Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Part IIIRegulations Governing the Maintenance and Use of Lamps, Reflectors, Rear Markings and Devices

Maintenance of lamps, reflectors, rear markings and devices

26.—(1) A person shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road a vehicle unless every lamp, reflector, rear marking and device to which this paragraph applies is in good working order and, in the case of a lamp, clean.

(2) Save as provided in paragraph (3), paragraph (1) applies to—

(a)every—

(i)front position lamp,

(ii)rear position lamp,

(iii)headlamp,

(iv)rear registration plate lamp,

(v)side marker lamp,

(vi)end-outline marker lamp,

(vii)rear fog lamp,

(viii)retro reflector, and

(ix)rear marking of a type specified in Part III of Schedule 19, with which the vehicle is required by these Regulations to be fitted; and

(b)every—

(i)stop lamp,

(ii)direction indicator,

(iii)running lamp,

(iv)dim-dip device,

(v)headlamp levelling device, and

(vi)hazard warning signal device,

with which it is fitted.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not apply to—

(a)a rear fog lamp on a vehicle which is part of a combination of vehicles any part of which is not required by these Regulations to be fitted with a rear fog lamp;

(b)a rear fog lamp on a motor vehicle drawing a trailer;

(c)a defective lamp, reflector, dim-dip device or headlamp levelling device on a vehicle in use on a road between sunrise and sunset, if any such lamp, reflector or device became defective during the journey which is in progress or if arrangements have been made to remedy the defect with all reasonable expedition; or

(d)a lamp, reflector, dim-dip device, headlamp levelling device or rear marking on a combat vehicle in use on a road between sunrise and sunset.

Requirements about the use of front and rear position lamps, rear registration plate lamps, side marker lamps and end-outline marker lamps

27.—(1) Save as provided in paragraphs (5) and (9), no person shall—

(a)use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road any vehicle which is in motion—

(i)between sunset and sunrise, or

(ii)in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset; or

(b)allow to remain at rest, or cause or permit to be allowed to remain at rest, on a road any vehicle between sunset and sunrise,

unless every front position lamp, rear position lamp, rear registration plate lamp, side marker lamp and end-outline marker lamp with which the vehicle is required by these Regulations to be fitted is kept lit and unobscured.

(2) Save as provided in paragraphs (5) and (9), where a solo motor bicycle is not fitted with a front position lamp, a person shall not use it, or cause or permit it to be used, on a road (other than when it is parked) between sunset and sunrise or in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset, unless a headlamp is kept lit and unobscured.

(3) Save as provided in paragraphs (5) and (9), no person shall allow to remain parked, or cause or permit to be allowed to remain parked between sunset and sunrise—

(a)a motor bicycle combination which is required to be fitted only with a front position lamp on the sidecar; or

(b)a trailer to the front of which no other vehicle is attached and which is not required to be fitted with front position lamps, unless a pair of front position lamps is fitted and kept lit and unobscured.

(4) Save as provided in paragraphs (5) and (9), no person shall allow to remain parked, or cause or permit to be allowed to remain parked between sunset and sunrise a solo motor bicycle which is not required to be fitted with a front position lamp, unless a front position lamp is fitted and kept lit and unobscured.

(5) Paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall not apply in respect of a vehicle of a class specified in paragraph (7) which is parked on a road on which a speed limit of 30 mph or less is in force and the vehicle is parked—

(a)in a parking place for which provision is authorised under Article 10(4) or designated under Article 15(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997(1), or which is set apart as a parking place under some other enactment or instrument and the vehicle is parked in a manner which does not contravene the provision of any enactment or instrument relating to the parking place; or

(b)in a lay-by—

(i)the limits of which are indicated by a traffic sign consisting of the road marking shown in diagram 1010 of Schedule 6 of the Traffic Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2); or

(ii)the surface of which is of a colour or texture which is different from that of the part of the carriageway of the road used primarily by through traffic; or

(iii)the limits of which are indicated by a continuous strip of surface of a different colour or texture from that of the surface of the remainder of the carriageway of the road; or

(c)elsewhere than in such a parking place or lay-by if—

(i)the vehicle is parked in one of the circumstances described in paragraph (8); and

(ii)no part of the vehicle is less than 15 m in from the junction of any part of the carriageway of any road with the carriageway of the road on which it is parked whether that junction is on the same side of the road as that on which the vehicle is parked or not.

(6) Paragraph (5)(c)(ii) shall be construed in accordance with the diagram in Schedule 23.

(7) The classes of vehicle referred to in paragraph (5) are—

(a)a motor vehicle being a goods vehicle the unladen weight of which does not exceed 1525 kg;

(b)a passenger vehicle other than a bus;

(c)an invalid carriage; and

(d)a motor cycle or a cycle in either case with or without a sidecar, not being—

(i)a vehicle to which a trailer is attached;

(ii)a vehicle which is required to be fitted with lamps by regulation 24; or

(iii)a vehicle carrying a load, if the load is required to be fitted with lamps by regulation 24.

(8) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (5)(c)(i) are that—

(a)the vehicle is parked on a road on which the driving of vehicles otherwise than in one direction is prohibited at all times and its left or near side is as close as may be and parallel to the left-hand edge of the carriageway or its right or off side is as close as may be and parallel to the right-hand edge of the carriageway; or

(b)the vehicle is parked on a road on which such a prohibition does not exist and its left or near side is as close as may be and parallel to the edge of the carriageway.

(9) Paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) do not apply in respect of—

(a)a solo motor bicycle or a cycle being pushed along the left-hand edge of a carriageway;

(b)a cycle waiting to proceed provided it is kept to the left-hand or near side edge of a carriageway; or

(c)a vehicle which is parked in an area on part of a highway on which roadworks are being carried out and which is bounded by amber lamps and other traffic signs so as to prevent the presence of the vehicle, its load or equipment being a danger to persons using the road.

Requirements about the use of headlamps and front fog lamps

28.—(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2), a person shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road a vehicle which is fitted with obligatory dipped-beam headlamps unless every such lamp is kept lit—

(a)during the hours of darkness; and

(b)in seriously reduced visibility.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) do not apply—

(a)in the case of a motor vehicle fitted with one obligatory dipped-beam headlamp or a solo motor bicycle or motor bicycle combination fitted with a pair of obligatory dipped-beam headlamps, if a main-beam headlamp or a front fog lamp is kept lit;

(b)in the case of a motor vehicle, other than a solo motor bicycle or motor bicycle combination, fitted with a pair of obligatory dipped-beam headlamps, if—

(i)a pair of main-beam headlamps is kept lit; or

(ii)in seriously reduced visibility, a pair of front fog lamps which is so fitted that the outermost part of the illuminated area of each lamp in the air is not more than 400 mm from the outer edge of each vehicle is kept lit;

(c)to a vehicle being drawn by another vehicle;

(d)to a vehicle while being used to propel a snow plough; or

(e)to a vehicle which is parked.

(3) For the purposes of this regulation a headlamp shall not be regarded as lit if its intensity is reduced by a dim-dip device.

Requirements about the use of warning beacons

29.  A person shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, on an unrestricted dual-carriageway road a vehicle which is required to be fitted with at least one warning beacon by regulation 20 unless every such beacon is kept lit.

Restrictions on the use of lamps other than those to which regulation 27 refers

30.  A person shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road any vehicle on which any lamp, hazard warning signal device or warning beacon of a type specified in an item in column 2 of the Table is used in a manner specified in that item in column 3.

Revocation

31.  The regulations specified in Schedule 26 are hereby revoked.