Indicators
QI’ve noticed recently that some cars and vans don’t seem to have indicators on the front of the vehicle. Instead of an indicator, the front fog light comes on whichever way your turning, but it doesn’t flash, it’s just a steady light. It looks like the fog lights are switched on, but one isn’t working so could cause confusion.
I googled the MOT rules, and it states that indicators must be amber and flash at a steady rate, so are these OK to use, I’m assuming they must be. Have the trade been advised about them at all.
Thanks very much in advance.
Ken Chadwick
AThe regulations state that “direction indicators must be amber” but go on to say that “vehicles first used before September 1, 1965 may have white front indicators and red rear indicators, if the direction indicators are combined with stop lamps or combined with front or rear position lamps”.
They also go on to say that “vehicles first used on or after April 1, 1986 must be fitted with an amber side repeater indicator on each side”. The side repeater can be part of the front direction indicator if it has one of the following: A wraparound lens marked either with an ‘E’ mark in a circle or an ‘e’ mark in a rectangle with a number 5 above it, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from 1m to the side of the rear bumper.
I believe that the lights that you have seen which you have described as confusing have done exactly that. On the modern vehicles the front indicator is often combined with the DRL (daytime running light) when the left indicator flashes then the left DRL will extinguish leaving only the right steady white DRL illuminated, whilst the left DRL will change to an amber flashing light.
The reverse of course will occur when the right indicator is used.
It may be the case that you have either not spotted the flashing amber lamp as the steady white light appears to take dominance or that the vehicles you have seen are faulty.
But the regulations requiring a flashing front indicator are still firmly in place.