"Mortimer" wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message
.. .
113
You MUST
- ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit
between sunset and sunrise
- use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street
lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30
mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
- use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226)


The second-sub-clause hints that you might perhaps (but does not
overtly suggest or say that you MUST) use headlights on roads with
speed limits higher than 30 mph, even if lit. So the use of
sidelights on a lit motorway would appear to be perfectly legal.

I was once stopped by the police and given a friendly, unnofficial caution
for driving on sidelights instead of dipped headlights on a road with street
lighting. At the time I didn't know that driving on sidelights alone was
ever legal and I'd done it accidentally rather than deliberately when I
hadn't turned the switch far enough - I'd just set off and the street lights
were bright enough that it wasn't immediately obvious that the road wasn't
being lit by my headlights.


Many traffic police officers make up laws on the spot and will advise
you what you should be doing based on their own hobby-horses and
personal prejudices. Police officers include some of the most
ignorant and opinionated people that you will ever find. Of course it
is best to take the path of least resistance and comply, even if you
know they are talking ********.


Normally I wouldn't dream of driving on just sidelights: the extra
reflection of headlights off white lines, cats-eyes, road signs, kerb edges
etc is a good reason for using headlights even when there are street lights,
especially in the gap between one lamp-post and the next.


On wet roads, which can be very reflective, the use of dipped
headlights can cause a lot of dazzle. In that particular situation,
using sidelights would be safer, but the "Dim-Dip" headlights fitted
to cars sold in the UK from April 1987 would be safest of all.

An argument with the EU caused Dim-Dip to be dropped as a legal
requirement, nevertheless many cars were subsequently sold with it up
until the turn of the millennium. Dim-Dip lights the headlamps at
about 15% brightness when the sidelights are switched on with the
engine running.


I'd love to know how anyone can drive with *no* lights at all on an unlit
motorway at night, as I've seen several times. Unless they've got
night-vision goggles on :-)


I once drove about 40 miles at night with no lights - there was a full
moon, so I could see well. It wasn't in the UK, and it wasn't on
public roads. ;-)

The incidence of people driving without lights at night has increased
ever since some cars were supplied with instrument panel lighting that
is illuminated with the ignition on, regardless of whether the
sidelights or headlights are switched on. Being unable to see the
speedometer and other instruments at night is quite a powerful
reminder to switch on sidelights or headlights. ;-)