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madcockney · 04-11-16, 10:30 AM

Where I live we have a lot of cars with "go faster exhausts" fitted. There's an SVU that sounds like it's track car going around the track when it's only doing 5-10 MPH. Personally I have no sympathy for vehicle operators that use "Not For Road Use" exhausts and get done, and I can understand the locals annoyance with them. (I also have never had sympathy for those that have lost there licence for DUI, as well as having no sympathy for those being done for driving using a non hands-free phone whilst driving. I feel that unless more get detected and prosecuted for using phones then drivers will think that they can get away with it, but a lot of it is educating people and making them realise the effects of using a mobile whilst driving.)

Regarding the lights on the handlebars. I find dipped lights in my eyes because they are on the vehicle at a height to do that to be very annoying and in some instances outright dangerous. Back in the 60's and 70's, pre EU, cars were having spotlights fitted to them and many were roof mounted. Lights though not as effective as today's would blind you. Eventually the police, in London anyway, started to prosecute owners of vehicles and those driving them and over time the habit ceased. I don't recall what part of the law was used, or whether it was changed to handle this issue. I believe that you can still have them fitted but must not be operable whilst moving, must be able to be dipped, or must be completely covered. However many lorries have over cab high intensity lights that are on and switched off for approaching vehicles. This maybe one of those things that are allowed under vehicle type approval and maybe an area that the UK adjusted to conform to the EU. (The ex and current traffic cops on here should be able to clarify.) Having ultra bright lights mounted high enough to blind oncoming vehicles with no dip I would have thought comes under the same heading. Personally I find it disrespectful to other road users and is something that we don't want to do is antagonise them when we want them to accept us as bikers and be considerate towards us
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04-11-16, 10:30 AM	#40
madcockney Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 131	Re: loud exhausts save lives... Where I live we have a lot of cars with "go faster exhausts" fitted. There's an SVU that sounds like it's track car going around the track when it's only doing 5-10 MPH. Personally I have no sympathy for vehicle operators that use "Not For Road Use" exhausts and get done, and I can understand the locals annoyance with them. (I also have never had sympathy for those that have lost there licence for DUI, as well as having no sympathy for those being done for driving using a non hands-free phone whilst driving. I feel that unless more get detected and prosecuted for using phones then drivers will think that they can get away with it, but a lot of it is educating people and making them realise the effects of using a mobile whilst driving.) Regarding the lights on the handlebars. I find dipped lights in my eyes because they are on the vehicle at a height to do that to be very annoying and in some instances outright dangerous. Back in the 60's and 70's, pre EU, cars were having spotlights fitted to them and many were roof mounted. Lights though not as effective as today's would blind you. Eventually the police, in London anyway, started to prosecute owners of vehicles and those driving them and over time the habit ceased. I don't recall what part of the law was used, or whether it was changed to handle this issue. I believe that you can still have them fitted but must not be operable whilst moving, must be able to be dipped, or must be completely covered. However many lorries have over cab high intensity lights that are on and switched off for approaching vehicles. This maybe one of those things that are allowed under vehicle type approval and maybe an area that the UK adjusted to conform to the EU. (The ex and current traffic cops on here should be able to clarify.) Having ultra bright lights mounted high enough to blind oncoming vehicles with no dip I would have thought comes under the same heading. Personally I find it disrespectful to other road users and is something that we don't want to do is antagonise them when we want them to accept us as bikers and be considerate towards us .