Front running lights

Graymee
Graymee Forum Participant Posts: 84
edited November 2018 in Caravans #1

My Bailey Pageant Provence has white running lights roughly level with the bottom of the front windows. If I'm towing on a wet night these sometimes make it quite difficult to see what's behind me if there is spray on the mirrors. Is it a legal requirement to have working running light or could I remove the bulbs. They're only 5W bulbs so I doubt I could get lower wattage bulbs so they're not so bright.

Comments

  • DaveCyn
    DaveCyn Club Member Posts: 339 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2018 #2

    Simple answer they are a legal requirement. 

    Maybe try different mirrors.

     

  • Graymee
    Graymee Forum Participant Posts: 84
    edited November 2018 #3

    Do you have a reference? Where is it laid down that you need them? I'd like to read the reference to see if I could disable them and put other lights higher up if that's possible.

     

  • DaveCyn
    DaveCyn Club Member Posts: 339 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2018 #4

    The reference is the Road Traffic Act 1988 which requires all vehicles, including trailers to show white lights at the front when on the highway.

    It's a very lengthy document which the Highway Code is based on.

  • Graymee
    Graymee Forum Participant Posts: 84
    edited November 2018 #5

    I'm more inclined to think the facts would be in the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations not the Road Traffic Act.

     

  • DaveCyn
    DaveCyn Club Member Posts: 339 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2018 #6

    The RTA covers everything that moves on the highway, all other's are derived from its content.

     

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2018 #7

    could you not disable them and place new ones lower on the front skirt. That's where most caravan front running lights are and I don't think there is a law that says they have to be a certain height above ground level.  

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Forum Participant Posts: 670
    edited November 2018 #8

    If that is the case why have you asked the question when it is clearly stated in the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989.

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2018 #9

    What you could perhaps do is to move them further down. The regulations only state that the lights must be no more than 1500mm above the ground.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2018 #10

    I'm sure that the front lights on my 2007 Abbey were higher than that. BICBW

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2018 #11

    similar to what I suggested Lutz.

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2018 #12

    Do you not find that your front towing cover sometimes "accidentally" covers the trailer lights?

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2018 #13

    Both towing covers I have had, have either battery operated lights in pockets on the cover or purpose made plastic panels for the lights to shine through.

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