Front Corner and Sid( flarker Lamps
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DLAING the past 12 months many steps have been taken to change the pattern of lighting of commercial vehicles. Some of the changes will be an improvement, although when all the lights are fitted one rather expects to see a large commercial vehicle looking like a Christmas tree, as is so common on the Continent, but perfectly visible.
It is already obligatory to have two front side lamps, not more than 12 in. from the outer edge of the vehicle, and two rear lamps are also obligatory. As a result of Section 15 of the Road Traffic Act, 1962, the Minister may make regulations prescribing obligatory headlamps.
All the above lamps are what one would call standard lighting. But in addition to these standard lights there are, now regulations* specifying the size, shape and fitting requirements of two new types of lampsfor commercial vehicles, and these will come into effect on July 24 this year.
First, there is the " front corner marker lamp ", which is defined as a lamp "showing a white light to the side and front of the trailer through an arc extending 90' forward from a line at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the trailer ". These front corner marker lamps must be fitted to all trailers which exceed 7 ft. 6 in. in length, excluding drawbar or fitting attachment. Trailers drawn by a passenger vehicle or a dualpurpose vehicle are exempt unless the overall length of the combination, including load, exceeds 40 ft. Again, trailers already carrying white lights to the front, because they are wider than the drawing vehicle, do not need to comply. And the provisions regarding marker lamps do not apply to a broken-down vehicle being drawn by another vehicle. But front corner marker lamps are required on all trailers, that is, including the semi-trailer part of an articulated vehicle and this appears to have caused some confusion.
There is no doubt that these regulations apply to all trailers as they include a definition of a trailer as follows:— " . . means a vehicle constructed or adapted so as to be drawn by another vehicle."
, It appears that not only operators, but also manufacturers, have been somewhat reluctant to start equipping vehicles with these front corner marker lamps in preaaration for July 24. With only a Little over four months to go it is somewhat problematical whether all trailers an be properly equipped by that date. There are particular problems connected A,ith specialist types of trailers and the itting of these lamps will call for coniiderable ingenuity on the part of verators.
As already stated, these lamps have to :e visible from a reasonable distance to t person facing the lamp, and "in a posiion being on a line passing through the amp and at right angles to the longitulinal axis of the vehicle on which it is :eing carried "; the highest part of the lluminated area of the lamp must be not nore than 5 ft. from the ground.
It appears clear that marker lamps itted to the front of semi-trailers will not then be visible to the front when the railer is attached to the tractive unit. Whilst the initial fitting of these lamps resents special problems, the protection ind maintenance of these lamps to :omply with the regulation, which states hat they must be kept properly lighted :nd in a clean and efficient condition, will n:esent great difficulty to operators. By he very nature of the need for them to trotrude they will be vulnerable to lamage and on some vehicles will have o be placed on a special structure as the amps have to be within 12 in. of the outer edge of the vehicle if they are mounted at the front. It would be interesting to hear from operators of any special difficulty which makes it impossible to comply with these regulations in respect of this particular lamp.
Side Marker Lamps Included in the same regulations* is another new lamp named a " side marker lamp" and the definition of this is given as:— A lamp showing a white light to the side of the vehicle through an arc extending a minimum of 70° forward from a line at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a red light to the side through an arc extending a minimum of 70' rearward from that line."
Again, these lamps when fitted must not be higher than 5 ft. from the ground. although there is a relaxation in regard to vehicles carrying abnormal indivisible loads when these lamps may be carried up to 7 ft. 6 in. from the ground.
Side marker lamps are required on several different classes of vehicle. They have to be carried where the Vehicle, or vehicles, inclusive of any load, exceeds 60 ft. in length, and the requirements are that on each side one lamp -must be fitted so that its illuntinated area is not more than 30 ft. from the foremost part of the vehicle and another lamp must he mounted in such a position that no part of its illuminated area is more than 10 ft. from the rearmost p•art of the 'vehicle. again inclusive of load. Such other lamps
are required between these lamps as to ensure that the distance between the nearest part of the illuminated area of any one side marker lamp and the next side marker lamp is not more than 10 ft. Vehicles carrying projecting loads which have to have front, side and rear marker hoards are exempted from this obligation.
Side marker larnps are also required where a motor vehicle and trailer, or trailers, are carrying a supported load, the overall length of which exceeds 40 ft. but does not exceed 60 ft.; in this case one lamp (on each .side) must be in such a position that no part of the illuminated area is forward of, or more than 5 ft. lo the rear of, the .rearmost part of the motor vehicle. If the load extends rearwards more than 30 ft. beyond the rearmost part of the motor vehicle, one lamp on each side) must be positioned so that no part of its illuminated area is forward of. or more than 5 ft. to the rear of, the centre point of the overall length of the
load. .
Where a trailer already fitted with front corner ,marker lamps has an 'overall length of more than 30 ft., on each side of the trailer a side marker is required in such a position, that no-part of the illuminated area is forward of, or more than 5 ft to the rear of, the centre point of the overall length of the trailer.
Although the position appears to he more than somewhat complicated; ;la doubt, in a very short space of time operators will be used to these new regulations and we shall all get used to the sight of vehicles displaying lights or illuminated marker hoards at night.