I FOLLOWED a Vauxhall Astra home the other night.
One of its rear lamps wasn’t working.
I sort of wanted to alert the driver as they probably had no idea this was the case.
Unless you reverse up to a wall regularly – or get a friend to check – it’s often very difficult to realise your car has a failed light and is being driven illegally.
But it seems the Astra driver wasn’t alone.
A survey by Halfords has found that one in ten vehicles checked across 10 cities had failed lights of some sort.
Glasgow was the worst, closely followed by Newcastle. London has the lowest failure rate score.
With the clocks having gone back the issue of failed lights is more critical. Both for drivers and business car managers of small company car fleets.
In 2010 there were 357 accidents resulting from defective or failed lights in poor visibility according to the Department of Transport.
Dave Poulter, Halfords’ director of trading for auto commented: “Usually you don’t know when a light has gone so regular checking is essential, especially in these increased hours of darkness and often more difficult and hazardous autumn and winter conditions.”
There’s a £30 Fixed Penalty Notice fine for defective lights, although the Police may allow you to rectify the fault under the Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme (VDRS).
Either way, it’s best to check regularly – and avoid causing an issue for your other road users; or a stop from the boys in blue.
Worst cities for failed lights
City / % on road illegally
- Glasgow 13.3%
- Newcastle 13.1%
- Liverpool 12.7%
- Manchester 11.5%
- Southampton 10.3%
- Birmingham 10.1%
- Leeds 8.5%
- Bristol 8.1%
- Nottingham 7.5%
- London 6.8%
Source: Halfords
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