Lighting-up time
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
there is a legally enforced lighting-up time, defined as from one half-hour after sunset
to one half-hour before sunrise
, during which all motor vehicles on unlit public roads (but not parked) must use their headlights.
Lighting-up time was first introduced in the nineteenth century in local by-laws and enforced nationally by the Lights on vehicles Act of 1907. The Road Lighting Act of 1942 stipulated 1 hour after sunset/ before dawn
. It was amended to 30 minutes by the Road Traffic Act of 1956 because of the increasing speed of traffic. These were the required times for showing all lights on all vehicles, including bicycles and horse drawn carts, hence the name lighting-up time.
The (still current) Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations, 1989 tightened the requirements further. Lighting-up time is retained as the required period for use of motor vehicle headlights
on roads without lit streetlights, but with that exception, all vehicles must now keep conspicuity lights lit during the longer period of sunset to sunrise (unless parked, either in a designated parking place or facing the same way as adjacent traffic and more than 10 m from the nearest junction on a road with a speed limit not exceeding 30 mph). The conspicuity lights required are "front and rear position lamps" (side and tail lights) plus, for large vehicles, side marker lamps and end-outline marker lamps and, for motor vehicles, rear number plate
lights.
Headlights are also required at other times when visibility is restricted, e.g. by fog
, rain, snow, overcast
sky or smoke. They should also be used in tunnels.
Streetlights are usually set to come on automatically near the beginning of lighting-up time, although modern lamps monitor the light level and turn on when this gets too low, and so are influenced by weather. They may also be set to switch off automatically when road usage is reduced, often at midnight, although currently most stay on until about the end of lighting-up time. Headlamps must be used during lighting-up time unless streetlamps are alight.
Sunrise and sunset are defined by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations as local sunrise and sunset so the times are different in different parts of the UK: they are earlier in the east and later in the west, and vary more with the seasons in northerly locations than in southerly locations.
The Lighting-up times are displayed in national and local newspapers in the UK.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
there is a legally enforced lighting-up time, defined as from one half-hour after sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
to one half-hour before sunrise
Sunrise
Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight...
, during which all motor vehicles on unlit public roads (but not parked) must use their headlights.
Lighting-up time was first introduced in the nineteenth century in local by-laws and enforced nationally by the Lights on vehicles Act of 1907. The Road Lighting Act of 1942 stipulated 1 hour after sunset/ before dawn
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
. It was amended to 30 minutes by the Road Traffic Act of 1956 because of the increasing speed of traffic. These were the required times for showing all lights on all vehicles, including bicycles and horse drawn carts, hence the name lighting-up time.
The (still current) Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations, 1989 tightened the requirements further. Lighting-up time is retained as the required period for use of motor vehicle headlights
Headlamp
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
on roads without lit streetlights, but with that exception, all vehicles must now keep conspicuity lights lit during the longer period of sunset to sunrise (unless parked, either in a designated parking place or facing the same way as adjacent traffic and more than 10 m from the nearest junction on a road with a speed limit not exceeding 30 mph). The conspicuity lights required are "front and rear position lamps" (side and tail lights) plus, for large vehicles, side marker lamps and end-outline marker lamps and, for motor vehicles, rear number plate
Vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...
lights.
Headlights are also required at other times when visibility is restricted, e.g. by fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
, rain, snow, overcast
Overcast
Overcast or overcast weather, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, is the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring all of the sky. Overcast, written as "OVC" in the METAR observation, is reported when the cloud cover is observed to equal eight oktas .Sometimes clouds can be...
sky or smoke. They should also be used in tunnels.
Streetlights are usually set to come on automatically near the beginning of lighting-up time, although modern lamps monitor the light level and turn on when this gets too low, and so are influenced by weather. They may also be set to switch off automatically when road usage is reduced, often at midnight, although currently most stay on until about the end of lighting-up time. Headlamps must be used during lighting-up time unless streetlamps are alight.
Sunrise and sunset are defined by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations as local sunrise and sunset so the times are different in different parts of the UK: they are earlier in the east and later in the west, and vary more with the seasons in northerly locations than in southerly locations.
The Lighting-up times are displayed in national and local newspapers in the UK.
See also
- civil twilight, period when enough natural light remains that artificial light is not needed
- British Summer TimeBritish Summer TimeWestern European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
, daylight saving time in the UK