ChatterBank5 mins ago
Glow in the dark paint
15 Answers
Is this legal to have on your car in the uk?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.As Hopkirk indicates, everything is legal until Parliament makes it illegal.
However it's also true that many of the laws of this country come about through 'case law', where a higher court rules upon the interpretation of statutory legislation, rather than directly through that legislation. If you were to use luminous paint on your car a court might be asked to rule as to whether any of the multitude of Construction and Use Regulations (or of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989) applied.
In practice the use of luminous paint might be fairly pointless. Luminous paint only emits light when it has recently been 'charged' by being exposed to light. A car parked on the street wouldn't glow at night because the luminosity of the paint would fade at the same time as the daylight did. The only time such paint might show up would be when a car was being driven at night but had recently been parked in a brightly lit area. e.g. just after leaving a filling station forecourt.
Chris
However it's also true that many of the laws of this country come about through 'case law', where a higher court rules upon the interpretation of statutory legislation, rather than directly through that legislation. If you were to use luminous paint on your car a court might be asked to rule as to whether any of the multitude of Construction and Use Regulations (or of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989) applied.
In practice the use of luminous paint might be fairly pointless. Luminous paint only emits light when it has recently been 'charged' by being exposed to light. A car parked on the street wouldn't glow at night because the luminosity of the paint would fade at the same time as the daylight did. The only time such paint might show up would be when a car was being driven at night but had recently been parked in a brightly lit area. e.g. just after leaving a filling station forecourt.
Chris
from another forum. Someone called VOSA and asked and were put in touch with the agency that covers this:
The result of the enquiry is:
Dear Mr Wayland Our understanding is that paint such as 'glow in the dark' paint would not be classed as a lamp or reflective material and therefore it would not need to conform with the requirements of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, as amended. However, as I'm sure you'll understand, only the courts can provide a definitive interpretation of the regulations. Regulation 100 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended (C&U), requires that a vehicle is maintained at all times in such a condition that it is not likely to cause a danger to the user of the vehicle or other road users. It is possible that 'glow in the dark' paint may cause a distraction to other road users which could be considered to be a danger. Yours sincerely Jillian Smith DfT - Transport Technology and Standards
The result of the enquiry is:
Dear Mr Wayland Our understanding is that paint such as 'glow in the dark' paint would not be classed as a lamp or reflective material and therefore it would not need to conform with the requirements of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, as amended. However, as I'm sure you'll understand, only the courts can provide a definitive interpretation of the regulations. Regulation 100 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended (C&U), requires that a vehicle is maintained at all times in such a condition that it is not likely to cause a danger to the user of the vehicle or other road users. It is possible that 'glow in the dark' paint may cause a distraction to other road users which could be considered to be a danger. Yours sincerely Jillian Smith DfT - Transport Technology and Standards
Most welcome.
Here's the link I took that from if you want to read the discussion.
http://www.5ive-o.org...ndex.php/t-22286.html
Here's the link I took that from if you want to read the discussion.
http://www.5ive-o.org...ndex.php/t-22286.html