Flashing Beacons on More Vehicles
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MORE vehicles are to he permitted to
carry rotating flashing beacons. showing either blue or amber lights. Until now the use of blue beacons has been restricted to ambulances or vehicles used for police, fire brigade or fire salvage purposes, and the use of amber beacons to road clearance vehicles,
New regulations, which the Minister of Transport laid before Parliament last week, .authorize a number of other vehicles to carry beacons after June. 1. These are:— .
Blue beacons—Vehicles owned by the Forestry Commission or by local authorities and used from time to time for fighting fires: Ministry of Defence bomb disposal vehicles: Blood Transfusion Service vehicles; vehicles used by the Coastguard Service or Coast Life Saving Corps to aid people in danger or vessels in distress; National Coal Board vehicles used for rescue operations at mines.
Amber beacons—Breakdown vehicles: local authority or public utility vehicles operating on the road.
Breakdown vehicles may also use a white light at the rear for lighting up the scene of an accident or breakdown providing an amber beacon is in use. Flashing amber lights, however, may not be shown by breakdown vehicles while towing damaged vehicles.
The new regulations also permit the use of batteries to supply electricity to the front corner and side marker lamps on trailers carrying round timber. Under the old regulations these lights had to be connected to the electrical system of the towing vehicle.
The Road Vehicle Lighting (Amendment) Regulations, 1965 (SI 1965/870) are published today by HM Stationery Office. price 6d.
The Minister, of Transport has also made regulations which come into operation on June 1, and permit all the vehicles authorized to carry blue rotating beacons to be fitted with two-tone horns; they also prohibit vehicles which are not authorized to carry two-tone horns from doing so after June 14.
These regulations arc the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations, 1965 (SI 1965/871) price 6d. from HMSO.