high stop brake light

[lance4k]

has your car got a high stop brake light on the rear window? i heard of some driving instructors not letting u do a practical driving test in a car with no high stop brake light on the rear window.

[SurferJoe46]

They have been mandatory in new cars for a good number of years and I suppose there should be NO way to penalize you for driving an older vehicle without one.

We call the a "cyclops" light here.

If you happen to arrive for your driving test in a Ford Model T, would they make you electrify the headlamps and install a second taillamp too?

[wratterus]

:eek:

Now wheres the law about that. I'm sure older cars will pass warrants without a high tail light. If the car has one, it needs to be working, but if there isn't one installed I don't think it's a problem.

[wainuitech]

There was actually a article on the latest FairGo about that - the car had a new warrant, all legal, but the person was refused her driving test because the Car never had a high Stop Light.

It had not been removed - simply the make of car doesn't come out with them.

[PaulD]

There was actually a article on the latest FairGo about that - the car had a new warrant, all legal, but the person was refused her driving test because the Car never had a high Stop Light.

It had not been removed - simply the make of car doesn't come out with them.

If a passenger car (class MA) was first registered in NZ after 1/1/1990 it has to have one fitted.

[SurferJoe46]

Concerning the legal requirements for them:

In North America since 1986, in Australia and New Zealand since 1990, and in Europe since 1998, a central brake lamp, mounted higher than the vehicle's left and right brake lamps and called a Centre High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL), is also required. The CHMSL (pronounced /ˈtʃɪmzəl/) is also sometimes referred to as the centre brake lamp, the 3rd brake Lamp, the eye-level brake lamp, the safety brake lamp, or the high-level brake lamp. The CHMSL may produce light by means of a single central filament bulb, a row or cluster of filament bulbs or LEDs, or a strip of Neon tube.

Rationale

The stop lamps on vehicles are traditionally placed in the same housing as the tail lights and turn signals. The CHMSL provides a deceleration warning to following drivers, whose view of the braking vehicle's regular stop lamps is blocked by interceding vehicles. It also helps to disambiguate brake vs. turn signal messages in North America, where red rear turn signals identical in appearance to brake lamps are permitted. The CHMSL is required to illuminate steadily; it is not permitted to flash except in certain cases under severe braking.

In traffic situations where vehicles in front have rear glass that isn't tinted, the CHMSL from the vehicle two or more cars ahead, in many cases, can be seen by vehicles following, allowing following drivers to anticipate traffic conditions without having to rely on the vehicle directly in front.

Placement

On passenger cars, the CHMSL may be placed above the back glass, affixed to the vehicle's interior just inside the back glass, or it may be integrated into the vehicle's deck lid or into a spoiler. Other specialised fitments are sometimes seen; the Land Rover Freelander has the CHMSL on a stalk fixed to the spare wheel carrier. Trucks, vans and commercial vehicles sometimes have the CHMSL mounted to the trailing edge of the vehicle's roof. The CHMSL is required by regulations worldwide to be centred laterally on the vehicle, though ECE R48 permits lateral offset of up to 15 cm if the vehicle's lateral centre is not coincident with a fixed body panel, but instead separates movable components such as doors. The Renault Master van, for example, uses a laterally offset CHMSL for this reason. The height of the CHMSL is also regulated, in absolute terms and with respect to the mounting height of the vehicle's conventional left and right brake lamps. Depending on the left and right lamps' height, the CHMSL isn't always mounted relatively very high; its lower edge may be just above the left and right lamps' upper edge.

If youse guys notice the mis-spelling of words with the extra "u" or out of order "re" v "er" placements, then you know this is from a non-US site.

[SurferJoe46]

I don't see any necessity or requirements for retrofitting them.

If so, it's discriminatory and harassment to cause someone to be financially encumbered with that sort of "ex-post-facto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_post_facto_law)" law.

[wainuitech]

If a passenger car (class MA) was first registered in NZ after 1/1/1990 it has to have one fitted.
The article Did say what year the car was, and I think it was pre 1990, anyway it passed a warrant, and if the cars get a warrant, then what right has the people taking the driving tests to say its not legal ?

[PaulD]

The person doing the testing may have a better idea than the mechanic what the requirements are. The fact that it got a warrant won't stop the tester having a look at the tyres etc before getting into the car.

[wainuitech]

If that's the case then whats the point in having a warrant ?

If there was a obvious fault with the car then yes I agree, other wise next thing you know they will be wanting to give cars warrants on the spot before taking anyone for tests.

Some of the so called modern cars that the little dicks have, and that's because they are so lacking in other ways, - boy racers shouldn't be on the road, they are damn dangerous, saw one the other day, showing off - wasn't so smug when he lost it straight into the side of the crash barrier on the wainui Hill, smashed all down one side and kept going, broken mirrors, at least one side window, BOOF!. dick head.:lol: serves him right.

I was actually speaking to one of the local garages last time I got my warrant - we were talking about the cars - and as he pointed out - LOTS of them are not legal, and he would fail them if they ever came into his garage.

The instructor was just power crazy, desk jockey wannabe, - simple as that.

I know lots of people that have warrants,with older cars and they are not required to have a high mounted light, my brother - has a car that he done up over time, its from the 60's and I can tell you now - no high mounted lights.

[PaulD]

If that's the case then whats the point in having a warrant ?

I was actually speaking to one of the local garages last time I got my warrant - we were talking about the cars - and as he pointed out - LOTS of them are not legal, and he would fail them if they ever came into his garage.

The instructor was just power crazy, desk jockey wannabe, - simple as that.

I know lots of people that have warrants,with older cars and they are not required to have a high mounted light, my brother - has a car that he done up over time, its from the 60's and I can tell you now - no high mounted lights.

A warrant just shows that on the day it was tested the car passed. As a local ex-mechanic says many of the cars he saw had different exhausts and wheels on them when they came in for a warrant.

I agree on the instructor's attitude but the Starlet looked at least 1989. As for your older cars, as stated before it was only cars 1st reg after 1990 that had to have a high stop light although if one was added to an older car it has to work.

[Arnie]

I had the impression that the car had one fitted but it was not working. It's the old story if anything is fitted to vehicle that is part of the warrent system (in this case a light) it must be in working condition. I had a ute with one that did not work, easy fixed ripped it out then & there and got the warrant.:horrified

[dolby digital]

The instructor was just power crazy, desk jockey wannabe, - simple as that.


Things are never that simple. Do you know all the facts? If he was being overhanded, then they should complain about him. Having said that high stops are a good safety feature... and both our cars have them.

[Sick Puppy]

From memory Paul D is right- cars registered after a certain time must have some form of high/third stop light, and a lot of the newer models have this prefitted- mine is in my boot spoiler.

Older ones registered in NZ before this date don't have to have one, the kicker being the date registered in NZ- a friend's old 1986 Corolla had once retrofitted as it was imported after the date the stop light rules came into force. If you was to import an american 60's car now, it would require a high/ third stop light be fitted...

[zqwerty]

There are plenty of power tripping little hitlers in every menial bureaucratic job just waiting to vent their spleen and impotent fury at their supposed failure in life by giving users of the services they control a hard time, happened to me the other day whilst trying to make an appointment.

[gary67]

When I took my test in England nobody ever used there own car for a test as it had to be fully warranted on that day it was and is easier to use a driving school car then the examiners don't even have to look it over, but then we never had the restricted licence scheme we just had to wait until 17 to get a learners

[paulw]

Unfortunatly here in NZ from what I have seen many driving testers have their own ideas what is rght and what is wrong. One will fail you for one thing and the next guy says it's fine.

Joe. Regarding rear tail lites in the US. Do you alllow those idiots in Europeans cars to drive around in clear air at nite with their brighter than a stop lite rear fog lites turned on. It's not legal here but I've never seen a cop pull one up ..

[wainuitech]

Things are never that simple. Do you know all the facts? If he was being overhanded, then they should complain about him. Having said that high stops are a good safety feature... and both our cars have them. I cant remember the whole story on Fairgo, But I do remember them asking the licencing people concerned, the car was legal and they got a Political style answer- Paulw's comment can compare as being right
Unfortunately here in NZ from what I have seen many driving testers have their own ideas what is right and what is wrong. One will fail you for one thing and the next guy says it's fine. Esp in the end after Fairgo got involved then they said the lady they had failed could then take the test - same car.

[PaulD]

Esp in the end after Fairgo got involved then they said the lady they had failed could then take the test - same car.

Unless the online version of that segment has been edited the only comment was that the woman would get the retest fee refunded and Kevin Milne's closing remark was something like "and make sure your car is up to scratch".
There was nothing other than the fact that a warrant had been issued and pictures of a Toyota Starlet that looked very late 80s to early 90s.