Driving & Driving Test Tips: sidelights, low wattage lights, pilot lights

Question
Hello,

I've just got two questions. Could you tell me what the sidelights on a vehicle are and where can I find them?

Cheers
Nella

Answer
Hi Nella,

The sidelights, (or riding lights, marker lights or pilot lights) on a vehicle are the four corner (or more on some vehicles) low wattage lights, usually 5 watts, that mark the outline of a vehicle.

They are white at the front and red at the rear.

Their main purpose is to establish the outline of a vehicle at night and identify which is the front or back.

The original purpose was to establish in which direction a vehicle was travelling, but as one is mostly required to use headlights all the time when driving at night this is of lesser importance than than before, although the rear lights are still vital in this role.

They are also used to draw attention to the presence of a parked vehicle at night.

Regards,

Phil