Hi all, looking for a bit of clarification regarding additional lighting on the front of trucks, a college of mine is planning on fitting static blue lights to the front of his truck, which I am unsure he is allowed to do, I can’t really understand the regulations around this and a previous forum I looked at was just clogged up with rubbish, so could someone please provide some clarification for me to pass onto him. Many thanks in advance.
Coastaljosh96:
Hi all, looking for a bit of clarification regarding additional lighting on the front of trucks, a college of mine is planning on fitting static blue lights to the front of his truck, which I am unsure he is allowed to do, I can’t really understand the regulations around this and a previous forum I looked at was just clogged up with rubbish, so could someone please provide some clarification for me to pass onto him. Many thanks in advance.
My understanding is that displaying blue lights to the front of anything other than an emergency vehicle is unlawful
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Coastaljosh96:
Hi all, looking for a bit of clarification regarding additional lighting on the front of trucks, a college of mine is planning on fitting static blue lights to the front of his truck, which I am unsure he is allowed to do, I can’t really understand the regulations around this and a previous forum I looked at was just clogged up with rubbish, so could someone please provide some clarification for me to pass onto him. Many thanks in advance.
For an MOT it clearly states what lights and colours are allowed front and rear. Blue lights would not be legal. A vehicle showing blue lights should not pass an MOT regardless of what vehicle it is.
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vehicles.
Blue lights
Only emergency vehicles can display blue lights so it is an offence if your vehicle has any LED or neon under-vehicle lighting system or lights on windscreen, washer jets or number plates emitting a blue light. The motorist could receive a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice and or be reported to court.
suffolk.police.uk/advice/ro … ifications
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Many thanks all I will pass this onto him.
Monkey241:
vehicles.Blue lights
Only emergency vehicles can display blue lights so it is an offence if your vehicle has any LED or neon under-vehicle lighting system or lights on windscreen, washer jets or number plates emitting a blue light. The motorist could receive a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice and or be reported to court.suffolk.police.uk/advice/ro … ifications
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That Suffolk police website is at best misleading. Lamps emitting blue light to the front are legal. The restriction is on blue warning beacons or anything resembling same, which may only be fitted to emergency vehicles. Sections 11 and 16 of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regs is clear enough.
legislation.gov.uk/uksi/198 … tents/made
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Monkey241:
My understanding is that displaying blue lights to the front of anything other than an emergency vehicle is unlawful
There are too many idiots running around with blue lights and seeming to get away with it without being nicked.
Roymondo:
Monkey241:
vehicles.Blue lights
Only emergency vehicles can display blue lights so it is an offence if your vehicle has any LED or neon under-vehicle lighting system or lights on windscreen, washer jets or number plates emitting a blue light. The motorist could receive a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice and or be reported to court.suffolk.police.uk/advice/ro … ifications
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That Suffolk police website is at best misleading. Lamps emitting blue light to the front are legal. The restriction is on blue warning beacons or anything resembling same, which may only be fitted to emergency vehicles. Sections 11 and 16 of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regs is clear enough.
legislation.gov.uk/uksi/198 … tents/made
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Lights fitted to the front must be white or yellow with a few listed exceptions.
Sec 16 explicitly precludes blue warning lights etc… that isn’t the same as saying other blue light is lawful
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Another question I have is that one of our drivers has green lights fitted to the front of his truck, is this legal or does it fall under the same regs as blue lights?
My understanding is that blue lights displayed on the front of the vehicle, whilst ridiculous are legal as long as the light is stationary and does not flash. Therefore constantly illuminated ble lights in your grille for example would be legal, whereas the same constantly illuminated blue lights on your windscreen wipers would be illegal.
That’s how a mate who’s a cop once explained it to me.
the maoster:
My understanding is that blue lights displayed on the front of the vehicle, whilst ridiculous are legal as long as the light is stationary and does not flash. Therefore constantly illuminated ble lights in your grille for example would be legal, whereas the same constantly illuminated blue lights on your windscreen wipers would be illegal.That’s how a mate who’s a cop once explained it to me.
suffolk.police.uk/advice/roa … ifications
Croner’s states white to the front, red to the rear, yellow side markers and indicators, white reverse lights.They aren’t known for being wrong about anything.
Monkey241:
Lights fitted to the front must be white or yellow with a few listed exceptions.
Sec 16 explicitly precludes blue warning lights etc… that isn’t the same as saying other blue light is lawful
The legislation is quite clear. Section 11 of the Regs (which is helpfully listed in the index as being all about colour of lamps) clearly states that (subject to the list of exemptions and exclusions) no red lamps may be shown to the front, and only red lights to the rear. There are requirements, listed in the relevant Schedules, for obligatory headlamps, front fog lamps, outline marker lamps and position lamps to be white (or in some cases yellow), but you can fit whatever additional pretty fairy lights you like as long as the general “no red to the front, only red to the rear, no flashing lights, no undue dazzle to other road users” principle is observed. This sort of thing must surely be bread-and-butter to a (ex-)Monkey?
the maoster:
My understanding is that blue lights displayed on the front of the vehicle, whilst ridiculous are legal as long as the light is stationary and does not flash. Therefore constantly illuminated ble lights in your grille for example would be legal, whereas the same constantly illuminated blue lights on your windscreen wipers would be illegal.That’s how a mate who’s a cop once explained it to me.
That’s about the strength of it, with the additional proviso that said blue lamps, even though they don’t flash or rotate, must not look like blue warning beacons.
Roymondo:
Monkey241:
Lights fitted to the front must be white or yellow with a few listed exceptions.
Sec 16 explicitly precludes blue warning lights etc… that isn’t the same as saying other blue light is lawfulThe legislation is quite clear. Section 11 of the Regs (which is helpfully listed in the index as being all about colour of lamps) clearly states that (subject to the list of exemptions and exclusions) no red lamps may be shown to the front, and only red lights to the rear. There are requirements, listed in the relevant Schedules, for obligatory headlamps, front fog lamps, outline marker lamps and position lamps to be white (or in some cases yellow), but you can fit whatever additional pretty fairy lights you like as long as the general “no red to the front, only red to the rear, no flashing lights, no undue dazzle to other road users” principle is observed. This sort of thing must surely be bread-and-butter to a (ex-)Monkey?
Indeed.
Check the schedules for light colors
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Always remembering this is about additional lighting.
It is still a requirement to have obligatory white/yellow lights to the front. You can`t replace just the factory bulbs with coloured ones.
Monkey241:
Roymondo:
Monkey241:
Lights fitted to the front must be white or yellow with a few listed exceptions.
Sec 16 explicitly precludes blue warning lights etc… that isn’t the same as saying other blue light is lawfulThe legislation is quite clear. Section 11 of the Regs (which is helpfully listed in the index as being all about colour of lamps) clearly states that (subject to the list of exemptions and exclusions) no red lamps may be shown to the front, and only red lights to the rear. There are requirements, listed in the relevant Schedules, for obligatory headlamps, front fog lamps, outline marker lamps and position lamps to be white (or in some cases yellow), but you can fit whatever additional pretty fairy lights you like as long as the general “no red to the front, only red to the rear, no flashing lights, no undue dazzle to other road users” principle is observed. This sort of thing must surely be bread-and-butter to a (ex-)Monkey?
Indeed.
Check the schedules for light colorsSent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
I did. Headlamps must be white (or yellow). Front fog lamps must be white (or yellow). Front position lamps must be white (or yellow if they are part of a yellow headlamp). Front outline markers must be white.
Nowhere does it say that decorative fairy lights have to be white (or yellow), or that they may not be blue, although it does say they mustn’t flash or rotate and that they may not be red if visible from the front, or any colour other than red if visible from the rear.
All LEDs flash (it’s a simple fact[emoji6]) nor does the law state what that frequency of flash must be.
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Monkey241:
All LEDs flash (it’s a simple fact[emoji6]) nor does the law state what that frequency of flash must be.Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
Or rather, it doesn’t state what the rate of flash is permitted to be. If it came to it, a court would decide whether the light emitted appeared to be flashing or steady.
Not that this as any bearing at all on your assertion that blue lights are unlawful.
The issue also becomes whether a device resembles a warning beacon, special warning lamp or similar device whether in working order or not. Given the number of ‘SIMILAR’ devices fitted to marked and unmarked cars, it becomes a matter of opinion for a copper completing an FPN.
An opinion that can be tested in court at the risk of a far greater penalty.
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Roymondo:
Monkey241:
Lights fitted to the front must be white or yellow with a few listed exceptions.
Sec 16 explicitly precludes blue warning lights etc… that isn’t the same as saying other blue light is lawfulThe legislation is quite clear. Section 11 of the Regs (which is helpfully listed in the index as being all about colour of lamps) clearly states that (subject to the list of exemptions and exclusions) no red lamps may be shown to the front, and only red lights to the rear. There are requirements, listed in the relevant Schedules, for obligatory headlamps, front fog lamps, outline marker lamps and position lamps to be white (or in some cases yellow), but you can fit whatever additional pretty fairy lights you like as long as the general “no red to the front, only red to the rear, no flashing lights, no undue dazzle to other road users” principle is observed. This sort of thing must surely be bread-and-butter to a (ex-)Monkey?
No ‘device’ which ‘resembles’ a blue warning beacon or special warning lamp.
It’s clear enough that means a blue lamp.
Good luck when a law car makes space or stops at a green traffic light having confused the blue lights on the front of a truck with a fire fighting vehicle on call, from a distance at night.At least in Suffolk.
ukemergency.co.uk/blue-light-use/