The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (“the 1995 Regulations”).

Regulation 3 amends regulation 14(2) of the 1995 Regulations by making provision for two types of special signs made of yellow reflective material, “the prescribed sign” and “the secondary sign”, which indicate the presence of children, to be fitted to the rear of a bus. The amendments make it possible for these signs to be fitted to the rear of a bus without regulation 14(2) being contravened.

Regulation 4 inserts a new regulation 17A, which requires buses used to carry children to or from school to have the prescribed sign fitted at both front and rear and to have that sign removed when those buses are used for purposes other than carrying children to and from school.

Regulation 6 amends regulation 30 of the 1995 Regulations to allow a bus which is fitted with these signs in the prescribed manner and which is being used to carry a child to or from his school to use hazard warning lights when it is stationary and children are entering or leaving the vehicle.

Regulation 7 makes a minor amendment relating to lamps and reflectors fixed on movable parts of the vehicle.