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Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021
Div 12Direction indicator lights
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Division 12—Direction indicator lights
97 Direction indicator lights on motor vehicles
(1) A motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels that was built after August 1966 or a left-hand drive motor vehicle must have—
(a) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its front that face forwards; and
(b) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its rear that face backwards.
(2) A motor vehicle with less than 4 wheels that was built after June 1975 must have—
(a) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its front that face forwards; and
(b) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its rear that face backwards.
(3) A motor vehicle that is not required to have direction indicator lights may have—
(a) one or more pairs of direction indicator lights that are visible from both the front and rear of the vehicle; or
(b) both—
(i) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its front that face forwards; and
(ii) a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its rear that face backwards.
98 Direction indicator lights on trailers
(1) A trailer built after June 1973 must have a pair of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its rear that face backwards.
(2) A trailer that is not required to have direction indicator lights may have one or more pairs of direction indicator lights fitted on, or towards, its rear that face backwards.
99 Location of direction indicator lights
(1) A pair of direction indicator lights fitted to a vehicle must have the centre of each light at least—
(a) for a motor cycle or the single wheel end of a motor trike, 300 millimetres from the centre of the other light; and
(b) for lights fitted at the 2 wheel end of a motor trike, 600 millimetres from the centre of the other light, unless the centre of each direction indicator light is not over 400 millimetres from the nearer side of the vehicle; and
(c) for another vehicle with a width of not over 1300 millimetres, 400 millimetres from the centre of the other light; and
(d) for another vehicle with a width of over 1300 millimetres, 600 millimetres from the centre of the other light.
(2) The centre of each direction indicator light must be at least 350 millimetres above ground level.
(3) The centre of each light in a pair of direction indicator lights required to be fitted to a vehicle must not be more than—
(a) 1·5 metres above ground level; or
(b) if it is not practicable for the light to be fitted lower, 2·1 metres above ground level.
100 Operation and visibility of direction indicator lights
(1) A direction indicator light fitted to a motor vehicle must—
(a) when operating, display regular flashes of light at a rate of not more than 120 flashes a minute, and—
(i) for a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels, at least 60 flashes a minute; and
(ii) for any other motor vehicle, at least 45 flashes a minute; and
(b) be able to be operated by a person in the normal driving position; and
(c) be wired to an audible or visible device in the vehicle that tells the driver that the direction indicator light is operating; and
(d) flash at the same time and rate as any other direction indicator lights fitted on the same side of the vehicle.
(2) A direction indicator light fitted to a side of a trailer must, when operating, flash at the same time and rate as the direction indicator light or lights fitted to the same side of the motor vehicle towing the trailer.
(3) The flashes of light displayed by a direction indicator light must be—
(a) if the light faces forwards, white or yellow; and
(b) if the light faces backwards—
(i) for a vehicle built after June 1973—yellow; or
(ii) for a vehicle built before July 1973—yellow or red; and
(c) if the light faces out from the side of the vehicle—
(i) white or yellow towards the front and side; and
(ii) for a vehicle built before July 1973, yellow or red towards the rear and side; and
(iii) for a vehicle built after June 1973, yellow towards the rear and side.
The ADRs only allow yellow direction indicator lights.
(4) A motor vehicle may be equipped to allow the direction indicator lights on both sides of the vehicle to operate simultaneously, if—
(a) the direction indicator lights display only yellow light; and
(b) a visible or audible signal tells the driver when the lights are operating simultaneously.
(5) When on, a direction indicator light must be visible 30 metres from—
(a) if the light faces forwards, the front of the vehicle; or
(b) if the light faces backwards, the rear of the vehicle; or
(c) if the light faces out from the side of the vehicle, that side of the vehicle.
(6) When on, each direction indicator light in at least one pair of lights fitted on or towards the front of a prime mover, or a motor vehicle over 7·5 metres long, must be visible at a point—
(a) 1·5 metres at right angles from the side of the vehicle where the light is fitted; and
(b) in line with the rear of the vehicle.