Parking lights

[mawallace]

I was wondering when you should use 'parking lights' - I mean the lights on the car where only the left front side and rear left side is lit up - or vice versa? And how do you decide which side you use!

e.g if you were parking on the left hand side of the road would you have the right (drivers) side lit up if the car was on the 'correct' side of the road.

I've never seen any guidance on when and how to use!

[JM]

Parked on the left going with the traffic flow as it were, then put the offside parking lights on.
Useful if parking when there are no street lights.

[Pica-Pica]

mawallace said:

I was wondering when you should use 'parking lights' - I mean the lights on the car where only the left front side and rear left side is lit up - or vice versa? And how do you decide which side you use!

e.g if you were parking on the left hand side of the road would you have the right (drivers) side lit up if the car was on the 'correct' side of the road.

I've never seen any guidance on when and how to use!

Well, there is a fuel station with a short slip entry off a fast A road. At night, when I stop to fill up and pay, I always ensure my parking lights are on. I don’t want any smart arse to come off too fast and say I had no lights on, even though the station is well lit.

[FiF]

Personally I reckon that parking lights, ie only on one side of the car, are no longer permitted in the UK.

This bit of the lighting regs refer http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/regul...

Specifically to save folks wading through the tedious way regulations are written

RVLR Part III Reg 24 said:

24.—(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.

Fyi paras 5 and 9, plus para 8, define more clearly the specific circumstances in which you can park without lights. I suppose one could argue that in such a situation you could illuminate the lights just on one side, but if no lights are necessary then a bit superfluous, unless in a situation where technically lights not required but an extra bit of illumination for safety could be beneficial,  in which case better to have everything on surely.

Clearly there are vehicles which have facilities to allow partial illumination of lights, I've owned VWs and Vauxhalls which allow one side only lit, and Volvos which had a parking light position on the main light switch where all position lights lit, but not number plate lights nor dashboard. I guess they're allowed under type approval regs but that doesn't affect the rules on the driver re: use.

[mawallace]

Thanks - this seems to confirm what you have said!


https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/parkin...

[FiF]

That RAC page makes an interesting point, that parking in 30 areas many drivers don't bother to follow the rules and it's hardly ever enforced. On the smallish estate where we used to live I reckoned that on a typical night it would have been possible to go out and issue about a 1000 pounds worth of tickets well inside a couple of hours. Guess most housing estates are the same. Good job councils don't have those powers.

[mawallace]

Looking at the EU regs it says

""Parking lamp" means the lamp used to draw attention to the presence of a stationary vehicle in a built-up area. In such circumstances it replaces the front and rear position (side) lamps"

then on wiring:-

"4.12.10. Electrical connections

The connection must allow the parking lamp(s) on the same side of the vehicle to be lit independently of any other lamps"

So it's an EU thing! In short, the EU law requires them to be fitted - but UK law does not allow the use of them!!

[Caymanwhite]

If I am honest when I first saw the OP I did think what a strange question. It's easy isn't it? I mean .... Parking lights, come on!

However I want to say thank you.

This topic has opened my eyes. As an advanced driver I thought I knew all I needed to know. This post has bought home to me how little I do know about the law and parking lights.

When I think about it I never see cars with lights on in non 30MPH areas, me included!!

Well done OP for bringing what seemed like a simple question that has an answer that I bet many of us did not know.

[FiF]

To be honest it's a nightmare, way back in the 70s a mate got a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the road in a 30. At first we thought the ticket was wrong as he'd left his position lights on, it was commonly thought that leaving your lights on meant it was OK. The logic was that you could park in a 30 without lights as long as on the correct side, unless it was a one way. Ergo we thought wrong side then leave your lights on.

Anyway after a long search through Butterworths we found it, it's not in the lighting regs but elsewhere, possibly construction and use regs, I forget now. (Edited to add, just checked, yes C&U Reg 101 Parking in Darkness, essentially, always left side nearest to curb except one way street. Various exemptions possible)

Another time I wanted to park overnight with my car transporter on the back for an early start to an event the next morning. A couple of traffic cops came into West Bar nick so asked them for advice if needed to leave lights on. Eventually they figured out I did, but that provided it was on a quiet road and not near a junction I'd be OK as while probably they knew lights were needed nobody else would.

Edited by FiF on Saturday 31st March 22:21

[wst]

Caymanwhite said:

As an advanced driver I thought I knew all I needed to know.

Advanced parking is a different topic altogether

[lyonspride]

From my observations.......

Parking lights should be used only in total darkness, extreme conditions, or in snow/fog if and only if you need to see your instruments.

Headlights are the spawn of satan, they're indicate an aggressive driver and increase fuel consumption by 50%.

Main beam should never be used, unless parking at night in the oncoming lane.

[Muddle238]

One of my cars has a feature enabling the sidelights to be lit on just the nearside or offside independently of the opposing side. However I usually find in situations where that might be useful, is rather just have a full set of sidelights on, which then include sidemarkers too for 360 degree visibility.

I always leave them on while fuelling at a filling station and while parked in supermarket car parks after dark, seems to help other people avoid hitting my car.

[Bigends]

My force would hold lighting campaigns in the autumn back in the 70's. We'd hit various areas and report drivers for parking the 'wrong way' at night plus each and every lighting offence we came across - including pedal cycles.


The parking lighting rule is long outdated - it was introduced during the WW2 blackouts to ensure all cars on the nearside gave a red reflection.

[lyonspride]

Bigends said:

My force would hold lighting campaigns in the autumn back in the 70's. We'd hit various areas and report drivers for parking the 'wrong way' at night plus each and every lighting offence we came across - including pedal cycles.


The parking lighting rule is long outdated - it was introduced during the WW2 blackouts to ensure all cars on the nearside gave a red reflection.

There's also the fact that cars don't have front reflectors, making them very hard to see on unlit roads IF they're parked facing traffic.

[Pica-Pica]

lyonspride said:

Bigends said:

My force would hold lighting campaigns in the autumn back in the 70's. We'd hit various areas and report drivers for parking the 'wrong way' at night plus each and every lighting offence we came across - including pedal cycles.


The parking lighting rule is long outdated - it was introduced during the WW2 blackouts to ensure all cars on the nearside gave a red reflection.

There's also the fact that cars don't have front reflectors, making them very hard to see on unlit roads IF they're parked facing traffic.

Not quite true, there is a reflector within the headlamp unit. Reflectors are on the rear of cars is precisely because they DO NOT have large reflectors within the rear lamp unit.

[lyonspride]

Pica-Pica said:

lyonspride said:

Bigends said:

My force would hold lighting campaigns in the autumn back in the 70's. We'd hit various areas and report drivers for parking the 'wrong way' at night plus each and every lighting offence we came across - including pedal cycles.


The parking lighting rule is long outdated - it was introduced during the WW2 blackouts to ensure all cars on the nearside gave a red reflection.

There's also the fact that cars don't have front reflectors, making them very hard to see on unlit roads IF they're parked facing traffic.

Not quite true, there is a reflector within the headlamp unit. Reflectors are on the rear of cars is precisely because they DO NOT have large reflectors within the rear lamp unit.

Not on most cars I can think of, i've had close calls with cars parked facing the wrong way on unlit lanes/roads.

[Bigends]

lyonspride said:

Not on most cars I can think of, i've had close calls with cars parked facing the wrong way on unlit lanes/roads.

Really? even when theyre lit by your headlamps?

[lyonspride]

Bigends said:

lyonspride said:

Not on most cars I can think of, i've had close calls with cars parked facing the wrong way on unlit lanes/roads.

Really? even when theyre lit by your headlamps?

In a headlight unit the light from the bulb is directed and reflected toward the road, so where do you think the light goes when you shine your headlights into it from out front?

[Bigends]

lyonspride said:

In a headlight unit the light from the bulb is directed and reflected toward the road, so where do you think the light goes when you shine your headlights into it from out front?

...and the big car shaped thing between the headlamps - is that not visible?

[lyonspride]

Bigends said:

lyonspride said:

In a headlight unit the light from the bulb is directed and reflected toward the road, so where do you think the light goes when you shine your headlights into it from out front?

...and the big car shaped thing between the headlamps - is that not visible?

I can't tell if your serious or not........... The front of an unlit vehicle on a dark road is actually very hard to see.