The illegality of LED lights explained

LED bars fitted on vehicles and the legality thereof recently started receiving a great deal of public attention, Lowvelder reports.

This is after Wynand Labuschagne, traffic law-enforcement deputy director in the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, issued a stern warning.

He said that LED lights which were not factory fitted were not only illegal, but downright dangerous.

“The National Traffic Act does not allow the display of non-factory-fitted LED lights whatsoever, and this is a stern warning that the department will clamp down on motorists who have them fitted. It is strictly against the law,” Labuschagne emphasised.

According to Arrive Alive, all the lights on your vehicle have to be fitted at equal distances from an imaginary central line. To understand where this line sits, picture your vehicle from the front and draw a vertical line through the manufacturer’s badge on the grille. This line, running from the ground vertically through the roof of your vehicle, is the central line.

All your lights have to be fitted at equal distances from this line.

To remain in the clear, LED lights are to be installed at equal distances from the central line and have to be SABS approved.

If your vehicle has been fitted with LED headlights in the factory they would already comply with SABS requirements.

Arrive Alive stated that it is important to keep in mind that there is a set of SABS specifications to comply with when adding additional lights to a vehicle. The best advice would be to check with your local licensing/traffic authority to ensure that your vehicle and its lights are regarded and cleared as being roadworthy.