Blue Light Use (& other colours)

We are often asked where people stand on fitting blue, green or amber lights to their vehicles. Many people find the regulations difficult to read and interpret and are unsure about the use of lights on their vehicles. Because of this, we have put together a summary of the regulations in straightforward English!

Summary of the lighting regulations

General Rules

There is no authority that issues permission to use blue, green or amber lights on your vehicle. You must just follow the law.

Any driver can drive using blue lights without needing any higher qualification that a driving licence. Most services do insist on their drivers undergoing some form of advanced driver training though, and there are moves to establishing a national standard.

While using blue lights, drivers are exempt from a number of motoring regulations, including

• treating a red traffic light as a give way sign
• passing to the wrong side of a keep left bollard
• driving on a motorway hard shoulder (even against the direction of traffic)
• disobeying the speed limit (police, fire and ambulance services only)

However, they are not allowed to

• ignore a 'no entry' sign
• ignore a 'stop' or 'give way' sign
• drive the wrong way down a one-way street
• ignore flashing signs at level crossings or fire stations
• cross a solid white line down the middle of the road*

*except in the same circumstances as everyone else (for instance to pass a stationary vehicle, slow moving cyclist or horse, or a road maintenance vehicle). This can cause problems for emergency drivers when other road users slow to let them pass where road markings indicate no overtaking.

Sometimes emergency vehicles may need to disobey other signs and regulations. This will depend on the professional judgement of the driver.

Lighting Regulations

The following information is a simplification of:

• The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 (1 November 1989)
• The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (21 October 2005) 
• The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2005 (12 December 2005)

Changes Made in 2005

A number of small changes were made to the lighting regulations in 2005. These are shown in the main document below where appropriate, but are summarised here:

• Emergency vehicles no longer have to have a motor (e.g. cycles)

• Anyone can use flashing lights on their cycles (1-4 flashes per second, equal amount of time on and off, usual colours)

• Cycles with lights in the pedals or attached to the wheels are now permitted

• Revenue and Customs are allowed to use blue flashing lights when investigating serious crime. 

• An abnormal load escort vehicle is defined and allowed to use amber flashing lights above 25 mph

• Officially authorised vehicle examiners can drive a vehicle on the road which does not have the correct lighting if it is going to or returning from a test, and they don’t believe the defects are dangerous

An emergency vehicle is classed as a vehicle used:

• for police purposes (but not necessarily a police vehicle, e.g. search and rescue)
• for fire brigade purposes (but not necessarily a fire brigade vehicle)
• for ambulance purposes (but not necessarily an ambulance vehicle, e.g. mountain rescue)
• as an ambulance for moving sick, injured or disabled people
• by a specialist company for fire salvage work
• by the Forestry Commission for fire fighting
• by local councils for fire fighting
• for bomb disposal
• for nuclear accidents
• by the RAF mountain rescue
• by the National Blood Service
• by HM Coastguard
• for mine rescue
• by the RNLI for launching lifeboats
• for moving around human organs
• by Revenue and Customs for serious crime

An abnormal load escort vehicle is classed as:

• A vehicle that is clearly marked so the public know it is for escorting abnormal loads. It must have something written on the front and reflective markings on the sides and back.

In the regulations, lights, reflectors and reflective material are all classed as lights on cars (this means that the public cannot have blue reflective graphics for example).

Any colour light is OK to be on a vehicle if it is covered up or not connected up (excluding blue).

Only emergency vehicles can be fitted with a blue flashing light, or anything that looks like a blue flashing light, whether working or not.

Some of the rules do not apply if the vehicle has just been imported or is about to be exported, or if it is a visiting foreign vehicle.

You can’t have a red light showing at the front except:

• a red and white chequered light on a fire service control vehicle

• a side marker

• a reflector on the wheel of a cycle, motorbike or invalid carriage

• a traffic sign attached to the vehicle

You can only have a steady white light to the front and a steady red light showing to the rear of your vehicle. The exceptions to this are:

BLUE

• flashing from an emergency vehicle

• flashing or constant from a police vehicle

GREEN

• on a doctor’s car

WHITE

• reversing lights

• work lamps

AMBER

• any vehicle’s indicators

• amber pedal reflectors or pedal lights

• reflected from a registration plate

• reflected from a road clearance vehicle

• reflected from a vehicle carrying dangerous substances

• reflected on some old or heavy vehicles

• flashing amber lights on

• a road clearance vehicle

• a bin lorry

• a breakdown vehicle

• a vehicle with a 25 mph top speed

• a vehicle wider than 2.9 metres

• a roadworks vehicle

• an escort vehicle

• a Revenue and Customs vehicle

• a surveying vehicle

• a clamping or tow truck vehicle

• airport vehicles

• any other specially authorised vehicle

ANY COLOUR

• for interior lighting

• for registration plate lighting

• for taxi meter lighting

• for bus route sign lighting

• from a traffic sign attached to a vehicle

• any colour from the reflectors on a wheel of a cycle, motorbike or invalid carriage

ALSO

• white and blue chequered light from a police control vehicle

• white and red chequered light from a fire control vehicle

• white and green chequered light from an ambulance control vehicle

Any flashing warning beacon that rotates must be mounted 1.2 meters above the ground.

You must be able to clearly see one or more flashing warning lights from any 'reasonable' position around the vehicle

There are no restrictions on the size of the beam of light, wattage or intensity.

Each warning light should flash between 1 and 4 times per second and spend an equal amount of time on and off (meaning strobes are not covered).

You can’t have a moving light on a vehicle except for:

• headlamp fine adjustment

• a light which turns with the steering wheels

• pop-up headlights

• indicators on old vehicles

• work lamps

• flashing warning lights

• reflectors on the wheels of cycles, motorbikes or invalid carriages

You can’t have a flashing light except for:

• indicators

• headlights on an emergency vehicle

• flashing lights as described above (on emergency vehicles and vehicles permitted to show other coloured flashing lights)

• a light or sign on a vehicle used for police purposes

• a green light used as an anti-lock braking indicator

• lights on a traffic sign attached to a vehicle

• flashing white lights on the front of a cycle

• flashing red lights on the back of a cycle

All lights should be of British Standard

All lights for normal night driving should be switched on by one switch (including headlights, side markers and rear registration lights).

To use a vehicle that that doesn’t go above 25 mph on a normal dual carriageway you need to fit an amber flashing light. It is OK if you have a very old car or are just crossing the dual carriageway.  

Your front and rear lights (including indicators and rear reflectors) must be visible when all the doors, bonnet, boot or similar are open.

You can’t have objects overhanging your vehicle greatly without fitting extra lights or warning signs to them.

All your lights need to be clean and working. Reflectors just need to work. The exceptions to this are when:

• the light does not need to be seen because you are towing a trailer which has lights
• a light has just stopped working on your current journey
• you have tried everything reasonable to fix it

The only times when you can use your blue flashing light are when you are:

• at the scene of an emergency
• responding to an emergency
• wanting to let people know you are there
• wanting to let people know that there is a hazard on the road

The only times when you can use your amber flashing light are when you are:

• at the scene of an emergency
• wanting to let people know you are there
• at or near an accident or broken-down vehicle
• towing a broken-down vehicle
• escorting a very long or wide vehicle (below 25 mph, unless you are in an abnormal load escort vehicle)
• have special authority

The only times when you can use your green flashing light are when you are:

• using the vehicle for an emergency and have a doctor on board

Further Details

The information on this page is provided in good faith to give an overview of current legislation. Parts remain crown copyright. We cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or misinterpretations that exist. The full legislation on lighting is available to view on the website of the Office of Public Sector Information (formerly HM Stationary Office). Below are the links to the relevant parts of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations:

Index - Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Amendment - Amendment No. 2