Why Pilot Lights?
- Thread starter Hobot
- Start date
- Status
Pilot lights = also known as parking lights.
Some roads in UK villages were so narrow that anything parked in the evening had to have parking lights on.
Stopped other road users banging into them in the semi-darkness...
??
These days, some of these LED lights are bright enough to drive on, and use almost no power.
Pair of driving lights beside the headlamp perhaps ?
Some roads in UK villages were so narrow that anything parked in the evening had to have parking lights on.
Stopped other road users banging into them in the semi-darkness...
??
These days, some of these LED lights are bright enough to drive on, and use almost no power.
Pair of driving lights beside the headlamp perhaps ?
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
- Messages
- 18,978
Alrighty then pilots lights are known as parking-marker lights to rest of the world. Should used a winker unit so owner didn't have to wake up so early to turn off in hopes of restart w/o a push off. Now a days I'd just bypass instead of 20 watt halogen or LED as see what I notice on the road so want full hi beam on in day time and much as polite at night. In an 80's visit to England I thoughy it rather pleasant to see the dim glow of car parked any way they could fit. As another nod to a dodo bird feature it'd be a hoot if someone packed a 12v electric shaver for the power plug wart.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
- Messages
- 20,416
And these laws are still current. ?
And enforced ?
Do you know, I don't recall ever seeing a vehicle parked at night with its lights on.
But maybe I didn't frequent areas with speed limits over 30 mph much.
Or see vehicles parked counter to the flow of traffic.
I can name a few names - of folks outside the UK- who would likely still be alive if these laws applied everywhere.
Young lives lost through mere careless parking of big vehicles at night..
And enforced ?
Do you know, I don't recall ever seeing a vehicle parked at night with its lights on.
But maybe I didn't frequent areas with speed limits over 30 mph much.
Or see vehicles parked counter to the flow of traffic.
I can name a few names - of folks outside the UK- who would likely still be alive if these laws applied everywhere.
Young lives lost through mere careless parking of big vehicles at night..
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,594
Rohan said:
Not sure if they're current, but even if they are, in my experience, they not enforced.
Strange law anyway, in what way is a parked vehicle more dangerous if parked counter to the flow of traffic than with the flow of traffic? A stationary vehicle is a stationary vehicle... Irrespective of which way its facing!
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
- Messages
- 20,416
Rohan said:
Yes, it's the latest edition of the 'Highway Code' (the basic rules all UK drivers are supposed to learn to obtain a UK 'Driving Licence').
Rohan said:
It's rarely enforced-as UK traffic 'policing' is mostly done by surveillance camera these days, so as long as a UK driver's insurance, road tax and MOT, are up to date, they don't break the speed limit or jump red lights in areas where there are cameras, they can do pretty much as they like!
Indeedy. There are no red reflectors etc on the front of a vehicle.
If you approach such a counter parked vehicle, unless you see a reflection from the headlamps,
there may be no indication that black lump is a danger to life and limb.
And some unhitched trailers etc are even worse.
As 3 young lads found out one night in the era when I was at school.
I seem to recall reading there were some terrible accidents in wartime UK too, with minimal (blackout) headlamps showing.
The road toll was tremendous. Which, I would surmise, is where these laws originated from...
If you approach such a counter parked vehicle, unless you see a reflection from the headlamps,
there may be no indication that black lump is a danger to life and limb.
And some unhitched trailers etc are even worse.
As 3 young lads found out one night in the era when I was at school.
I seem to recall reading there were some terrible accidents in wartime UK too, with minimal (blackout) headlamps showing.
The road toll was tremendous. Which, I would surmise, is where these laws originated from...
Fast Eddie
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 21,594
L.A.B. said:
Ha... Reflectors... Good point!
- Joined
- May 7, 2005
- Messages
- 7,160
I have seem prosecutions for unlit Skips parked by the side of the road but not a car, in the 60's when my dad parked his Morris Minor overnight he had a red/white (showing red rear and white front) light that sat on top of the door glass and then he ran the cable to a spare battery so when he came to the morning the car would start.
Pilot lights, or more correctly parking lights became a legal requirement in the UK, so as the bikes & cars were exported around the world they got them too. I use the term “legal” loosely as there appears to be a loose interpretation of this law, for instance if you have a 50cc NSU Nippy or similar, you had a flywheel magneto with no battery to leave a parking light on when it was left stationary .
The practice of headlights on at all times in the USA stems from the Californian state law that was adopted elsewhere in the USA and are a real battery killer if you only have an electric start- you can’t switch the headlight off, unless you disconnect it first.
I’ve have 2 imported bikes from the USA and starting them in winter time is a Bas*ard-so I had to modify them.
During the WW2 in the UK there was a nightly blackout and the pedestrian accident doubled or tripled -even the electric trams were the worse as they became known as the silent killers :shock:
What effect did the Blackout have on people's lives ?
Thousands of people died in road accidents. The number of road accidents increased because of the lack of street lighting and the dimmed traffic lights. To help prevent accidents white stripes were painted on the roads and on lamp-posts. People were encouraged to walk facing the traffic and men were advised to leave their shirt-tails hanging out so that they could be seen by cars with dimmed headlights.
ref; http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent. ... ackout.htm
What would happen to you if you if you leave your shirt-tails hanging out these days :?:
The practice of headlights on at all times in the USA stems from the Californian state law that was adopted elsewhere in the USA and are a real battery killer if you only have an electric start- you can’t switch the headlight off, unless you disconnect it first.
I’ve have 2 imported bikes from the USA and starting them in winter time is a Bas*ard-so I had to modify them.
During the WW2 in the UK there was a nightly blackout and the pedestrian accident doubled or tripled -even the electric trams were the worse as they became known as the silent killers :shock:
What effect did the Blackout have on people's lives ?
Thousands of people died in road accidents. The number of road accidents increased because of the lack of street lighting and the dimmed traffic lights. To help prevent accidents white stripes were painted on the roads and on lamp-posts. People were encouraged to walk facing the traffic and men were advised to leave their shirt-tails hanging out so that they could be seen by cars with dimmed headlights.
ref; http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent. ... ackout.htm
What would happen to you if you if you leave your shirt-tails hanging out these days :?:
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
- Messages
- 5,421
I don't know if this helps Pete as it's not LED , but I use 12 V. 21 Watt Halogen Pilot bulb Part no. BULB989H from Walridge motors. It's in their sales flyer now but sold out for a couple of weeks until they receive more. It's my daytime running light to be visible to oncoming vehicles and keep police from pulling me over. An LED one would be even better. 
A
Anonymous
Guest
Ta.
- Status
Similar threads
