Driving lights

[Ronje1]

Thanks Catshark.

I'm trying to get the right balance between technical aspects and "understandability". Don't always achieve that but I'll keep at it.

Just remember the importance of the reflector/s used.

They play a major part in the fast emerging use of LED technology.

[Ronje1]

There is a lot of confusion about what’s “legal” or not “legal” in respect of lighting on vehicles in different states.

The background is this.

The Federal Govt has no constitutional power in respect of certain matters.

However, if a State requests that the Fed Govt writes a law to address a certain matter, then the Feds can and its then adopted by that state alone. It doesn’t apply to states that didn’t request it. However, those other states CAN adopt it (or a modified version to suit their needs) and it then becomes law there as well.

That’s what the States did in respect of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (because the Fed Govt had no jurisdiction on water matters) so it became law in Qld, NSW, Vic and SA which adopted it. Any or all can “un-adopt” (pull out) of such agreement at any time. That’s the “stick” that a recalcitrant state can hold over the others if it doesn’t get its way with the divvy-up on water allocations etc. If one state pulls out of the agreement, then the whole thing collapses.

Similarly with vehicle standards which includes lighting. Once adopted by the states, the Fed Govt then turned them into standards for imported vehicles which it could do under its national import powers.

So there are variations of the basic vehicle standards that apply in different states.

Ditto with traffic rules.

Clear as mud?

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