why do these small recovery companies with their 7.5 tonners keep their light bars & becons & flashing lights on when they’ve made their recovery ?
while actually doing the recovery i can understand, but once the broken down car is onboard, they keep them on, ?
they arnt overweight , or over length or too wide. their vehicle dimensions havent changed , but insist on advertising their own importance. they dont have them on when they’re unladen.
i saw quite a few of them on saturday on the motorway , not the first time i’ve wondered either
MolePower:
why do these small recovery companies with their 7.5 tonners keep their light bars & becons & flashing lights on when they’ve made their recovery ?
while actually doing the recovery i can understand, but once the broken down car is onboard, they keep them on, ?
they arnt overweight , or over length or too wide. their vehicle dimensions havent changed , but insist on advertising their own importance. they dont have them on when they’re unladen.
i saw quite a few of them on saturday on the motorway , not the first time i’ve wondered either
Maybe they just forgot, only the switch lights up to remind you they’re on, and the bulbs in those switches rarely work.
The amount of paperwork you have to do, it’s easy to forget and the 1st time you notice is when dropping the car off.
Have you really got nothing else to worry about that what other people are doing?
We call them “hero” lights 
Steve
with you on this molepower, it is the same with those wagons with the flashing lights every where just because their load of steel/jcb/wooden crate/etc is one inch wider than their trailer!!
They are a pain in the arse to follow, with the constant bright flashing, at least a police car gets out of the way, unless they want you 
waynedl:
MolePower:
why do these small recovery companies with their 7.5 tonners keep their light bars & becons & flashing lights on when they’ve made their recovery ?
while actually doing the recovery i can understand, but once the broken down car is onboard, they keep them on, ?
they arnt overweight , or over length or too wide. their vehicle dimensions havent changed , but insist on advertising their own importance. they dont have them on when they’re unladen.
i saw quite a few of them on saturday on the motorway , not the first time i’ve wondered eitherMaybe they just forgot, only the switch lights up to remind you they’re on, and the bulbs in those switches rarely work.
The amount of paperwork you have to do, it’s easy to forget and the 1st time you notice is when dropping the car off.
Have you really got nothing else to worry about that what other people are doing?
It’s not something to be trivialised.
Apart from the annoyance factor, it can be quite a hazard, especially in wet conditions when all that you see turns to flashing amber if you’re unfortunate to get stuck behind such a vehicle with unnecessary hazard illumination. Even more so if it’s fitted with those excellent new LED light bars.
And then there’s the diminished ability to notice approaching blue emergency lights from behind when you’re dazzled from some numpty with unnecessary yellows on in front…
They’re supposed to be used to warn when there’s a hazard either to the recovery operation, yourself as approaching driver or both. Consider it like the dot matrix advisory speed limit signs on the motorway, often left on or operated by accident advising you to drive at 40mph for no reason. They become ignored. However, occasionally in this cry wolf situation, there is actually something ahead to be warned about, and that’s when accidents happen at the back of queues.
It is hard to imagine how you could leave such lights on by mistake considering their brightness, but it often appears that is the case. In the past I’ve drawn alongside and politely pointed to their roof lights, normally they thank me and turn them off.
I agree with the “cry wolf” theory. The lights are a great safety feature when needed, but because so many people drive around with them flashing when not necessary, they don’t have the impact they should when you see them. It’s not only on the road either, tractors in the middle of fields, Telecoms/council wagons parked on the verge 20 feet from the road, there’s too many now. A bit like hi-vis clothes, so many people wear them now, you tend not to take as much notice.
Bernard
they are to let you know that the driver has a small ■■■■■, All RAC and AA drivers suffer with small penises too 
waynedl:
Maybe they just forgot, only the switch lights up to remind you they’re on, and the bulbs in those switches rarely work.
The amount of paperwork you have to do, it’s easy to forget and the 1st time you notice is when dropping the car off.
Have you really got nothing else to worry about that what other people are doing?
hey i have no problem to people who forget & not getting at anyone who drives them it was just a question of interest . but forgetting to turn them off ? are you telling me the dozens of them i see during the week have all forgotten ?
it always seems to be the small companies or privateers, rarely see green flag, AA or the RAC with forgetfull drivers
i have a PTO switch in my cab for unloading trailers it’s not lit , but as the driver i know it’s to be turned off when it’s not in use , it’s my job .
i also thought it was illegal for these to be used when there isnt an incedent that would require them , & once the vehicle has been collected they should be turned off
albion1938:
It’s not only on the road either, tractors in the middle of fields,
Bernard
I think with tractors it is a good idea, as they may forget to switch them on again, when you come up behind a farm tractor on the A1 pulling an old lorry trailer at 20mph, they can be quite welcome and are necessary
When i was working for a builders merchant i had a brand new 58 reg truck and there was nothing to tell you wether the beacons were on or not and it is qiute easy to forget 
If you put your hazard lights on and there was no warning they were on i am sure a lot of people would forget those as well
HATOs Highways Agency Traffic officers use them to make progress through heavy traffic when responding to an immediate grade jobs common pratice on the A14/M11 if they dont move they get blasted with the bullhorn 
It is a legal requirement with a spec lift or with the AA/RAC van which tow the car behind as it’s towing an unbraked trailer in excess of the legal maximum weight. More info can be found here policespecials.com/forum/ind … opic=21567 with links to The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989
But the Beaver tails etc where the vehicle is on the back they should turn theres off when leaving the scene as the hazard has gone but suppose its like the drivers who where there Hi Viz in the cab or sat in the cafe 
But alot of big company like AA/RAC and when they contract work say you have to recover with your beacons on as its company policy (elf and safety) I’ve heard rumours of AA personal been threatened with the sack for not using them dunno if its true or not
Lighting mcqueen:
HATOs Highways Agency Traffic officers use them to make progress through heavy traffic when responding to an immediate grade jobs common pratice on the A14/M11 if they dont move they get blasted with the bullhorn
There’s the problem. Most people are not going to move over for a vehicle behind them with orange strobes/beacons flashing away are they? If the “HATO’s” want to make progress on a motorway can’t they use the hard shoulder??
If someone starts bellowing at me using a bullhorn, wearing a high viz jacket in a vehicle without blue lights, i’m not moving anywhere 
bazza123:
Lighting mcqueen:
HATOs Highways Agency Traffic officers use them to make progress through heavy traffic when responding to an immediate grade jobs common pratice on the A14/M11 if they dont move they get blasted with the bullhornThere’s the problem. Most people are not going to move over for a vehicle behind them with orange strobes/beacons flashing away are they? If the “HATO’s” want to make progress on a motorway can’t they use the hard shoulder??
If someone starts bellowing at me using a bullhorn, wearing a high viz jacket in a vehicle without blue lights, i’m not moving anywhere
Not sure if it’s the same for HATO’s, but when I was on recovery heading for a motorway incident, I still had to get authorisation to use hard shoulder, which took a few mins at least, and then it was 20mph, hazard and beacons on.
I see HATO and other recovery firms flying up the hard shoulder and wonder if the rules have changed / are different?
When I was on recovery on the M25, through the roadworks, We were given written permission by the police to use the hard shoulder, AT SPEED.
K5Project:
It is a legal requirement with a spec lift or with the AA/RAC van which tow the car behind as it’s towing an unbraked trailer in excess of the legal maximum weight. More info can be found here policespecials.com/forum/ind … opic=21567 with links to The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989But the Beaver tails etc where the vehicle is on the back they should turn theres off when leaving the scene as the hazard has gone but suppose its like the drivers who where there Hi Viz in the cab or sat in the cafe
There is no legal requirement to have your beacons on - Hows that going to make your brakes work better because your towing an “un-braked trailer” 
A Spec lift doesn’t need beacons fitted by law - you can tow a transit with another transit - neither need beacons by law
Steve
neversweat1:
K5Project:
It is a legal requirement with a spec lift or with the AA/RAC van which tow the car behind as it’s towing an unbraked trailer in excess of the legal maximum weight. More info can be found here policespecials.com/forum/ind … opic=21567 with links to The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989But the Beaver tails etc where the vehicle is on the back they should turn theres off when leaving the scene as the hazard has gone but suppose its like the drivers who where there Hi Viz in the cab or sat in the cafe
There is no legal requirement to have your beacons on - Hows that going to make your brakes work better because your towing an “un-braked trailer”
A Spec lift doesn’t need beacons fitted by law - you can tow a transit with another transit - neither need beacons by lawSteve
If your towing another vehicle it makes life that little bit safer warning other motorists of the fact.
The issue is 7.5 tonners with a car on the back having flashing lights on, ie a ‘‘normal’’ load which shouldnt really need warning lights on
it makes me laugh when you see the container boys running up and down the 14 with the beacons on, when they only carryimg a 20ft box 
Lighting mcqueen:
HATOs Highways Agency Traffic officers use them to make progress through heavy traffic when responding to an immediate grade jobs common pratice on the A14/M11 if they dont move they get blasted with the bullhorn
Always wondered what HATO stood for 