NSW Police Fined Roof Mounted Driving Light Users

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Yeah it would appear that the ADR's dont cover it but the actual states themselves. I seem to remember there was something in the NCOP but cant find it yet
Ill keep looking cos Im curious myself as I have a 42" Bar on my truck so wouldnt mind actually knowing where I stand legally. My engineer said it was ok but I never saw anything in writing
 
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I'm trying to find state-specific bulletins on these but they're not easy to find. The NSW RMS Vehicle Standards Information download page doesn't list anything specific to driving lights. As you might have expected, I've downloaded and read most of those documents already and don't recall anything in them about driving lights.

I wonder if a call to RMS technical will help, as long as they can back up their opinion with a VSI number or a section in the ADR!
 
As attached previously, the adrs don't specifically have a height limit that's all I can find. The only thing I can find in there that they may pick on is that it states "fitted at the front of the vehicle" not just forward facing....
 
I came around a corner last night to find a f@#£ wit with all lights blazing.
Spotlights on the bull bar, roof bar, and led bars on the roof bar.
C@#¥ I say.
I'm doing 100klph and couldn't see a thing. Lucky I know the road well.

Get over yourselves and obey the rules on the road.
Off road, Go for it....
The rules exist to keep everyone safe including YOUR family.
 
I came around a corner last night to find a f@#£ wit with all lights blazing.
Spotlights on the bull bar, roof bar, and led bars on the roof bar.
C@#¥ I say.
I'm doing 100klph and couldn't see a thing. Lucky I know the road well.

Get over yourselves and obey the rules on the road.
Off road, Go for it....
The rules exist to keep everyone safe including YOUR family.

You are absolutely right, and I don't think any of us are saying otherwise.

However, if the law allows for the lights then we should be allowed to use them responsibly when they are wired up correctly.

That means - as I've been describing in several threads recently, some in enough detail to allow a beginner to do the work - the lights MUST ONLY come on with the high beam, and should be able to be switched off separately.

Whether you operate your high beams with enough care or thought for the oncoming drivers is a different issue.
 
jjohn....what are the rules though?? from what i read thats kinda the point of the thread. no one knows and if they do they dont know for sure, the information is that hard to find that it becomes gues work, i have my light bar wired into my spotties with no switch so when i high beam i have all three lights on, does that make me a C*&^ too??
All im saying is that if the rules were easy to find they would be easy to follow, those who makes the rules seem to enjoy everyone having to guess their way through and the neing fined.
 
Being high-beamed is shit & it shouldn't happen but does. What's worse in my mind is the w%&kers with fog lights in their bumper that are on with low beam - get them in my mirrors all the time.
 
From our beloved ACT RTA
http://www.rego.act.gov.au/assets/PDFs/Headlights%20and%20Lamps%20Info%20Sheet.pdf

Road
Transport Authority Information Bulletin
Headlights and Lamps
There are numerous
lights and lamps on a vehicle which the driver needs to see the road,
pedestrians and other vehicles clearly at night, and to signal to other drivers.
For safety reasons,
there are certain requirements for where these lights or lamps should be placed, how many there should be, or how bright they should be.
This bulletin provides a brief outline of what inspectors will look for before allowing a vehicle to be registered.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs)
DRLs are optional lamps which can be used to increase a car’s visibility during the day.
These lamps have become more popular in recent times and are in wider use
on new model vehicles, and popular in automotive after market kits.
DRLs have a placement and height requirement outlined in the Australian Design Rules (ADRs)
See Figure 1 below.
Placement instructions and ADR requirements may be found in after-market
lamp installation kits

Location and measurements for DRLs.
Daytime Running Lights must NOT operate with headlights
.
Late model DRL units may incorporate a park light and therefore dim output to operate as a park light
.
Driving Lamps (driving lights) and the use of LED Light Bars
Driving lights are covered by ADR13, which states lights must
be fitted in pairs,of two or four.
This ADR requirement was set before the introduction of LED type lamps and does not take this new technology into account
.
Nationally the RTA has sought to remove the “number of lamps” requirement from ADR 13 ,and the Commonwealth Government is considering this proposal.
70,055 (05/2014)
GPO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2601 | phone: 132281 | www.act.gov.au
Until such time as ADR13 is amended, several State and Territory Registration Authorities have stated they will accept the use of LED Light Bars fitted to vehicles if not fitted in pairs; however the Light Bars are required to be fitted at the front of the vehicle
The ACT Road Transport Authority (RTA) will exempt driving lamps and LED Light bar’s fitted to a vehicle if not fitted in pairs of two or four , provided the light is fitted at the front of the vehicle.
All driving lamps must be wired into the main beam (high beam) circuit
. They are not required to operate with an independent control switch,and ADR13 no longer has any height limits for the placement of driving lights
.
However, all driving lamps must not interfere with the “field of view”or interfere with the driver’s vision directly or indirectly.
Additionally driving lights are not allowed to reflect light in a way that will interfere with the driver (reflection from body or bull bars and ladder racks or mirror surfaces).

Now after all that drivel it shows a pic of lights at the front of the vehicle being ok but ONLY at the front.It says no to lights on the sports bar but i think that would possibly be only if the lights do not satisfy all the other restrictions on reflection etc . Will have to have that clarified however it does state in black and white that there are no longer any height restrictions . Light bars on bullbars etc will also have to meet the regs on protruding past the front of the vehicle as well as restricting the drivers view of the road
 
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I'm betting the restriction that "the lights must be at the front of the vehicle" is what's giving the thing momentum.

It means that separately switched, you should be able to have roof lights but ONLY if they are used off-road exclusively. If you don't get busted with the lights on when you're on public roads, then my read is that you should be left alone and if questioned, the response "they are individually switched for off-road use only" ought to satisfy the police.

Until such time that they specifically state that they can be mounted in places other than the front of the vehicle - I don't know how quick they'll get to that legislation!
 
G'day.

I set up my "High Mounted" (sports bar) lights with a self latching relay.
They cannot turn on automatically when you go from Lo to High.
The "High Mount" lights can only be turned on once high beam is on. I use a momentary switch to initiate the self latching relay. The self latching relay is powered by the "grill mounted spotlight" (Light Bar) relay.

Relays are usually ease to set up as self latching.
 
Rather than creating a new thread I thought I would open this. I got pulled over for a combined drug, alcohol and transport inspection late yesterday. I failed on rear facing flood light mounted to the sports bar. This was operated by a manual switch that I had the fuse removed I got a warning. 12volt socket on bullbar must have an isolator switch next to it???. also my trailer given the weight needs 2 safety chains apparently. Lastly they didn't find the egr block but told me the rig was too high and the greaseable rear ironman shackles were illegal (They are not extended).

Checking Qld laws confirms only the trailer was at fault given it's tare and size needs 2 chains with a 3tonne rating. Hope this helps anyone in Qld.

John
 
How high is your truck John? Did they book you on it or was it just personal opinion of some transport dick. Those blokes are worse than the cops.
 
Just a very basic Efs 50mm lift mate. You can tell it's not stock but nothing like I see getting around.
And not booked just someone with a bad day.
John
 
sounds like qld coppers are STILL f...wits
was he a young fella, still wet behind the ears
they wonder why people get the shits with them, pick on a middle aged family guy in a well looked after 4by and let the 19y/o goose in his commodore with pod filter that sounds like a hoover vacuum cleaner, music so fkin loud your ears bleed, hoody on to severely limit his vision,1 bald tyre from burnouts
let him go, he wont hurt anyone, he is just a kid
.
.
Fkin coppers like that should be ..

..end rant
 
hoody on to severely limit his vision,

I have a work jumper with a hood on it, put the hood up one morning just see how bad it was, yep it's bad. I know they won't make it illegal. But if you had half a f$&ken brain you wouldn't wear it while driving
 
Ha yes they were young pricks and no big deal our taxes pay them anyway. I still don't get the isolator *hit on the front weatherproof socket or the shackles???. But anyway all good. Enjoy the rest of the day.
 
my neighbour just got fined($130/1 pt) for having clearance lights on his roof racks
they were orange forward, red back. cop told him his car wasn't over 4.5t or an emergency vehicle!
they didn't say anything about the 2 monster HID's on the front of the rack!
 
the cops rely on people NOT fighting it, that's how they get away with making there own rules
 

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