Bicycle Lighting

Bicycle Lighting - LEDs and The Law

UPDATED - this page updated October 2005.
This page pertains to the legal situation in the UK specifically - not to anywhere else - and the opinions expressed are result of considerable and continuing research, but do not constitute solid legal advice.

Some people are concerned that if they use LED lights or flashing lights on their bike they are breaking the law. In the UK, this is now not much of a problem any more.

In the UK, a change in the law from 21st October 2005, permits a bike to be fitted with flashing lights, rear and/or front.
At the same time, some loopholes have been closed which previously made LEDs a 'grey area'.

The exact specification for flashing lights is, flashing between 1 and 4 times per second, with a brightness of at least 4 candelas.
Most modern LED lights will comfortably meet this specification, assuming they have reasonably fresh batteries fitted.
A forthcoming amendment to the Highway Code will recommend that a bicycle fitted with such lights, should also be fitted with a steady headlamp when used on unlit roads - but this is a recommendation and not law, it does not mean you need a steady light to be legal.

In the case of steady (ie non-flashing) lights - any 'grey area' about the use of LEDs for steady lighting is now largely cleared away. Such lights are now legal, if they are BS-approved.

All steady lights (LED or filament, or HID) must be BS-approved to be legal in the UK.
Actually, this is a slight simplification, as some overseas standards, particularly European ones such as DIN, can be taken as 'equivalent to BS' and lights that are approved according to such a standard are also legal in the UK.
The ECE acts as a body which harmonises standards throughout Europe and they have approved the use of LEDs as 'running lights' for motor vehicles. As a result, you now frequently see cars and particularly buses, with LED-only tail and indicator lights.

Some lights are packaged as 'conforming to BS' - such a statement should be viewed with scepticism - 'conforming' is not the same thing as 'approved' - the lights may conform or exceed the BS in every way, but to be legal they must be 'approved' - even though the difference between 'conforming' and 'approved' will not make them any brighter!
A light that is genuinely 'approved' should have a logo or text to that effect, stamped, engraved or embossed somewhere on the body of the light itself. On older lights this might be a 'kitemark', on newer ones it is more usually just 'BS 6102/3'.

The three main documents affecting all this are:
SI 1989 No. 1796 Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, including any subsequent relevant amendments.
These documents are publicly and freely available on the web, though quite difficult to navigate - the amendments, many of which are important updates, are separate SI documents which are not directly linked from the main document.
British Standards Institute (home page).
British Standard 6102 part 3. This BS relates to 'visibility lighting' and was amended in 1995 and again in 2003. The Lighting Regulations are now amended to correctly refer to this BS (until quite recently, they did not, thereby creating a 'grey area' in the law.
This BS document is not freely available.
SI 2005 No. 2559
For flashing lights, Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 2559, which is an amendment to various Lighting Regulations including Regulation 13 (lamps to show a steady light).

(The Highway Code may also have something to say on the matter, but this is not, in itself, a legal document. It is, of course, important supplementary reading. It is revised quite frequently, and is freely available on the web.)

The illegality of some good cycle lights is a serious issue which the other pages in this cycle lighting site have ignored.
On this page we try to stay up to date with any changes or proposed changes in the law regarding cycle lighting, with the emphasis on the UK.
Another excellent source of information on this subject is Chris Juden's column in 'Cycle', the magazine of the Cyclists' Touring Club. Chris is well-informed on all technical matters relating to cycling, and has had input into recent developments in cycle lighting law.

The BS still presents a practical difficulty for some cyclists, as it is a Standard concerned only with 'visibility' lighting. As such it concerns itself with issues such as adequate sideways visibility to other road-users, and not at all with things like the effectiveness of the beam on a dark road. With the relatively limited amount of power available to the cyclist (for reasons of bulk, weight and/or cost), very few front cycle lights can be found which both a) comply with the BS and b) are able to throw a good and effective beam.
For this reason many cyclists prefer to fit a good light which is not BS-approved (such lights are readily available), rather than a less effective light which is approved.

For many people, to break the law in this or any other way is simply unacceptable.
They continue to use lights which may have inferior performance characteristics, in order to conform to the letter of the law.
For others, although they may have no wish to break the law they do recognise that in some respects, 'the law is an ass'.
To abide by the law, they must use cycle lights which are substantially less effective than the best available.
Such people may well consider carrying two sets of cycle lights, one 'legal' set and one 'high performance' set. (This also gives the added safety factor of having a 'spare' in case one light fails.)
Others may see a distinction between the 'letter of the law' and the way the law is applied in the real world. In actual practise there are very few recorded instances in the UK of a cyclist with effective, but technically illegal, lighting, falling foul of the police or the legal processes. The police are generally appreciative of any cyclist using effective lighting.
For some people the most serious issue is their status in law in the event of an accident. It is felt that an astute lawyer could point to the use of a non-legal lighting setup to undermine the cyclist's position in any ensuing compensation or insurance case.

Flashing red lights have now reached the stage where they are undeniably symbolic of 'cyclist' - in that respect, they are a very good thing.
Up to now, some cyclists have circumvented the legality issue by wearing the flashing light on their clothing, which is not technically a part of the vehicle. This is a sad compromise, as the light is most unlikely to be seen to its best advantage if it is flopping around on someone's belt.
As of 21st October 2005, it is no longer necessary to adopt this compromise - fit the flashing lights to your bike, and be legal.

Some people are additionally concerned about the colour of LEDs that can be used to the front of the bicycle - a Department of Transport quote - "Regulation 11 of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 strictly controls the colour of light that may be shown to the front and rear of vehicles. In general, only red light may be shown to the rear and any other colour than red to the front." I would add to that, that blue lights are prohibited on any vehicle other than emergency vehicles. But green or yellow lights do appear to be acceptable at the front.