S.I. No. 137/1996:

ROAD TRAFFIC (LIGHTING OF VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1996

ROAD TRAFFIC (LIGHTING OF VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1996

The Minister for the Environment in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 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, 1996.

(2) The Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1994 and these Regulations shall be construed as one and may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1996.

2. The following sub-article is hereby substituted for sub-article (18) of article 52 of the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1963 )--

"(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;

'Customs and Excise patrol vehicle' means a mechanically propelled vehicle used by an official of Customs and Excise in the performance of his duties as such official; 'Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicle' means --

(i) a trailer used by a volunteer or a senior manager in the Irish Marine Emergency Service in the performance of its marine emergency rescue function, or

(ii) a mechanically propelled vehicle used by a senior manager in the Irish Marine Emergency Service in the performance of its marine emergency rescue function;

'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 roadside hedges or roadside 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;

'senior fire officer' means a fire officer not below the grade of Assistant Fire Officer (Prevention) but including the grades of Second Officer and Third Officer;

'senior manager in the Irish Marine Emergency Service' means an official of the Irish Marine Emergency Service not below the grade of Divisional Officer.

(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 Customs and Excise patrol vehicle, an Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicle, a fire brigade vehicle, a vehicle being used by a senior fire officer in the performance of his duty as such officer, or a vehicle being used by a member of the Garda Síochána 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 Customs and Excise patrol vehicle, 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 the 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 23rd day of May, 1996.

Brendan Howlin

______________________

Minister for the Environment

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations consolidate and update the statutory provisions in relation to the use of flashing blue or amber warning lights on certain vehicles. The Regulations also permit the use of blue flashing lights on Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicles.

These Regulations complement the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations, 1996 ( S.I. No. 138 of 1996 ) which amend the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1996 to permit the use of sirens on Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicles.