It’s the equinox, and as the darkness draws earlier into our evenings, it is important to ensure that your van lights work correctly
Before any journey we would advise checking that:
all lights and indicators work correctly
all lenses are present, clean and are the right colour
stop lamps come on when the service brake is applied and go out when released
marker lights are present and work
Drivers behind the wheel of cars with faulty headlights could be fined up to £1,000 if they’re pulled over by the police.Shockingly, around 7 per cent of drivers admitted to never checking that their lights are in working order.
Failing to keep your headlights in a decent condition can affect its brightness, which can drastically impact your ability to see at night and during winter conditions.
Under the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, “No person shall use … on a road a vehicle unless every lamp, reflector, rear marking and device … is in good working order and, in the case of a lamp, clean.”
- Turn on your car and switch on the headlights
- To ensure they are in working condition, wait until dark and park your car on an even surface facing a wall.
- Walk around to the front of the vehicle and make sure the lights are bright and working.
- If one bulb is dimmer or blown, you may need to replace both bulbs as the other is likely to follow shortly.
- If replacing the bulbs doesn’t work, the issue is most likely a fault connection which will need to be repaired by a mechanic.”We realise that replacing blown bulbs on vehicles is not easy and have designed our own service to provide a helping hand for motorists who need to replace their blown bulbs.
“Cars with defective lights can cause a danger on the roads, so it is important that you check your bulbs regularly and change them if needed.