Are amber strobe/rotating lights legal for civilian use?

[Musiclover08]

I was wondering if amber strobe/rotating lights are legal in civilian cars? I've seen them on trucks and construction vehicles as well as some tow-trucks and yesterday I saw a vehicle using one on the highway.

[hawker]

Yep they are.

[biena]

Yep they are.

Why do you say this ? need some references please, not being sarcastic but I couldn't find the right documents.

[Nerfherder]

Amber is for caution so I think its ok

Red is for ambulances

blue is for the police (and you know who)

You need permission for red and blue. Amber is ok.

[froot]

I was wondering if amber strobe/rotating lights are legal in civilian cars? I've seen them on trucks and construction vehicles as well as some tow-trucks and yesterday I saw a vehicle using one on the highway.

Amber is for caution so I think its ok

Red is for ambulances

blue is for the police (and you know who)

You need permission for red and blue. Amber is ok.

What colour did the vehicle use?

According to the Road Traffic Act only blue lights are "reserved". It does not say anything in that act, or any other one that I've seen, about red lights, or others.

Green lights as used by neighbourhood watches used to be reserved for disaster management but that rule has been discarded from the act.

However, at the end of the day, if you are using any light as a civilian (iow not using red/blue for emergency services) or amber (construction), you should be careful as the Metro will fine you or confiscate your light. I will give an example where one of our police reservists was using a green light and got fined by Metro and had his light confiscated. A member of our neighbourhood watch was also fined when Metro saw him... R1500.

[Musiclover08]

Vehicle used amber. I tried to search for any documents but I couldn't find any. Yikes that's harsh!

[biena]

found the act

http://www.acts.co.za/rt_nrta/index.htm

National Road Traffic Act, 1996
National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999
Chapter VI : Fitness of Vehicles
Part II : Equipment on or in respect of vehicles
183. Lamps to emit steady light

Unless otherwise provided elsewhere in these regulations, a lamp fitted to any vehicle shall emit a steady light when in operation: Provided that an ambulance, rescue vehicle, fire-fighting vehicle, a motor vehicle operated by a traffic officer in the execution of his or her duties, or a motor vehicle operated by a member of the Service or a member of a municipal police service, both as defined in section 1 of the South African Police Service Act, 1995 (Act No. 68 of 1995) in the execution of his or her duties, may be equipped with a device which enables the driver of such vehicle to operate the vehicle's head lamps in such a manner that they flash intermittently.

National Road Traffic Act, 1996
National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999
Chapter VI : Fitness of Vehicles
Part II : Equipment on or in respect of vehicles
185. Lamps not prescribed or authorised, prohibited

No lamp other than a lamp prescribed or authorised in terms of these regulations shall at any time be fitted to any vehicle operated on a public road.

[Rosaudio]

Our local neighborhood watch uses Amber rotating lights on their vehicles.

[Vegeta]

Just use your hazards they're amber

[nightjar]

Amber is for caution so I think its ok

Red is for ambulances

blue is for the police (and you know who)

You need permission for red and blue. Amber is ok.

They're all the same to me but I am always very aware of the danger of an AK or R5 round coming at me from behind the light.

[Stokstert]

No rotating/strobing light of any colour may be used by a private citizen. Our Neighbourhood-watch uses green lights on own risk. One of our Neighbourhood-watch patrols was arrested and got a fine of R750 plus the light of R350 was confiscated. He is taking this to court now after lengthy negotiations with the Metro police.

We must ensure our own safety and are requested to join CFP's and be the eyes of the police (because they are mostly blind) but get no help at all from from SAPS, judiciary or the state.

[GarethC]

found the act

http://www.acts.co.za/rt_nrta/index.htm

Those aren't really the right laws to quote, reg 183 is in reference to head lamps, the more applicable law is:

National Road Traffic Act, 1996
National Road Traffic Regulations, 1999
Chapter VI : Fitness of Vehicles
Part II : Equipment on or in respect of vehicles
176. Identification lamps

linky

my interpretation is that civilians aren't supposed to use amber lights. Tow trucks have to. Amber lights are allowed under certain provisos, but generally only when going about certain types of work, and only during the work.

With reference to the comments about green lights, according to the act,

6) A vehicle driven by a person while he or she is engaged in civil protection as contemplated in section 3 of the Civil Protection Act, 1977 (Act No. 67 of 1977), may be fitted with a lamp or lamps emitting an intermittently-flashing green light in any direction.

so your local security firms should be able to use them, assuming they fall under section 3 of the CPA.

[Brawler]

I want some blue ones fitted behind my grill. Will help in traffic

[Raiders]

local security firms should be able to use them

Local security firms does not fall under civil protection.
Green lights are now used only by the Army and Search and Rescue.
Any organazation using green lights have to be registered and approved to use it. (hearsay with the organazation I'm with)

A number of years ago (1980?) Neighborhood-watch patrols was required to be registers with civil protection. By proxy they where allowed to use green lights but that has also fallen away.

My understanding is, Neighborhood-watch patrols may only user amber and white.

Something I've been looking for is the laws around when you may switch on the flashing lights and as some of the lights systems have. When you may switch on the cruising mode.
Still googling this...

[froot]

linky

my interpretation is that civilians aren't supposed to use amber lights. Tow trucks have to. Amber lights are allowed under certain provisos, but generally only when going about certain types of work, and only during the work.

With reference to the comments about green lights, according to the act,



so your local security firms should be able to use them, assuming they fall under section 3 of the CPA.

Refer to this:

Disaster Management Act, 2002
Chapter 8 : Miscellaneous
64. Repeal of Act 67 of 1977


1)
a) The Civil Protection Act, 1977 (Act No. 67 of 1977). to the extent that provisions of that Act have not been assigned to a province, is repealed.
b) Provisions of that Act that were assigned to a province continue to apply in the province until repealed by the provincial legislature.

2) Despite the repeal of provisions of the Civil Protection Act, 1977, section 9 of that Act continues to apply to any death, injury or disablement as described in that section which occurred before the repeal of that section.

So it's been withdrawn as of the implementation of the Disaster Management Act of 2002.

A number of years ago (1980?) Neighborhood-watch patrols was required to be registers with civil protection. By proxy they where allowed to use green lights but that has also fallen away.

My understanding is, Neighborhood-watch patrols may only user amber and white.

Green lights were allocated to Disaster Management but they don't use them. It's used by Community Sector Policing (aka NHW) but it is technically illegal for us to do so, according to Metro, they don't allow us to make use of any lights, in their understanding of the RTA. We just make a habit of not letting them see our lights as I know of several people who have had their lights confiscated or having been fined.