LIGHTS ON VEHICLES.
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The Provisions of a New Bill Intended to Bring Up to date the Law with Regard to the Lighting of Vehicles at Night.
I N our last week's issue we briefly referred to the fact that
Lord Wigan had intrude:iced into the Hoes° of Lords a -Bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to the carrying of lights by vehicles at night. This Bill is introduced with the authority and support of the Ministry of Transport, and it may, therefore, be taken that every effort wyl be made to secure its passage through both Houses of Parliament during the Autumn session, so that it may come into operation on January 1st next. The Bill applies only to Great Britain, and does net extend to Ireland.
We propose in the following summary to-give those matters contained in the Bill which are essential to the motor section of the community, but it. is interesting to note that under Section 1 every vehicle . on any street, highway or roach to which the public has access will, if the Bill passes, and subject to any Order which may be made by the Minister of Transport, be compelled to carry two lamps showing to the front a white light, and one lamp showing to the rear a red light, all of them being visible from a reasonable distance, and each lamp being kept properly trimmed, lighted and in an efficient condition
Bicycles and fricyclesopropelled by mechanical power or otherwise, and tricycles not propelled by mechanicall power, need only show one white light to the front instead of the two mentioned in Section 1, whilst the Minister of Transport w ill have power to authorize the, use of a single lamp on pedal-prorielled bicycles and tricycles provided that, without eiek of Obscnration, the lamp shows a white light to the front and a red light to the rear.
In order to provide for the carriage of farm produce of an inflammable nature in the course of harvesting operations, or for the carriage of inflammable or explosive goods, the Minister of Transport is to be given power to grant exemptions by Order upon the application of any proper body, such as the council of a county or county borough.
The Minister will also have power to exempt ley Order vehicles when standing or parked in accordance with any local by-laws or police regulations; vehicles drawing other vehicles and the vehicles drawn • horse-drawn vehicles; vehicles drawn or propelled by hand. At the same time, the Minister will have power to preseribe the number and position of additienal lamps to be carried and the colours of the lights to be displayed, and the condition under which they are to be used in the case of vehicles carrying overhanging or projecting loads; of vehicles drawing other vehicles; and of vehicles used as ambulances or for naval, military, air force, or police purposes, or any other special purpose. The Minister will also have power to prohibit the rise of any of these seiecial lamps by any other vehicles.
The period during which the obligatory lamps (that is to say, the three lampsspecified in Section 1) shall be carried is " the hours of darkness," and these are specified as being between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise during the months of April to September, inclusive, und between half an hour after sunset and half' an hour before sunrise during the months of October to March, inclusive.
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Section 2 of the Bill restricts the number of lamps to be carried to four showing' a white light to the front and one lamp showing a red light tri the rear; those in addition to the lamps which the vehicle is obliged to carry must be carried in ie. position and be affixed in such a manner as the Minister may, by regulation, prescribe.
Section 3 of the Bill places a restriction upon the use of high-powered lamps. No lamp shall have a range of forward illumination exceeding 150 ft., whilst, when more than two lamps are carried showing a whitei light to the front, those which are required to be carried (which we have referred to as the obligatory lights) shall not have a range of forward illumination exceeding 60 ft. In actual practice the side lamps, as they are usually called, are the compulsory lamps, and they may not have more than 00-ft range of .illumination, whilst the headlamps may go up to 150 ft.
It is provided that the Minister may prescribe a form of certificate to be used by manufacturers of lamps stating that their lamps have been constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Section, and, provided no alteration is made in the lamps, this certificate will be prima, facie evidence that the lampn are net in contravention of the Section` or of the Regulations issued by the Minister. The methods prescribed by the British Engineering Standards Association for determining the illuminating effect of driving lamps will be the methods adopted for ascertaining the range of forward illumination of a lamp. Section4 provides that, except with regard to lamps used for the purpose of internal illumination of. a vehicle, no lamp which shows a white light to the rear or a red light to the front shalt be used. In our opinion, this Section should be made even stronger, in that in no circumstances should a red light he shown to the front, hut it is hardly likely that any lamp showing a red light will be used for the internal illumination of a vehicle.
Section 5 permits the Minister to sanction the use of lamps designed for use in cases of fog or mist, and the use of movable or detachable lamps for the purpose of engine inspection or roadside repairs. The movable or searchlight lamp, for permission th use which private motorists have long wished, is thus notsanctioned.
Section 6 deals with the lighting of bicycles and tricycles.
Section 7 fixes the maximum penalty--in the case of a first offence at £5, and in the case of a second or-subeequent offence at L20—Irat there is a curious proviso that the person driving the vehicle shall not be convicted when charged with an offence under the Bill if he can prove to the satisfaction of thd court that the offence arose through the negligence or default of some other person whose duty it was to provide the vehicle with a lamp or lamps. .It is difficult to see the reason or need for such a proviso, because the question, after all, is one of the safety of ell road users.
Under Section 8 all previous enactments, orders, and bylaws with regard to lighting are repealed or rescinded.
Section 9 emphasizes the fact that the Bill applies to vehicles of every description.