London black cabs with only sidelights on

[Horsepower27]

Why do so many black cabs in London drive around in the dark with their sidelights on?

I see them everywhere, once I didn't see one and crossed the road in front of him just as he was pulling up, got a fright when I noticed him and got in a rage when I saw he only had sidelights on. Would have easily seen him with dipped beam. Leant in the window and gave him a bking for nearly running me over. He said "he didn't realise" wker.

So many of them drive with just sidelights in the dark. Why?

Is it something to do with saving the battery from being drained? Does it decrease fuel consumption? Do they think they are blinding people with their dipped beam??!!

They are a bloody danger to pedestrians and deserve sending to the tower.

[Antj]

its because most of them drive with sidelights on during the day and do not relaise they are on sidelights when dusk comes. Oh and a lot drop them to sidelights when parked on ranks as they have to and as they move forweard to take passnegers they forget to put them back to main beam.

just tell them. its common but nowhere near as common as knobs with front foglights on.

[zaphod42]

Highway Code 113
You MUST

• ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
• use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
• use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226)

Night (the hours of darkness) is defined as the period between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise).


I guess a lot of cabs run in street lighting at night in 30 zones (most of inner London?) - so don't need them a lot of the time?

[neelyp]

According to the highway code, you only need sidelights on a road with street lights, generally 30mph limits.

[skip_1]

It's ok, the highway code allows them to do so in a street-lit area. Not that it helps the pedestrians.

[lazystudent]

They really don't need headlights on in central london and the sidelights are enough to be seen easily by, so why bother with dipped beams?

If you didn't see them, you need to look harder. No sympathy!

[Gruber]

The sidelights + foglights combo seems to be the favoured approach of many. Idiots.

Like the OP, I also find the sidelights thing annoying and dangerous. I accept it's legal, but with so many other light sources in the City centre, it does create an unnecessary danger.

The biggest issue, I find, is their tendency to pull out of "blind" side streets into gaps that aren't big enough. It wouldn't be such a problem if they had dipped mainbeams on, because you'd see the pool of light before they pull out. But with only sidelights, there's no light pool and so you don't see them until you're on top of them.

It's completely counter-intuitive to me. Why would you intentionally make yourself less easy to see?

[Ranger 6]

lazystudent said:

...the sidelights are enough to be seen easily by...

That's the problem though - they're not.... 20 year old sidelights are simply woefully inadequate and when the taxis go out of 30 limits it's dangerous - especially when in some cases it's on to a motorway such as the M4 & M25

If you need lights then it should be headlights - sidelights are only good enough for use when parked.

[g3org3y]

lazystudent said:

They really don't need headlights on in central london and the sidelights are enough to be seen easily by, so why bother with dipped beams?

If you didn't see them, you need to look harder. No sympathy!

Disagree with this, especially when everyone else is using dipped beams. Sidelights just don't stand out by comparison and that can be somewhat tricky on a black car at night.

[Matt UK]

I think it's because black cabs can do what the fk they like?

[voicey]

They think they are saving fuel - it costs money to run on dipped beams you know...