A cycle light question
tarpaullynn
Posts: 146
LED's legal or not?
This article appeared on the CTC web pages on 16th Sept 2005.
Following sustained campaigning by CTC, the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation, and just in time for when the clocks go back this year, it should at last become legal to use flashing lights on your bike. The Minister of State, Dr Stephen Ladyman, this week signed the order; and provided there are no parliamentary objections before then, it should become law in October.
The details were decided in close consultation with CTC's technical officer, Chris Juden, who said: “This is a welcome liberalisation of cycle lighting law because provided they are bright enough, flashers front and rear will not only be legal, but will be all the lights you need.”
In brief, to be legally approved a light may flash at least once and not more than four times per second with a brilliance of at least four candle-power. Most of the better quality flashing lights on sale today, meet that simple requirement.
Unfortunately DfT felt unable to make any changes beyond the matter of flashing lights. This will have some strange and unintended consequences. Since lamps emitting a steady light must still conform with BS6102/3 and all that entails, it now becomes much simpler to be legal by flashing than not! DfT are aware of this paradox and intend to add a recommendation to the Highway Code (currently also under review) to use a steady headlamp on unlit roads.
CTC continues to campaign for a similar, simple legal approval of lamps emitting steady light, and for a permitted alternative to pedal reflectors in cases where these cannot be used or seen. Until then: cyclists who sensibly light their way with one of those brilliant rechargeable headlamps, that emit thousands of candle-power but are non-the-less, non-BS, can most easily make themselves legal by also fitting a little 4-candela flasher.
Also from CTC is this snippet
Thanks to the enactment of Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 2559: on 23rd October 2005, it finally became legal to have a flashing light on a pedal cycle. Even better: it became possible for a flashing light to be approved, meaning no other light would be needed in that position. And since BS6102/3 does not yet cater for flashing (but is likely to be amended to do so quite soon), approval is for the time being, granted simply on the basis of brightness.
Because DfT very much prefer anything that possibly can be evaluated against a proper technical standard, so to be evaluated: any flashing lamp that is also capable of emitting a steady light is approved only if it conforms with BS6102/3 when switched to steady mode. Since most (probably all) flashing lights do also have a steady mode, and since none of their manufacturers can be bothered to test and mark them to the pernickety standards of one small country on the fringes of Europe, it's unlikely that any flashing light actually qualifies for approval. But since it became theoretically legal to ride a bike with only flashing lights on it, the Police are nowadays no more likely to quibble its legal status than one equipped with steady lights – unless they're rather dim or involved in an accident of course.
So is that a yes or a no, or is it a bit murky?
This article appeared on the CTC web pages on 16th Sept 2005.
Following sustained campaigning by CTC, the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation, and just in time for when the clocks go back this year, it should at last become legal to use flashing lights on your bike. The Minister of State, Dr Stephen Ladyman, this week signed the order; and provided there are no parliamentary objections before then, it should become law in October.
The details were decided in close consultation with CTC's technical officer, Chris Juden, who said: “This is a welcome liberalisation of cycle lighting law because provided they are bright enough, flashers front and rear will not only be legal, but will be all the lights you need.”
In brief, to be legally approved a light may flash at least once and not more than four times per second with a brilliance of at least four candle-power. Most of the better quality flashing lights on sale today, meet that simple requirement.
Unfortunately DfT felt unable to make any changes beyond the matter of flashing lights. This will have some strange and unintended consequences. Since lamps emitting a steady light must still conform with BS6102/3 and all that entails, it now becomes much simpler to be legal by flashing than not! DfT are aware of this paradox and intend to add a recommendation to the Highway Code (currently also under review) to use a steady headlamp on unlit roads.
CTC continues to campaign for a similar, simple legal approval of lamps emitting steady light, and for a permitted alternative to pedal reflectors in cases where these cannot be used or seen. Until then: cyclists who sensibly light their way with one of those brilliant rechargeable headlamps, that emit thousands of candle-power but are non-the-less, non-BS, can most easily make themselves legal by also fitting a little 4-candela flasher.
Also from CTC is this snippet
Thanks to the enactment of Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 2559: on 23rd October 2005, it finally became legal to have a flashing light on a pedal cycle. Even better: it became possible for a flashing light to be approved, meaning no other light would be needed in that position. And since BS6102/3 does not yet cater for flashing (but is likely to be amended to do so quite soon), approval is for the time being, granted simply on the basis of brightness.
Because DfT very much prefer anything that possibly can be evaluated against a proper technical standard, so to be evaluated: any flashing lamp that is also capable of emitting a steady light is approved only if it conforms with BS6102/3 when switched to steady mode. Since most (probably all) flashing lights do also have a steady mode, and since none of their manufacturers can be bothered to test and mark them to the pernickety standards of one small country on the fringes of Europe, it's unlikely that any flashing light actually qualifies for approval. But since it became theoretically legal to ride a bike with only flashing lights on it, the Police are nowadays no more likely to quibble its legal status than one equipped with steady lights – unless they're rather dim or involved in an accident of course.
So is that a yes or a no, or is it a bit murky?
Tarpaullynn
0
Comments
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Does it matter ? Has anyone ever been prosecuted for LEDs ? Has anyone ever had a legal claim knocked back cos they were using LEDs ?
I ride with them as they are far better and safer than the old style lights.0 -
The point is the BS6102/3 certification. Buy a set of lights that comply and then have "backup lights" to do the work.
I use (technically illegal) Dinotte LEDs but have a far inferior set of lights as the "main ones.
Cateye have a whole range marketed to "comply with RVLR"<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
(Unattributed Trad.)0 -
cougie wrote:Does it matter ? Has anyone ever been prosecuted for LEDs ? Has anyone ever had a legal claim knocked back cos they were using LEDs ?
I ride with them as they are far better and safer than the old style lights.
So is that a yes or a no?
Whether it matters or not isn't the question that was asked, the point of my post was to see if anyone had a definitive answer, I agree that a flashing super bright LED is much more eye catching and as a cyclist that is of paramount importance.
But are they legal, the statements I quoted appear to be a bit vague but do suggest that flashing LED's alone are acceptable.Tarpaullynn0
