Qld Transport Headlight Regulations

G'day

Always interesting reading. But you should be aware of what " ADR 13 mandates the number and position of lamp assemblies" says in relation to positions of lights before assuming that it is legal to mount accessory lights in positions such as the roof.

I wish any person the best in obtaining a copy of the ADR's for FREE ( despite the fact that you and I as tax payers funded, the legislation) from the Federal Government. If any body does please inform me of how!

Regards

Paul

One of my sons is now old enough to start thinking about a Learners Permit. I was surprised to find that the road rules have to be bought as a publication.

We have too many levels of government in Australia and too many politicians. It is reflected in the tax that has to be collected.

Some of those blue lights mentioned in the ADRs are dazzling on low beam. Would not like it if all vehicles had them fitted.

In Victoria there is a maximum of 4 extra lights.

Also I have no idea what the advantage is in having them on the roof, would somebody care to enlighten me?

In WA it is legal to mount driving lights on the roof as long as they are in the front half of the vehicles length. Also in WA you can have a maximum of six (6) high beam lamps. i.e. If the vehicle has two headlamps you can have four spotties, if it has four headlamps which all operate on hi beam then you can only have two additional lamps. If it has four headlamps and the outer two stay on lo beam or are not on when you select hi beam then you can have four spotties. Presumably the reason for them having to be in the front half of the vehicle is to reduce glare in the drivers field of vision caused by the reflection in RV mirrors, coming through the back window (on utes) and side windows, bonnet, etc. Personally I have never tried it but there are plenty of times when adjusting good driving lamps that I have felt confident if I could just get them a bit higher I would be able to see just that bit further. Obviously when you adjust your spotties so the beam just starts to leave the road surface (read head skywards) at some point up the road, if you start with them higher then the point they leave the road surface will be further away and as long as the lights have enough output you should be able to illuminate more distance of road. The above rules don't deter the V8 Mongrel Ute brigade and B & S boys from having anything up to about 8 or 10 spotties mounted allover the roof and bull bar. Must run two alternators or a 5 Kva gen set in the back of the ute maybe:-) The thing that worries me about them on the roof is that you are looking through those beams when driving the vehicle so if there is any dust or rain about it must be like trying to drive looking through a sheet of corrugated iron or driving in fog on hi beam which just doesn't work.

Having a heap of driving lights must make it a bit of a shock for the vision when low beam is selected. You would be reaching for a white stick??

Hi Guys,
Interesting reading here. Few things i would have been caught out on if i ever decided to fit roof lights, One interesing point was the fact that you should have them far enough back so as not to shine on your own bonnet....very good point that and also making sure they dont reflect off your side mirrors which would be a real pain.
But 1 thing i know from driving interstate alot at night, I usually run my IPF's which sit on my nudge bar and work very well for me. I usually keep an eye out for semi trailers comming towards me. Hill crests usually indicate their high bean before the driver is hit by my lights. This is my indicator for dipping my lights back down to low beam.

I am not sure though if that theory would work while running lights above your head..can someone tell me if the oncomming lights can still be seen bright enough so you know when to dip. Also being higher than normal, id be concerned that these lights would in some cases actually hit the oncomming truckie even before you realised he was there and it was time to dip.
Personally i take care in oncomming vehicles, especially at night time as there is nothing more annoying that spotties blinding you.

Would these lights be hooked up to high beam or would they be run seperately off a switch? I think they have to be wired up to high bean to be legal...anyone know for sure?
Ange

cokeaddict they must be wired via the hi beam that's the law. It's in the ADR's so it is a legal requirement in every State. It is also strongly recommended, in WA anyway, to have them wired via a separate switch but you won't find that in the ADR's. If wired the above way the spotties go out the instant lo beam is selected. The danger of not going via the hi beam is some day dreaming (read night dreaming) bleep suffering from highway hypnosis who forgets to operate the separate switch will come towards you oblivious to the fact he has still got his spotties on. Also on long undulating straights, say 10km or so, you can just flick the separate switch first to turn the spotties off but leave the h/lamps on hi beam so you don't get that feeling of "who turned all the lights off " or "reach for the white cane" as some aptly put it. There are plenty of such roads in Northern WA, the Goldfields and Nullarbor for example and I know a lot of truckies adopt this practice especially if they are running HID's. I have seen more and more trucks in WA running as many as five Predators and whilst I shudder at what they would cost I suppose in the scheme of things if a prime mover, dollies and trailers cost say A$1M approx plus the value of the payload and if you spend more time in it than in your home (read it is your home) then $3000.00 to $6000.00 is not a lot to make your life a lot safer and less stressful at night.
In WA you have to dip your lights within 200m or when the other guy does. Personally I think 200m is too close so I dip mine whenever I see the glow of the other guys lights. This is especially important regards truck cos the driver sits a lot higher so you risk dazzling him sooner than an oncoming car or 4WD. Every person who owns a vehicle with a set of decent spotties should be made to stand on the road at night while someone else drives the vehicle about a kay away then turns around a heads back towards them with all beams blazing. All you will see is one freaking big mass of white light and if you focus on it for more that a second or so it hurts like hell and you will still see the image of it for 5 minutes or so. If you experience what powerful weapons a good set of spotties are no responsible driver will ever again flash his spotties at an oncoming vehicle "to teach the other driver a lesson" if they think his lights are too bright. Personally when I know an oncoming vehicle is on hi beam or if I think their lights are just too bright I turn my lo beam headlamps off then on again a couple of times if necessary until he gets my drift. There are number of good reasons for not dazzling an oncoming driver. The first being if he loses the perception of where his vehicle is positioned on the road it might be you that he hits or a tree on the roadside and if he is killed or injured and has witnesses you are in deep poo poo apart from having to live with the knowledge that your lack of professionalism caused an accident. Secondly if he already was on lo beam but his lights are just too bright through poor adjustment or a heavy tow ball load due to pulling a heavy trailer/ boat/horse float, etc and if he happens to also have good set of spotties, maybe more powerful than yours, and gets a dose of the darks with you for dazzling him he just might give you your own back and who knows what the outcome may be.