Lighting boards for bike carriers

aardwolf

Does anyone know the requirements for lighting boards for bike carriers. You get small ones (3ft) with just lights and larger ones with lights and reflectors. I have seen an ebay guide that suggests that for a small trailer you need both lights and reflectors but can't find anything for bike racks beyond the fact that you need a board if the bikes obscure the lights or number plate.

Also any idea if the requirements are different on continental europe.
A smaller board would be more convenient but I want to be sure that I am legal.

wealdroam

If your lights, reflectors and number plate are covered then you need all those things replicated on the board.

The lights and reflectors need to be a certain distance from the edge of the vehicle, or of the load if that is wider, and that will determine the length of the board needed.

I would be inclined to choose a board that was as wide as, but not wider, than my vehicle.

mikey72

THe lights should be no more than 400, from the side of your car. So long as the 3ft lighting board has lights that have the correct reflectors on them, as your car rear lights do, you don't need other reflectors.
My trailer board is borderline, my car is just under six foot wide, my three foot trailer board puts end of the board about 40mm in from the sides of the car, and the lights are inside that.
No one has ever stopped me over it, I think they're probably just happy I have lights on at all.