Re: SCROLLING MESSAGE BOARD IN REAR WINDOW OF CAR - LEGAL OR ILLEGAL?

On Oct 15, 12:01 am, "Graham." <m...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"johnmids2006" <jmr19...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:1192402216.617380.245270@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx





On Oct 14, 10:35 pm, "Graham." <m...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"johnmids2006" <jmr19...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

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The law on this in the UK is R13 of the 1989 Road Vehicle Lighting
Regulations.

All lights on vehicles must be steady.

The only general exception for vehicles is direction indicators and
the lights you get on anti-lock brakes.
Taxi meters visible from the outside of the vehicle, and amber beacons
on tow trucks etc. are also exempt.
There are also various exemptions for emergency vehicles, and the road
signs you get on motorway maintenance vehicles etc.

Other than that, any lights which automatically flash, or markings
that move are illegal on vehicles.

That means that the destination and route numbers displays you see on
buses which scroll, move, or change automatically, are all illegal.

I have pasted the relevant legislation below:-

Lamps to show a steady light
13.-(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2), no vehicle shall be
fitted with a lamp which automatically emits a flashing light.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in respect of-

(a) a direction indicator;

(b) a headlamp fitted to an emergency vehicle;

(c) a warning beacon or special warning lamp;

(d) a lamp or illuminated sign fitted to a vehicle used for police
purposes;

(e) a green warning lamp used as an anti-lock brake indicator; or

(f) lamps forming part of a traffic sign.

How fast, I wonder, do lights need to flash in order for
the regulations to conceder them to be steady.

There is a growing tendency these days for LED
tail lights that strobe rapidly.

--
Graham.
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Some led lights use brightness controls which rely on high frequency
flashing. However, I would have thought that if they are working
properly, they ought to appear as steady lights to an observer. I have
worked with variable brightness led systems (not on vehicles) and my
only experience of perceptible strobing effects is when the equipment
is malfunctioning.

The tail-lights of some BMWs appear to me as a trail of dots when
I move my eyes rapidly. I can't believe I am alone in observing this.

--
Graham.
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I think that we are getting intp the realms of something different
there.

Save for exceptions that are not here material. the law prohibits
flashing lights on vehicles. That means that lights like you get on
scrolling text clearly are illegal.

The other issue is where someone can perceive strobing effects from
static led displays. You could probably say the same for the light
output from fluorescent lights powered by AC. if it emanates from a
vehicle. That is a different matter. I imagine it is bad design, but
strictly speaking it is probably illegal, but would be an interesting
issue to be decided by the courts.. But in these cases, the light is
not designed to flash.



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