversing lights, PSV destinations boards and number plate lamps are examples which come readily tc mind.
Breakdown lorries also have e special exemption given by Re gulation 65 of the 1971 Lightinc Regulations, for they are permitted to carry one or more lamps showing a white light foi the purpose of illuminating the scene of an accident oi breakdown. Each lamp must be fitted not less than 5ft from the ground.
The lamps may only be used in the immediate vicinity of the accident or breakdown and when an amber flashing lamp is also in use.
The lamp may be moved by swivelling or deflecting, even while the vehicle is in motion, near a breakdown, but the person using it must ensure that no person driving a vehicle is dazzled.
Regulations 26, 27, 28 and 29 deal with the subject of reversing lamps. Not more than two such lamps may be fitted, each not exceeding 24 watts. They may only be used while the vehicle is being reversed and must be so constructed and fitted to a vehicle so as to be incapable of dazzling a person standing at a greater distance than 7.7m (just over 25ft) and whose eye level is not less than 1.1 m from the ground.
They must be illuminated by electricity and constructed so they cannot be switched on except either automatically by the engagement of reverse gear or by a switch, which serves no other purpose.
In the latter case a device, readily visible to the driver, must be fitted to indicate to him that the light is switched on. This usually takes the form of a warning lamp often incorporated in the switch itself.
The requirement that the lamps must be electric is interesting. One supposes that if a hurricane lantern was hung on the tailboard of a lorry to assist the driver to reverse on a dark night, an offence would be committed.