Illegal/Legal - headlight bulbs

Conor_3

michaels wrote: »

I drove with the bulb out on my stilo for months (also a ramp and wheel arch or bumper off job) just with the sidelight bulb plus driving light bulb (both in the same cluster as the headlight) and never got pulled over. Then again pretty much every road round here has street lights anyway.

Good job you don't live around here. They have regular clampdowns. You'd have got fined for having a blown bulb (and you can't claim you didn't know it as you had your foglights on) and you'd have got points and fine for driving with foglights on.

big_gay_kirk

what was wrong with the old system.. open bonnet, remove spring clip, pull plug off bulb, put in new bulb etc... mind you, driving a 25 year old car, I find it a very easy job!!

also, IIRC you are allowed to drive with one headlamp.. but only if it is masked off in such a way that if it did work, no light can shaow through... and the other lamp must be deflected in such a way that it shines towards the kerb and cannot be seen from above.. relic of the old blackout regs.. and personally I wouldn't want to argue the toss about it.. as I did over my 48 mph moped.. I'll tell you about that if anyones interested...

hewhoisnotintheknow

i am interested

jeannieblue

Barneysmom wrote: »

Couldn't you get the MOT place to fit the new lamp?

Agree - if we have a car in for MOT and bulbs gone or wiper worn - we just replace them.

Alternatively, if you don't want to wait til then, pop into a local garage and ask them. Preferably one that will just charge you cost of the bulb. You can give them a 'drink' for fitting it for you.

big_gay_kirk

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

i am interested

well.. I was stopped on my way to Wales on a 1967 Garelli.... I was going at 48 mph in a 50 zone, when the Heddlu pulled me... asked how old I was, and when I said 16 their eyes lit up.. especially as I had no L plates on.... I had a full moped licence, and showed it to them, only for them to tell me that this was no moped... as it was going over 30mph, it must be a motorbike, and therefore I couldn't be on it until 17.... me being a clever sod pointed out that as it was first registered before jan 73, the 30mph thing didn't apply.. nor did the 9kW per tonne.... and that as long as it was 50cc or less and could be proppelled by pedals, it was a moped..... so they made me pedal the bloody thing a quarter of a mile... uphill.... to prove it was a moped.... and believe me, it was quite a heavy machine... but at least I didn't get a ticket...

hewhoisnotintheknow

big_gay_kirk wrote: »

well.. I was stopped on my way to Wales on a 1967 Garelli.... I was going at 48 mph in a 50 zone, when the Heddlu pulled me... asked how old I was, and when I said 16 their eyes lit up.. especially as I had no L plates on.... I had a full moped licence, and showed it to them, only for them to tell me that this was no moped... as it was going over 30mph, it must be a motorbike, and therefore I couldn't be on it until 17.... me being a clever sod pointed out that as it was first registered before jan 73, the 30mph thing didn't apply.. nor did the 9kW per tonne.... and that as long as it was 50cc or less and could be proppelled by pedals, it was a moped..... so they made me pedal the bloody thing a quarter of a mile... uphill.... to prove it was a moped.... and believe me, it was quite a heavy machine... but at least I didn't get a ticket...

what a lovely story

michaels

Keith wrote: »

Well done, on dazzling every on coming road user.

The driving lights shine down at the road much closer to the car than the dipped headlights - exactly which road users would I be dazzling?

And why would the other bulb have been on full - I think I could count on one hand the number of times I have needed or been able to use full beam - are there still parts of the country where you can find a stretch of road with no street lights and not have another car in sight any time of the night?

TiTheRev

People driving around with one headlight is a bug-bear for me, especially when they dont seem to care about it! When I'm driving around where I live (not well lit in all areas as it's countryside), you can not easily tell whether a) it's a bike coming, or b) if it's a car with a headlight out and which headlamp is out so as to avoid the car! Also when I ride my bike commuting to and from work, it's difficult to be seen. I have had a few near collisions with guys with a headlamp out as they are not putting enough light out to reflect off my jacket and see me.

For the sake of a £4 bulb and 5mins work it's worth doing to potentially save an accident.

steveo3002

yeah id like to see some clamp downs on it around here

see lots of cars with at least one bulb out , but its alright if you leave the fogs on hey

TiTheRev

Using front fogs when it's unnecessary is a finable offence :rolleyes: