Nsw Laws On Headlights (for Hid, Halogen, Whatever....)

[somos]

For all those who want to be able to quote clauses from acts to those idiot police officers who just want to exert their power and don't care about the law...

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IMPORTANT!

PLEASE NOTE: There may be other laws out there that supercede these laws stated below and/or compliment these laws stated below. This topic is not representative of the full laws of Australian government or the NSW government. Thank you for reading.

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Summary for those who don't want to read...

a) Lights must be white in colour EDIT: Just remembered that Lexus has a slight tinge of blue to their headlights... so does that mean "white" can mean something else?

b) Lights must not dazzle other drivers

c) Lights must be on the same angle and placed on the same height

d) Lights must, in low beam, illuminate 25m of road ahead

e) Lights must, in high beam, illuminate 50m of road ahead

f) a dipping device enabling the driver in the normal driving position:

(i) to change the headlights from the high-beam position to the low-beam position, or

(ii) simultaneously to switch off a high-beam headlight and switch on a low-beam headlight

HAVE DIVIDED INTO 2 SECTIONS

Section A: Australian Road Rules - Federal government rules

Section B: Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2007 - NSW government rules

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Section A: Australian Road Rules

Australian Road Rules

Taken from Part 13: Lights and warning devices

215 Using lights when driving at night or in hazardous weather conditions

(1) A driver must not drive at night, or in hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility unless:

(a) the headlights, tail lights and number plate light fitted to the driver’s vehicle are operating effectively and are clearly visible, and

(b) if the vehicle is fitted with clearance lights or side marker lights—those lights are operating effectively and are clearly visible.

Offence provision.

Note 1. Driver’s vehicle and night are defined in the dictionary.

Note 2. Drive includes be in control of—see the definition in the dictionary.

(2) However, this rule does not apply to a driver if the driver’s vehicle is stopped or parked at a place on a length of road, or in an area, to which a parking control sign applies and the driver is permitted to stop or park at that place under the Australian Road Rules.

Note. Length of road and parking control sign are defined in the dictionary.

(3) Also, a driver driving during the day in fog, or other hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility, may drive without the headlights of the driver’s vehicle operating if the vehicle is fitted with front fog lights and those lights are operating effectively and are clearly visible.

(4) In subrule (1), a reference to a kind of light fitted to a vehicle is a reference to a light of that kind required to be fitted to the vehicle under another law of this jurisdiction.

216 Towing a vehicle at night or in hazardous weather conditions

(1) A driver must not tow a vehicle at night, or in hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility unless:

(a) if the towed vehicle is being towed from the front of the vehicle:

(i) the tail lights of the vehicle are operating effectively and are clearly visible, or

(ii) the vehicle has portable rear lights that are operating, or

(b) if the towed vehicle is being towed from the rear of the vehicle—the vehicle has portable rear lights that are operating.

Offence provision.

Note. Night is defined in the dictionary.

(2) However, this rule does not apply to the driver of a tow truck if:

(a) the driver is towing a disabled vehicle carrying a placard load of dangerous goods to a place that is safely off the road, and

(b) a vehicle carrying a warning to other traffic is following immediately behind the disabled vehicle.

(3) In this rule:

dangerous goods has the meaning given, for the Australian Road Rules, under another law of this jurisdiction.

placard load has the meaning given, for the Australian Road Rules, under another law of this jurisdiction.

portable rear lights means:

(a) for a vehicle being towed from the front of the vehicle—a pair of lights attached to the rear of the vehicle that, when operating, show a red light that is clearly visible for at least 200 metres from the rear of the vehicle, and

(b) for a vehicle being towed from the rear of the vehicle—a pair of lights attached to the front of the vehicle that, when operating, show a red light that is clearly visible for at least 200 metres from the front of the vehicle.

road does not include a road-related area, but includes any shoulder of the road.

Note. Road-related area is defined in rule 13, and shoulder is defined in rule 12.

217 Using rear fog lights

(1) The driver of a vehicle fitted with a rear fog light must not operate the fog light unless the driver is driving in fog or other hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility.

Offence provision.

(2) In this rule:

rear fog light means a light fitted to a vehicle to make it more easily visible from the rear in fog.

218 Using headlights on high-beam

(1) The driver of a vehicle must not use the vehicle’s headlights on high-beam, or allow the vehicle’s headlights to be used on high-beam, if the driver is driving:

(a) less than 200 metres behind a vehicle travelling in the same direction as the driver, or

(b) less than 200 metres from an oncoming vehicle.

Offence provision.

Note. High-beam and oncoming vehicle are defined in the dictionary.

(2) However, if the driver is overtaking a vehicle, the driver may briefly switch the headlights from low-beam to high-beam immediately before the driver begins to overtake the vehicle.

Note. Low-beam and overtake are defined in the dictionary.

Examples.

Example 1

Using headlights on low-beam when travelling less than 200 metres behind another vehicle travelling in the same direction

Example 1

Example 2

Using headlights on low-beam when travelling within 200 metres of an oncoming vehicle

Example 2

219 Lights not to be used to dazzle other road users

A driver must not use, or allow to be used, any light fitted to or in the driver’s vehicle to dazzle, or in a way that is likely to dazzle, another road user.

Offence provision.

Note 1. Driver’s vehicle is defined in the dictionary, and road user is defined in rule 14.

Note 2. Driver includes a person in control of a vehicle—see the definition of drive in the dictionary.

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Section B: Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2007

Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2007

Taken from Schedule 2: Vehicle Standards

Division 2 Headlights

86 Headlights to be fitted to vehicles

(1) A motor vehicle must be fitted with:

(a) 1 low-beam headlight if it is a moped, motor bike, or motor trike with 1 front wheel, or

(b) a pair of low-beam headlights if it has 4 or more wheels or is a motor trike, except a moped, with 2 front wheels.

(2) If a motor vehicle built after 1934 can travel at over 60 kilometres an hour:

(a) each low-beam headlight mentioned in subclause (1) must be able to work in the high-beam position, or

(b) the vehicle must be fitted with:

(i) 1 headlight that can work in the high-beam position if the vehicle is required to have 1 low-beam headlight, or

(ii) a pair of headlights that can work in the high-beam position.

(3) A motor bike may be equipped with a headlight modulation system that:

(a) varies the brightness of its high-beam headlight or low-beam headlight, but not both, at a rate of at least 200 and at most 280 flashes a minute, and

(b) is designed to operate only in daylight.

(4) Additional headlights may be fitted to a motor bike or motor trike, or a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels that was built before 1970.

(5) Additional pairs of headlights may be fitted to a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels that was built after 1969.

(6) Despite clause 17 and any requirement of the third edition ADR, an emergency services vehicle may be fitted with headlights or additional headlights that are capable of flashing if:

(a) the headlights flash only when on low beam, and

(b) the headlights are wired to operate in conjunction with any flashing or rotating lights fitted to the vehicle as permitted by clause 124 (4).

(7) In this clause, an emergency services vehicle means any of the following:

(a) a police vehicle,

(b) an ambulance,

© a firefighting vehicle,

(d) a Red Cross vehicle used for conveyance of blood for urgent transfusions,

(e) a mines rescue or other rescue vehicle,

(f) another vehicle that is an emergency vehicle within the meaning of the Australian Road Rules.

87 How headlights are to be fitted

(1) The centres of low-beam headlights fitted as a pair on a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels must be at least 600 millimetres apart.

(2) However, subclause (1) does not apply to a motor vehicle built before 1970 if the centres of its low-beam headlights:

(a) were under 600 millimetres apart when the vehicle was built, and

(b) are not nearer than they were when the vehicle was built.

(3) Each low-beam headlight of a pair on a motor trike (except a moped) with 2 front wheels must not be over 400 millimetres from the nearer side of the vehicle.

(4) The centre of a low-beam headlight fitted to a motor vehicle built after June 1953 must be:

(a) at least 500 millimetres above ground level, and

(b) not over 1.4 metres above ground level.

88 How single headlights are to be fitted

(1) A motor bike or trike with a single headlight fitted must have the light fitted in the centre.

(2) Subclause (1) applies to a motor bike with an attached sidecar as if the sidecar were not attached.

89 How additional headlights are to be fitted

If 2 or more additional headlights are fitted to a motor vehicle with 4 or more wheels, the additional headlights must as far as possible be fitted in pairs.

90 Performance of headlights

(1) When on, a headlight, or additional headlight, fitted to a vehicle must:

(a) show only white light, and

(b) project its main beam of light ahead of the vehicle.

(2) Headlights must be fitted to a vehicle so their light does not reflect off the vehicle into the driver’s eyes.

91 Effective range of headlights

(1) This clause applies to a headlight that is on at night.

(2) A low-beam headlight must illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle for at least 25 metres.

(3) A high-beam headlight must illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle for at least 50 metres.

(4) However, a low-beam headlight fitted to a motor vehicle built before 1931, or a moped, need only illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle for 12 metres.

92 Changing headlights from high-beam to low-beam position

(1) A motor vehicle built after 1934 that can travel at over 60 kilometres an hour must be fitted with:

(a) a dipping device enabling the driver in the normal driving position:

(i) to change the headlights from the high-beam position to the low-beam position, or

(ii) simultaneously to switch off a high-beam headlight and switch on a low-beam headlight, and

(b) for a vehicle built after June 1953—a device to indicate to the driver that the headlights are in the high-beam position.

(2) A headlight fitted to a vehicle not fitted with a dipping device mentioned in subclause (1) (a) must operate in the low-beam position.

(3) When a headlight fitted to a vehicle is switched to the low-beam position, any other headlight on the vehicle must operate only in the low-beam position or be off.

Edited December 20, 2007 by somos

[somos]

Its just that i always thought LED Headlights were illegal... but i don't think so now... as long as they can illuminate (such a cool word) 25m ahead and not dazzle other drivers at the same time...

[Sheng]

damn gotta get rid of mine pinkie parkers