In most automobiles, you activate your hazard warning lights by urgent a button that’s often situated in the course of the dashboard. This button ought to have a pink triangle on it.

What Do Hazard Lights Do?

If you press that button, all 4 indicators, back and front, will flash on the identical time. Once they flash, they’ll flash the identical color as your indicators – orange or amber. That is the usual color for warning lights on UK roads, versus pink and blue lights, that are reserved for emergency automobiles.

How one can Inform Your Hazard Lights Are On

If you activate your hazard warning lights, your indicators on the within will flash too – these little inexperienced arrows. You’ll additionally hear the usual clicking sound that you just hear when indicating.

When Are You Allowed to Use Your Hazard Warning Lights?

It is best to solely use your hazard warning lights when your automobile presents a possible hazard to different highway customers – or while you’re alerting different highway customers to a different automobile that can’t use its personal hazard warning lights.

So listed below are some conditions when you could use your hazard warning lights:

• You’ve stopped in a spot that obstructs the trail of different automobiles or pedestrians. This is perhaps since you’ve damaged down, or since you’ve needed to pull over to let an emergency automobile move.
• You’re shifting slowly and obstructing different highway customers. This would possibly occur while you’re driving a automobile that’s legally entitled to be on the highway, however it’s not able to maintaining with the site visitors movement, comparable to a tractor.
• You’ve stopped in an emergency stopping lane on a motorway or twin carriageway. On this case, your hazard warning lights will let emergency companies know that you just need assistance.
• You’re driving slowly in poor climate situations, comparable to fog. On this case, your hazard warning lights will make you extra seen to different highway customers.

Some specialist automobiles may additionally make use of hazard warning lights in sure conditions. For instance, an ice cream van might flash its hazard warning lights when it’s stopped to promote ice cream. Most faculty buses have hazard warning lights that flash routinely once they cease to drop off or choose up kids.

However in any case, it’s vital to keep in mind that while you’re utilizing your hazard warning lights, your indicators will now not work. For those who’re utilizing them and also you’re nonetheless capable of transfer, you’ll need to disable your hazard warning lights earlier than you make a flip.

When Ought to You Not Use Your Hazard Warning Lights?

Say you’ll want to make a fast cease to select one thing up from a store, or to drop off passengers. You may’t discover a parking area and also you’ll solely be stopping for a couple of minutes, or possibly even just some seconds. So that you is perhaps tempted to rapidly pull over – on a yellow zigzag, maybe, or on double yellow strains. Nonetheless, hazard warning lights don’t override parking legal guidelines.

For those who’re caught utilizing them on this method – even when it’s only for just a few moments – then on the very least you’ll obtain a parking wonderful and you might also get factors in your licence.

Hazard warning lights are additionally no substitute for headlights. They’re there to alert different drivers to your presence, however they’re not for use when travelling via darkness with out headlights. In case your headlights aren’t working, then you definately shouldn’t be travelling after darkish in any respect!

Lastly, you shouldn’t use your hazard warning lights while you’re selecting to drive slowly, comparable to while you’re misplaced and looking for your method. On this case, it’s greatest to tug over and get your bearings, somewhat than inconveniencing different highway customers via driving at a crawl.

Would You Know What To Do in a Breakdown?

To sum up, it is best to solely use your hazard warning lights when your automobile’s presenting a hazard to different automobiles.

You’re most probably to make use of your hazard warning lights when your automotive breaks down. It will alert different drivers to your presence whereas letting the emergency companies know that you just want help.

Breakdowns can occur to any driver, so it’s vital to be ready. We provide breakdown cowl as an elective additional while you buy your complete automotive insurance coverage coverage. Get in contact for a free quote on-line.