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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that all people that put blue lights on their cars should have the book thrown at them

21 replies

Ilovemyself · 26/08/2013 23:02

Driving home tonight I saw blue lights in my mirror. Getting ready for an emergency vehicle to pass what came by - a saxo.

It is a legal requirement to only show white light to the front and red to the rear ( and amber for indicators both ways) but it seems to be that the number of vehicles with blue lights that are not emergency vehicles are growing all the time.

AIBU to get annoyed with them every time I see them?

OP posts:

FuzzyWuzzywasaWoman · 26/08/2013 23:15

Where was the blue light from? Top of car, underneath...? The reason I ask is my friend is an emergency worker who uses their own car for on calls from home, and has to apply a portable type blue light to the top of their car to get to accidents etc. Could it be this type of thing?

ConfusedPixie · 26/08/2013 23:29

YANBU, I've seen this on headlights, and other colours (green once, but only once!) It's ridiculous, not that difficult to stick to white!

nennypops · 27/08/2013 00:53

YABU. The fact that the light was on a normal car doesn't prevent it from being an emergency vehicle. Doctors etc use portable blue lights on their own cars when driving to emergencies.

NoComet · 27/08/2013 00:58

I think it's a certain kind of modern headlight bulbs that flash blue coming over hills behind you.

I hate them too, they can look very like police cars. Especially as we have unmarked police cars around here with low down concealed lights.

Cheerymum · 27/08/2013 01:05

Prob an emergency worker in their own car. Have to have good reason (ie on way to genuine emergency, eg senior surgeon on call from home heading to hospital to deal with stab wound victim) and to have passed an advanced driving test AFAIK.

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/08/2013 01:06

Yep, was it a stupid, I hate them new type front light, a mod for someone's car (I've seen one with blue lights under the car) or a private car or plain clothes car? Failing that, yes only emergency vehicles should have blues and twos.

DanicaJones · 27/08/2013 01:09

Blue lights on the top is a doctor on call

Weegiemum · 27/08/2013 01:28

Doctor on call is a green light.

My dh is a GP, he has a green light, is only allowed to use it in life-threatening situations and it is for info only - he can't break the speed limit.

Use is rare - he's been a qualified GP since 1999 and honestly he's never used it!

DanicaJones · 27/08/2013 01:43

Is it? What is a blue light on top of the car? I'm sure I've seen that. Or maybe I'm mistaking green for blue as I don't remember seeing a green light. Will check more closely next time.

DanicaJones · 27/08/2013 01:51

Just looked it up and i think what i've seen (blue flashing light on top of unmarked car) is an unmarked police car. Pretty sure it was blue not green. Always assumed it was a doctor rushing to get to a patient!

ConfusedPixie · 27/08/2013 07:13

W have lots of undercover police around here, there is a noticeable difference in their lights and coloured headlights. I assumed op was on about headlights as she says about the legal requirement of headlights.

MrsLouisTheroux · 27/08/2013 07:24

Lots of unmarked cars here too with flashing blue on top. They're fast cars though (seen often on motorway).
Never seen a Saxo with one on OP! Not so good for a chase!!

SoupDragon · 27/08/2013 07:27

IME there is a huge difference between an undercover police car and decorative blue lights. The police ones near me are installed under the grill and flash left/right alternately. Decorative ones, or headlights, are static.

PoppyWearer · 27/08/2013 07:39

I saw a motorcade of 5-6 unmarked blue-lighted cars last week, accompanying (presumably) a VIP of some kind at speed down the motorway and the cars varied from a huge pick-up truck to a tiny hatchback, and I'm sure there was an MPV in there too. All clearly official unmarked police cars.

So, you never know!

I wonder if the police drivers draw straws at the start of the day? "Oh bollocks, I've got the Saxo again!"

Italian police cars are cooler...

MrsLouisTheroux · 27/08/2013 07:41

Real unmarked car
I don't think that they are an 'add on' any more (they don't put them on the dashboard for exam

MrsLouisTheroux · 27/08/2013 07:41

Ple) they are a part of the car!
Sorry pressed post!

MrsLouisTheroux · 27/08/2013 07:42

Link doesn't work either! I give up!

ImATotJeSuisUneTot · 27/08/2013 07:42

The OP isn't talking about an additional flashing light on top of the car though, signifying an emergency.

She's talking about headlights that are blue - as in the light bulbs inside have been changed, signifying a boy racer.

Original poster

Ilovemyself · 27/08/2013 08:17

Nennypops it was obviously not a doctor on call ( although that would have been green anyway)

It is the decorative lights I m on about. This one had 2 in the grill and 2 lighting up the windscreen washers!

They may not flash but when you get a glimpse of them in the mirror sometimes they can look like they are flashing.

A saxo full of what looks like pre pubescent teens in makes me think it wasn't an emergency vehicle.

The real point is its illegal yet nothing ever seems to be done about it.

OP posts:

DanicaJones · 27/08/2013 11:34

Oh, never seen that.

Mumsyblouse · 27/08/2013 11:39

I completely agree with you, I have been moaning about this for some time. Lorries on the roads often have decorative blue lights. I have exactly the same reaction as you to catching a glimpse of a blue light in my mirror- need to pull in- and you can't always see straight away if they are static/revolving as you are too busy trying to find a safe place to stop.

There is no excuse for blue lights and no need for them and I think lorry drivers/manufacturers which make bluish lights/stupid people who add lights to their cars should all be pulled over and given a warning, then fined. It's dangerous to have them on the roads.

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