Do these break the law - I'm thinking especially of the positioning of the hidden lights without the use of a roof-top beacon - or has there been an amendment to the law?
note: reason for post is simply curiosity!
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Basically.....No.
Fif's favourite piece of legislation - Road Vehicles Lighting Regs 1989, Schedule 16 deals with the requirements re Warning beacons.
Very few requirements mentioned apart from height - centre of lamp not less than 1200mm above ground.
Visibile from any point at a reasonable distance from the vehicle (not necessarily the same beacon)
Flash at not less than 60 or more than 240 equal times a minute.
DVD
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lots of the traffic cars i spot have failed brake lights or similar faults that make them unroadworthy
to be honest i dont know how traffic plod today can face the world they do such a bad job, mainly not their own fault i presume, poor culture, poor management, poor training etc
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I suspect it is more that the cars are on the road for so many hours that even if checked every day could be eight or nine hours of light out. At least I hope police car lights etc are checked more than once an MOT like everyone else.
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Miat
Reg 23(3)(c) No offence of fail to maintain stop lamp if vehicle in use between sunrise and sunset if fault occurred during journey or arrangements made of remedy defect.
I think you will find that at the start of his shift driver will do a vehicle inspection to see all is in order. Not to do so could cause bad problems in relation to other things that may or may no be present on the vehicle.
DVD
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just for your entertainment ill try and get the reg number of the one thats been driving up our street for over a week like that
sorry i forgot the cops will have a get out clause for anything
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I would imagine a police driver would want to check his brake lights etc as would make more likely someone hit him. And though I've only seen it only police camera action or something it looked real hassle- call out senior officer etc.
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I think there's some unhealthy paranoia circulating here. Why on earth would anyone be bothered about where I am or my mobile is? I've nothing to hide.
Also, I think that our finest plod have enough on their plate without backchat about the odd light that failed during their shift. If you get nicked driving without a working light, it's your problem. Deal with it and check your lights next time or buy a car with a warning system to do it for you. Looking for faults on a police car isn't the answer.
H.
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Strange - my last case on Friday (before the hols) was mitigating for a PC booked for doing a three figure speed - he was on the way to work and was clocked by a patrol car. - He was heavily fined and disqualified. Yes Miat - he pleaded guilty, and faces a hearing in front of his Chief and could face the sack-maybe he should have activated his "get out clause" or maybe this is only a figmant of a biased imagination.(end of rant)
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P.U.
Oh dear me, what are they teaching them at Training School these days. On the way to Court eh?
What about Aitken v Yarwood 1964?
Doff your cap for you must have been in the presnece of e very, very, very honest Plod.
DVD
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Where a police officer, in order to arrive at court on time to give evidence, exceeds the speed limit, the use of the car is necessary to enable the officer to achieve a purpose which is a police purpose within the Road Traffic Act 1960 s. 25. A police officer was travelling to court in order to give evidence. His car broke down, and he transferred to a police car, whereupon he exceeded the speed limit in an effort to get to the court on time. The justices dismissed an information charging him with speeding, holding that the car was being used for a police purpose, within s. 25 of the 1960 Act.
Summary: Held, dismissing the appeal, that the justices were right.
PU's client was in court because he was booked on the way to work. Are you suggesting that a police officer on the way to work is using his car for a police purpose DVD? It's a long, long shot surely, especially in the current climate of magistrates' courts, less likely to be overly sympathetic to the police and harder generally on motorists.
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He was late for an ealry shift having overslept - in fairness, honesty seems to have abounded on this, he was a desterted stretch of rural(ish) dual carrigeway.
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So does that apply to Joe Public then?
"But officer, I checked my vehicle when I left home this morning, and I have been on the road ever since"
"Sorry Sir, you still need to go to the hassle of producing your documents at the nick"
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DvD - I thought you or FiF would reply!
"1200mm above ground...Visibile from any point at a reasonable distance from the vehicle (not necessarily the same beacon)"
Exactly! 1.2m - higher than most grilles?
lights not visible from the side of car?
So my question still stands.
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And stand it should S.R.O.G. for I responded to the Warning Beacon, a different lamp altogther.
Now what you are referring to are "Special warning Lights" which are lamps fitted to the front or rear of a vehicle and capable of emitting a blue flashing light and not any other.
Reg 11 of said Regs allows to be fitted to the front i.e lamp other than red.
Reg 13 allows lamp to flash.
Reg 16 only allows fitting of SWL to an Emergency Vehicle (0ne used by Fire, Police Ambulance purposes - includes vehicle conveying human tissue for transplant (topical))
Reg 27 outlines the permitted use of a SWL only at scenes of emergency or to warn others of the urgency of purpose of use of vehicle or to warn others of presence of vehicle or hazard.
There is no other requirement under the Reg as to number fitment, etc as there is for the Warning Beacon. So it would seem under the bumper, over it, behind the grill or on it is OK.
Im sure when Fif gets WIND of this he will put me right.
DVD
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Correct Obi-Wan!
And what makes you think I've got WIND.
signed,
Lord Windensmere.
;-)
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