Driving Instructors Manchester
CHECK YOUR BRAKE LIGHTS
No brake lights
Almost all of us see vehicles on the road with one brake light out at one
time or another. The reason being that a huge one in 10 vehicles on the road
have one or more brake lights out.
Brake lights can fail at any time and as most vehicles don't self-check such
issues, we can quite easily use our cars for many days, even weeks without
realising.
It's a little too easy to blame the car however, for the most part, that's
simply put down to the fact that generally we don't check that our brake lights
are working and perform enough basic maintenance checks on our
cars.
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Dangers of faulty brake lights
Over 25,000 accidents each year are attributed to drivers misjudging the
speed of a vehicle. This is often due to a vehicle slowing down rapidly. All
these accidents aren't the result of missing brake lights of course, although
defective brake lights will have an impact on a following drivers reaction time
to your slowing down or stopping.
Centre high brake lights are equally important especially for those that
prefer to drive behind vehicles closely, often seated high in vans. Tail-gating
is dangerous in itself, but those that do may not notice the side brake lights
as easily as the centre high brake light as it is often situated much higher
than the side brake lights.
Ensuring all brake lights are working including the centre high light
ultimately helps in avoiding potential accidents. How to check brake lights are
working
To check that your brake lights are working correctly, simply ask a friend or
family member to help or check for reflections. You can often see enough of a
reflection to determine all brake lights are working whilst testing them whilst
parked in your garage, you may be able to see your cars rear end reflection in
many buildings.
How often should brake lights be checked
Many drivers have their car brake lights checked just once each year and this
usually involves the services of an
MOT technician. Brake lights are not only
for the drivers safety, but those following and to be reasonably sure that
brakes lights are continuously working correctly, they should be checked and
covers cleaned if necessary at least once each week.
Difficulty changing brake light bulbs
In certain modern cars, brake light bulbs can be difficult to change with a
new bulb. This is especially noticeable in modern compact cars where everything
'unnecessary' such as brake light housing is crammed out of the way into tiny
spaces to make way for luggage space. A little perseverance and time is all it
usually takes, but if it does become an impossibility, car maintenance stores
such as Halfords or even your local car service garage will fit the bulb for
you. Although inconvenient and a small fee will likely apply, you'll be sure to
know your car is safe and legal and is a far better alternative to receiving a
fine and penalty points from authorities due to driving a vehicle with faulty
lighting.
No brake lights penalty
With defective vehicle lighting, the penalty incurred is a combination of the
severity of the offence and the discretion of the police officer.
If you have a single brake light out for example and the police officer is of
reasonable mind, they may simply pull you over and give you a verbal warning to
get it fixed as soon as possible.
A brake light bulb can fail at any time, the chances are however that if you
have more than one brake light out, a police officer will come to the conclusion
that a driver has simply not checked that their brake lights are working for a
considerable time, which is where penalties are likely to become
harsher.
Fixed Penalty Notice
A driver is likely to be issued with
a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) that will
see a motorist issued with a £60 fine and three penalty points on their driving
licence.
Roadside Prohibition Notice
If the police officer deems
the vehicle defect as severe, they may also issue a Roadside Prohibition Notice.
A Prohibition Notice varies depending on the severity of the defect. An
immediate prohibition comes into effect immediately which will see a drivers
vehicle immobilised and unable to drive. A delayed prohibition which is the
probable notice issued under such defects as defective brake lights, allows for
the vehicle to be driven away and the fault(s) must be fixed within 10 days. The
vehicle will need to be reinspected and the prohibition removed before it can be
used on the road again. |
