POORLY MAINTAINED LIGHTS ARE AGAINST THE LAW
“One light up and one light down” Lights out, signal NOT WORKING. Doesn’t anybody realize these conditions are a recipe for an accident waiting to happen?
As a retired truck mechanic
A big part of my job was preventive maintenance. It was boring but never the less a very necessary and very important job, to keep all the cars, trucks and equipment safe for the road and safe for families and the general public. But you don’t have to have a trained evil eye to spot unsafe vehicles with lights out. Coming towards you is this car with one headlight out; I go by this fella, another headlight out. On any given day I will pass 5 cars + with lights out and that’s always, not some days, every day. …
Then I spot “One light up and one light down” Lights out, signals out. Doesn’t anybody realize these conditions are a recipe for an accident waiting to happen?
Road safety “Ignored” at its finest.
Our days are shorter and that makes nights longer and darker.
I’m picking on the simplest and most ignored part of a vehicle, which if you haven’t guessed it by now, it’s …Lights. 
I have to give my head a shake because that’s what my specialty was looking for infractions and repair those conditions before a catastrophic event happens.
Am I the only one that sees that this is a major safety factor and thank you for asking, the …. LAW.
Police Officers, Ministry of Transport have every right to pull over any car, commercially licensed vehicle, anything on wheels that’s on government highways with a light infraction. They have every right to force you to repair the problem in a timely manner, and by the way, the first thing they ask for is (UPDATED Drivers LICENCE OWNERSHIP, INSURANCE) all the paperwork on the wheels you’re driving. That on its own should give some people an incentive to keep your lights working properly.
I have trained myself to spot and repair this condition before accidents occur, especially during poor visibility conditions. Winter night driving for most people is a real challenge and to add to the equation, poor lighting. You might say to yourself, you have a well-trained eye to spot these infractions, and of course, my answer would be …..
“I’m not blind”
Did you know you can spot a headlight out on a vehicle a mile away, that would make a big difference if it’s night and it’s either the right or the left light out coming towards you… Think about a bad situation, motorcycle, car…hummm
When you spot a SCHOOL BUS and “One headlight up and One headlight down”, would you not be concerned about the maintenance of the rest of the vehicle, your kid’s safety?
I guess this is where the years of professional experience come in, as I always spot these conditions, it’s like second nature. These vehicles that show a great amount of rust, HOLES, lights out, and that’s from the comfort of my own car is concerning. But that’s just me getting carried away.
And let’s not forget our picked on (trucks) Transport Companies, School Buses, any and all commercial vehicles. They have to, by law, do a complete (mechanical safety check (list) and record the results on paper before moving a wheel, any infractions, bad tires, lights, the door falling off, have to be repaired before going on your way and that’s every day, they will be checked all over again the next day.
Can you say the same with your car?
Now through all fairness, lights can go out at any time but remember “One headlight up and One headlight down”, that does not happen overnight, that’s considered poor maintenance.
Here is the CHALLENGE, when on the road, out and about, count the motor vehicles with lights out, you will be surprised on how many there are on the road, and in case you’re wondering there shouldn’t have any lights out, but that’s only in a perfect world.
If you’re in an accident and you’re on the GIVING end, you say to the Officer I didn’t see his lights… you could very well have been right.
It’s all of our responsibility to maintain our own vehicles and make them safe for our families and the public and it’s the responsibility of Law Enforcement to make sure all the vehicles, are, Safe for the road and that’s for everybody concerned. Did I say …(It’s the #Law)
Lights play a MAJOR role in public highway safety, Eh
Please check out my ” 5 MIN. could save your life”
