Street parking at night

[gene]

Any one recall when a car parked on a street during the hours of darkness, of course the car lights weren't left on but were replaced by a light that sort if half hung out of (supposed closed) window that was nearest the centre of the road. The device was plugged into the 'cig lighter' (another long gone aperture I suppose). I saw it in the 60's but how long did this inane regulation go on ?

 

Still in use in mid 70s as I recall our neighbour getting charged with not having his on and it was parked on a side road not a main road.

[stpetre]

Still in use in mid 70s as I recall our neighbour getting charged with not having his on and it was parked on a side road not a main road.

 

The 'Bobbies' din't mess abart or miss a trick back then.

[bazza63]

I remember these once in the 60s was fined for not having parking light

[old tup]

I had one specially wired in my VW 1964 beetle,it was a real pain in the bum if it wasn,t the connection it was the bulb playing up!.Several times there was a knock on the girl friends house door from the police telling me to switch it on,also if your battery wasn,t up to scratch it would flatten it pretty quick!.Later model VWs after you switched off the ignition you left the indicator set to right turn switching on offside front and rear parking lights!.

[Elmambo]

I believe that previous legislation specified all four lights had to be left on at night, this was modified to allow a single light as cars became more common. You have to remember the times; gas lamps and single bulb electric lamps and the the custom then was to drive on side lights only in built-up areas - remember the "dim dip" campaign. As the powerful yellow sodium lamps became common parking lights became irrelevant. I had a posh one with a photo cell that turned it off during daylight hours.

[echo beach]

'Up-market one', they still have them and what did they plug into ?

 

Mine had a twin pin plug which connected to a matching ancillary socket that had been added and fastened under the dash board.

 

Another factor in the demise of the parking light is that nowadays most vehicles have reflective number plates which make them more visible after dark.

 

echo.

[old tup]

Another hazard in those days were skips parked in the street,you would see them with an old fashioned oil street works lamp lit and hung on the back!.I remember seeing a car that had drove into the back of one at full speed,it was a write off!.That must have been a nasty shock,the skip had a lamp on but it had gone out,like previous posters have said the old street gas lights were not very good!.

[euclid]

On the old Fords..Cortina/Capri etc if the indicator lever was put down/up with the sidelights on, only one side would operate for parking lights...What everyone seems to forget it was/is illegal to park on the wrong side of the road at night...facing the wrong way...This is what reflectors are on the back for..so it can be seen at night in the headlights of vehicles...not sure if it is still the case????????

[Fiat500]

A few years ago whilst on an evening class most of the group got warnings for parking on the road in the wrong direction. The majority said they didn't know it was an offence. It is in the highway code book. It also says to display parking lights on roads over 30mph. I thought all cars had parking lights. Mine are built into the indicators. When parking I turn the indicator on and switch engine off the warning light is then on.

[euclid]

A few years ago whilst on an evening class most of the group got warnings for parking on the road in the wrong direction. The majority said they didn't know it was an offence. It is in the highway code book. .

I often wondered what would happen if a vehicle ran into another that was parked facing the wrong way in bad weather/night time/fog etc..could the insurance company avoid paying out to the person who had parked the car illegally???