Q I am thinking of buying a bus for transporting my
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workers from a central pickup point to my factory on the outskirts of the town. I have been offered a vehicle with headlights which operate together on main beam, but when dipped only one lamp — the nearside one — is lit. Is this legal? It has a rear light only on the offside — does this comply with regulations? A Dealing with the headlight problem first, Regulation 16 (2) of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1971 allows psv first used before October 1, 1969, to carry a matched pair of headlamps one of which can emit a dipped beam without either lamp at the same time emitting a main beam. Thus, if the vehicle you have been offered was first used before the prescribed date and you are charging your workpeople fares—thus making the vehicle a public service vehicle—the headlamps arrangement meets current requirements.
If you are not charging fares then the lighting system will need to be modified so that both headlights can emit dipped beams.
Rear lamps are dealt with in Part IV of the Regulations. Regulz tion 23 deals with the minimum number of rear lamps which must be carried and Schedule 1 sets out the number and position of rear lamps. Paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 lays down for existing large passenger vehicles, one rear lamp on the centre line on the offside of the vehicle not more than 30in from the extreme rear with the lowest part of the illuminated part of the lamp at least 15in from the ground.
Thus, the single rear-lamps on the vehicle you are contemplating buying is in accord with regulations providing it is positioned as already described.