Parking lights?

jsmoke · 22 Aug 2020 at 13:52

Call me an idiot but I've driven for years yet know nothing about parking lights. Apparently they should be on if parked on a road with speed limit over 30mph or layby.

I don't think I've ever seen parking lights on on a parked car, what the story?

builder22 · 22 Aug 2020 at 14:20

hmm..that appears to be the case, I think when it means on open/country type roads tho - I don't think anyone is going to bother on a 40mph town/city type road where it's not unusual for cars to be parked

do you still get cars that will leave only the right or left tail light on if you have the ignition off but the left or right indicator left on?

Nasher · 22 Aug 2020 at 14:21

I think I've seen one person use them in the whole time I've been driving.

HoneyBadger · 22 Aug 2020 at 14:50

My old 1998 Mondeo Ghia X had a parking light and I used it once...

koooowweeee · 22 Aug 2020 at 16:09

Nasher said:
I think I've seen one person use them in the whole time I've been driving.

This.

No one bothers.

DXP55 · 22 Aug 2020 at 16:30

I can remember when you had to have a light and I had one of those that slot on your door window -red to back white to the front -plug into the ciggy lighter - I have also used a ciggy lighter as well but packed it up in 1972

rpmmatt · 22 Aug 2020 at 19:50

Yes. Its a rule almost never enforced, however, it's the reason you'll often see an HGV in a layby with little battery powered bike type lights stuck on the rear quarter. The one rule half the country fall foul of is parking against the flow of traffic at night. I.e. so cars approaching will illuminate the built in reflectors on the back of your car. If not parked with the flow you must use parking lights. Also why tailers must display triangular reflectors, so you can tell it's a trailer.
Not sure which vehicles even have parking lights anymore. I know most BMW's I ever owned and Vauxhall's (Opel) would normally turn the lights on the side of the car to which the indicator stalk was moved past its usuall detent. I wonder if the Germans have a similar rule and actually enforce it?
Councils could make a fortune should they ever decide to start fining people for it. Hope they never think of it.

ron3003 · 22 Aug 2020 at 20:36

I've actually had a fine for this back in the eighties. Doing some friend of a friend a favour we delivered this old couple an electric organ to their basement flat, I was literally there five minutes and when leaving was confronted with two cops writing me a ticket for parking the transit without lights on a 40mph limit main road. I'd never heard of this offence and despite there being other vehicles parked exactly the same as me but the cops only ticketed me.
Sometime later I discovered that the address was part of a terrace known to be the hangout of some less than savoury characters and I believe the police thought I was actually something to do with the address and thought they'd dish me out a bit of aggro.

BinnsY · 22 Aug 2020 at 21:25

HoneyBadger said:
My old 1998 Mondeo Ghia X had a parking light and I used it once...

I have a 2016 mondeo and you will be glad to know it's still a feature! I've used it once.

Mucky_Pup · 22 Aug 2020 at 21:27

Think my Focus has a switch position for parking lights, never used them.

Finglonga · 23 Aug 2020 at 09:09

builder22 said:
do you still get cars that will leave only the right or left tail light on if you have the ignition off but the left or right indicator left on?

All cars have it, I use mine a fair bit if first in a line of cars.

Terminal_Boy · 23 Aug 2020 at 09:17

For use on unlit roads with a speed limit higher than 30mph, I seem to remember.

Never seen them used and only switched them on by accident myself.

Doubt it’s been policed since the county police forces lost dedicated traffic units.

HoneyBadger · 23 Aug 2020 at 09:45

This post made me check my manual and my car has parking lights! Seems like you need a PHD to enable them but they have it. Cool! A feature I’ll probably never use!

jsmoke · 23 Aug 2020 at 09:50

HoneyBadger said:
This post made me check my manual and my car has parking lights! Seems like you need a PHD to enable them but they have it. Cool! A feature I’ll probably never use!

For a lot of cars you just activate the indicator one way or the other.

Akagi · 23 Aug 2020 at 09:53

I used them once. I can't remember why. But I remember thinking it was novel to actually use them.

Most cars I've owned have parking lights which are activated by leaving the indicator stalk one way or t'other with the key out. No idea if newer cars still do but it doesn't seem like a feature that is worth removing.

I think they are used more commonly in other European countries, such as Germany.

HoneyBadger · 23 Aug 2020 at 10:28

jsmoke said:
For a lot of cars you just activate the indicator one way or the other.

Yeah. On mine, you have to put the lights on manual, remove the key then turn the sidelights on, off and on again and lock the car!

OspreyO · 23 Aug 2020 at 11:02

Any VW I've owned, if you left the indicator on when you turn off its becomes a parking light on that side.

sovietspybob · 23 Aug 2020 at 11:23

Yeah i remember my old Subaru having a big switch on top of the steering column and you put the indicator to either side. I didn't know any modern cars have that feature but i haven't ever looked for it, i assumed it wasn't in force any longer but sounds like it is.

BinnsY · 23 Aug 2020 at 20:27

Finglonga said:
All cars have it, I use mine a fair bit if first in a line of cars.

I'm not sure that this is the case. Whilst I accept I might have missed it, out of my 96 Corsa, 2001 Yaris, 2001 Astra, 2002 MX5, 2010 Octavia, and 2016 Mondeo, its only the Octavia and Mondeo that had parking lights to the best of my knowledge. I don't think my other halves 2009 Civic has them either.