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136 
Heights and lights regs
Page 80
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by Les Oldridge, TEng (CEI), MIMI, AMIRTE.
THE MOTOR VEHICLE (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No 5) Regulations 1978, which added another Regulation, Regulation 80A, to the Construction and Use Regulations, came into effect on the March 6, 1979. The new regulation requires certain vehicles to carry in the vehicle a notice clearly stating in feet and inches the overall travelling height of the vehicle.
The figures showing the height must be not less than 40mm (1.57 inches) tall. The notice must be in such a position that it can be read by the driver when he is in the driver's seat. It is said that the height must be shown in imperial units because these units are generally used on traffic signs, particularly, I suppose, on the signs indicating the clearance under bridges.
The Regulations only apply to the following motor vehicles when their "overall travelling height" exceeds 12 feet: (a) Motor vehicles constructed or adapted to be capable of carrying a skip.
(b) Motor vehicles carrying containers or drawing a trailer or semi-trailer carrying a container.
(c) Motor vehicles which are engineering plant or which are carrying engineering equipment or drawing a trailer or semi-trailer carrying such equipment.
A long definition of "overall travelling height" is given in the Regulations, but basically it means the height from the ground to the highest part of the vehicle or its load. There is, however, a tolerance allowance of one inch above or below the actual measurement. The height must be measured when the vehicle is standing on reasonably level ground with the tyres properly inflated and with any equipment which is fitted stowed in the position in which it is to proceed along the road.
Quite obviously the height of the load on vehicles carrying engineering plant will vary with each load, so a notice with a height painted on it will not satisfy the regulations: there must be some means of varying the notice for the height of each load carried. The simplest solution seems to be to fix a small blackboard above the windscreen in view of the driver and to write the height of each load on the blackboard before each journey commences.
It may be prudent to have two horizontal lines painted on the board a little over 40mm apart to indicate to the driver the minimum height of the figures which must be used.
CM has recently carried an advertisement for a device which resembles the oldfashioned perpetual calendar where the dates are contained on a roller blind which can be revolved at will. Instead of displaying dates, the "blind" on this gadget shows heights and it can be adjusted so that the current height of the vehicle and its load can be displayed.
Another new piece of legislation is the Road Vehicles (Rear Fog Lamps) Regulations 1978. The Regulations are in two parts: one requires all vehicles manufactured on or after October 1 1979 and first used on or after April 1 1 980 to be fitted with one or two fog lamps, and the other specifying the conditions to be met where rear fog lamps are fitted to vehicles of any age. The latter proviso comes into effect on October 1 1979.
The compulsory fitting of rear fog lamps to new vehicles does not apply to vehicles with less than four wheels which have an overall width of less than 1.3 metres (just over 51 inches); to agricultural vehicles; industrial tractors; pedestrian-controlled vehicles; works trailers and trucks or to vehicles which are neither a motor vehicle or trailer.
Not more than two rear foglamps must be fitted; if only one is fitted it must be positioned on or to the right of the centre-line of the vehicle. When two lamps are fitted, they must form a pair and when lit emit a light of substantially the same colour and intensity. Lamps must be positioned so that they are not less than 250mm (about 10 inches) or more than 1 metre (39.37 inches) from the ground except in the case of agricultural vehicles, engineering plant or motor tractors, where the maximum height is 1.9 metres (roughly 6ft 3in), or where the shape of the vehicle precludes this, 2.1 metres (about 6ft 101/2in).
Lamps when illuminated must show a steady red light visible to the rear of the vehicle at any point between at least five degrees above and five degrees below the horizontal throughout an angle of at least 25 degrees in the horizontal plane on each side of a line parallel to t longitudinal axis of the vehi and passing through the cen of the illuminating surface of1 lamp.
The lamps must be cc nected so that they can only illuminated when the he lamps, front fog-lamps or sil lamps are on. (This requiremi does not apply to ambulan fire brigade or police vehicles) rear fog-lamp may be incor rated with another lamp ir common lamp body provide' has a separate light source an separate lens.
Where, however, it share common lamp body with a r lamp, it may also share the r lamp lens and may either sh a single light source opera under different conditions or fitted with its own separate Ii source. When a vehicle is fit with rear fog lamps there m also be fitted a device, rea, visible to the driver, to indic when the lamps are illumina or the electrical circuit wh connects the lamps is closed As from October 1 1979 illuminating surface of any fog lamp must be at le 100mm (nearly 4in) from illuminating surface of the 5. lamps and the fog-lamps rr not be connected so that t come on with the stop tan' Rear fog-lamps, from that d may only be used during verse weather conditions, ii fog, smoke, heavy rain or sp snow, dense cloud or any sirr condition. The lamps must ( be used when the vehicle i motion or during an enfot stoppage.
On passenger vehicles structed or adapted to more than seven passengerE clusive of the driver, the lai may be kept on in adv( weather conditions while vehicle is stationary passengers are boardinc alighting from it. The lamps also be kept illuminated stationary police, fire bric and ambulance vehicles in verse weather conditions.