Is this rear mounted laser light legal?

Whilst browsing a chinese based website I came across some 'Anti Collision Rear-end Car Laser Safety Fog Taillight Warning Lights' which mount on the rear of the car on the bumper/parcel shelf. They seem a good idea to deter tailgaters in poor conditions and only cost around a fiver.

I'm wondering if they are actually legal to use on UK roads and what's the worst that could happen if pulled, a fine or points?

Forget whether it would be 'taken seriously' it could cause an accident, which should be the major deciding factor.

You've been able to buy bike lights that do this for ages, like this:



Seems a really dumb idea for a car though, if you can't see the car in front of you, you shouldn't be driving!

I guess so but it's not as simple as a fixed gap. Either way I don't personally like the idea but surely to actually work it would have to adjust the distance it was projected at based on speed, and if you were going over the brow of a hill you'd get it in the face!

When you reach the brow of a hill, the laser will point up in the air, the guy behind will be blinded and the school bus he is driving will veer into the path of an oncoming lorry carrying labrador puppies. Everyone dies and you will be arrested. So don't do it.

If it is designed to keep the driver behind at a safe distance, what speed is that distance set for?

By it's very nature a two second gap is variable with speed.

And they'll still be hit one day be someone who "didn't see them"

IIRC Audi are trialling laser headlights, but the laser is only really "pumping" a fluorescent device that turns the light into reasonably normal light beam with very low divergence so you can see further. Imaginary bike lanes included I'd struggle to see the use of raw laser light in road safety.

You mean someone is claiming cyclists are breaking the law when they don't actually know what the law is? Goodness, never heard of that before.

Seems like the general consensus is that it's a bad thing then, tbh I would have only hooked it up to the rear fog light to increase visibility on the motorway in poor conditions.

A bright red rear flashing light like racecars use in the rain would be useful in fog/rain as well but perhaps not legal on the roads although most modern cars flash the rear lights when ABS is activated so it's now a bit of a grey area.

I was looking on youtube to see what the laser looks like in real life and came across an OEM Audi version! I wonder if it has type approval or what models its fitted/optional for, if Audi fit them in the factory then surely it's legal to fit aftermarket?

A bit like how fitting excessively bright DRL's would have got you a tug a few years back but after they came factory fitted to cars police now just allow it

Audi's version in action, looks quite similar to the chinese versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2rihmRDSR

I nearly got knocked off my bike at 7am yesterday in the rain coming round a street-lit rural roundabout because, despite having a front light that causes oncoming drivers to flash me sometimes and wearing a fking orange hi-vis jacket with reflective bits on, a dopey Laguna driver still didn't notice me. I'm thinking of paying someone to cycle in front of me with a red flag.