S.I. No. 328/1979 - Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1979.

S.I. No. 328 of 1979.

ROAD TRAFFIC (LIGHTING OF VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1979.

The Minister for the Environment in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 5 and 11 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) hereby makes the following Regulations:—

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1979.

(2) These Regulations and the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1970, shall be construed as one and may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1979.

2. Article 52 of the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1963 ) is hereby amended by the substitution for sub-article (18) of the following:—

"(18) (a) In this sub-article—

"breakdown vehicle" means a mechanically propelled vehicle used for towing broken down mechanically propelled vehicles, trailers or semi-trailers to the nearest convenient place of safety or repair and includes a vehicle used in connection with and in the immediate vicinity of a breakdown;

"road clearance vehicle" means a mechanically propelled vehicle used for dealing with frost, ice or snow on roads and includes a vehicle used for cutting of road-side hedges or road-side grass verges or in the sweeping of roads;

"road works vehicle" means a mechanically propelled vehicle used in connection with the construction, maintenance and improvement of roads or in connection with the provision and maintenance of water supplies, sewerage and drainage services;

( b ) the requirements of Parts II and VI of these Regulations shall not apply to a lamp which is carried on an ambulance, a vehicle used for the delivery or collection of human blood or human blood products, a breakdown vehicle, a road clearance vehicle, a road works vehicle, a vehicle used in the collection and disposal of domestic refuse, a vehicle used in the provision and maintenance of telephone services or of gas or electricity supply, a fire brigade vehicle or a vehicle being used by a member of the Garda Sióchána in the performance of his duties as such member, and which complies with the provisions of this sub-article.

( c ) (i) the lamp shall where possible be fitted on the roof of the vehicle on a point on its longitudinal axis,

(ii) no part of the illuminated surface of the lamp shall be less than 5 feet from the ground,

(iii) the area of the orthogonal projection on to any vertical plane of that part of the lamp through which light is shown shall be capable of lying, wholly within a square having sides of 9 inches in length,

(iv) the light shown by the lamp shall be blue, except in the case of a breakdown vehicle, a road clearance vehicle, a road works vehicle, a vehicle used in the collection and disposal of domestic refuse or a vehicle used in the maintenance of telephone services or of gas or electricity supply, when the light shown by lamp shall be amber,

(v) the power of the lamp shall not exceed, where the colour of the light is blue, 50 watts, or where the colour of the light is amber, 36 watts,

(vi) the lamp, in the case of a road works vehicle, or a vehicle used in the maintenance of telephone services or gas or electricity supply shall be lit only when the vehicle is in use at the scene of operations ".

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for the Environment

this 28th day of September, 1979.

SYLVESTER BARRETT,

Minister for the Environment.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The purpose of these regulations is to permit the fitting and use of amber flashing lamps on certain categories of stationary or slow moving vehicles on public roads.