Today’s correspondent asks:

… what are the laws with cars being done up and driven on public roads with Christmas lights all over them? I have read your articles regarding red and blue lights on private vehicles of emergency service members, but these lights are not designed to imitate those of police or ambulance.

I have indeed spoken about the use of red/blue lights (and yellow lights) on private vehicles. The vehicle registration standards should be reasonably consistent across the jurisdictions so the answer should not matter (much) on which state or territory you are in. Today’s correspondent is from the Northern Territory so I’ll look at the Australian Vehicle Standards Rules (NT) cl 118 (incorporated into the law by the Motor Vehicles (Standards) Regulations 2003 (NT) r 27).  Clause 118 says (emphasis added):

(2)        A vehicle may be fitted with any light or reflector not mentioned in the Vehicle Standards.(3)        However, unless subrule (4) applies, a vehicle must not display:

(a) a light that flashes; or

(b) a light or reflector that:

(i) shows a red light to the front; or

(ii) shows a white light to the rear…

To the extent that a vehicle is displaying a flashing Christmas light and if from the front one can see a red light, or a white light from the rear, then the vehicle does not meet the Vehicle standards and it would appear the driver commits an offence Motor Vehicles (Standards) Regulations 2003 (NT) r 35 ‘Compliance with Regulations’.

One can imagine that this is not something that would really occupy a police officer’s mind at Christmas but it would give them options if the driver also committed the implied offence of ‘not show proper respect to police’ or ‘acting like a d#?* head in a public place’.

This blog is made possible with generous financial support from the Australasian College of Paramedicine, the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW), Natural Hazards Research Australia, NSW Rural Fire Service Association and the NSW SES Volunteers Association. I am responsible for the content in this post including any errors or omissions. Any opinions expressed are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or understanding of the donors.