Visibility

§ 153.4. Requirements.
(a)  Required motor vehicle lighting equipment. Required equipment shall be as follows:
(1)  Except as provided in succeeding subparagraphs, each vehicle shall be equipped with at least the number of lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment specified in Tables I and III of Appendix A, as applicable. Required equipment shall be designed to conform to the SAE Standards or Recommended Practices referenced in those tables. Table I of Appendix A shall apply to multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, trailers, and buses, 80 or more inches in overall width. Table III of Appendix A shall apply to passenger cars and motorcycles and to multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, trailers, and buses, less than 80 inches in overall width.
(i)   A truck tractor need not be equipped with turn signal lamps mounted on the rear if the turn signal lamps at or near the front are so constructed, double-faced and so located that they meet the requirements for double-faced turn signals specified in SAE Standard J588e, ‘‘Turn Signal Lamps,’’ September 1970.
(ii)   A truck tractor need not be equipped with any rear side marker devices, rear clearance lamps, and rear identification lamps.
(iii)   Intermediate side marker devices shall not be required on vehicles less than 30 feet in overall length.
(iv)   Reflective material conforming to Federal Specification L-S-300, ‘‘Sheeting and Tape, Reflective; Nonexposed Lens, Adhesive Backing,’’ September 7, 1965, may be used for side reflex reflectors if this material, as used on the vehicle, meets the performance standards in Table I of SAE Standard J594d, ‘‘Reflex Reflectors,’’ March 1967.
(v)   The turn signal operating unit on each passenger car, and multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, and bus less than 80 inches in overall width manufactured on or after January 1, 1973, shall be self-cancelling by steering wheel rotation and capable of cancellation by a manually operated control.
(vi)   Each stop lamp on any motor vehicle manufactured between January 1, 1973, and September 1, 1978, may be designed to conform to SAE Standard J586b, ‘‘Stop Lamps,’’ June 1966. It shall meet the photometric minimum candlepower requirements for class A red turn signal lamps specified in SAE Standard J575d, ‘‘Test for Motor Vehicle Lighting Devices and Components,’’ August 1967. Each such lamp on a passenger car and on a multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, trailer, or bus less than 80 inches in overall width shall have an effective projected luminous area not less than 3 1/2 square inches. If multiple compartment lamps or multiple lamps are used, the effective projected luminous area of each compartment or lamp shall be not less than 3 1/2 square inches; however, the photometric requirements may be met by a combination of compartments or lamps.
(vii)   Each turn signal lamp on any motor vehicle, except motorcycles, manufactured between January 1, 1972, and September 1, 1978, may be designed to conform to SAE Standard J588d, ‘‘Turn Signal Lamps,’’ June 1966, and shall meet the photometric minimum candlepower requirements for Class A turn signal lamps specified in SAE Standard J575d, ‘‘Tests for Motor Vehicle Lighting Devices and Components,’’ August 1967. Each such lamp on a passenger car and on a multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, trailer or bus less than 80 inches in overall width shall have an effective projected luminous area not less than 3 1/2 square inches. If multiple compartment lamps or multiple lamps are used, the effective projected luminous area of each compartment or lamp shall be not less than 3 1/2 square inches; however, the photometric requirements may be met by a combination of compartments or lamps. Each such lamp on a multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, trailer or bus 80 inches or more in overall width shall have an effective projected luminous area not less than 12 square inches.
(viii)   For each passenger car, and each multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, trailer, and bus of less than 80 inches in overall width the photometric minimum candlepower requirements for side marker lamps specified in SAE Standard J592e ‘‘Clearance, Side Marker, and Identification Lamps,’’ July 1972, may be met for all inboard test points at a distance of 15 feet from the vehicle and on a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and located midway between the front and rear side marker lamps.
(ix)   Boat trailers need not be equipped with both front and rear clearance lamps provided an amber, to front, and red, to rear, clearance lamp is located at or near the midpoint on each side of the trailer so as to indicate its extreme width.
(x)   Multiple license plate lamps and backup lamps may be used to fulfill the requirements of the SAE Standards applicable to such lamps referenced in Appendixes A and C of this chapter.
(xi)   A parking lamp shall not be required to meet the minimum photometric values at each test point specified in Table I of SAE Standard J222. ‘‘Parking Lamps (Position Lamps),’’ if the sum of the candlepower measured at the test points within the groups listed in Figure 1 of this section is not less than the sum of the candlepower values for such test points specified in J222.
(xii)   A tail lamp, stop lamp, or turn signal lamp shall not be required to meet the minimum photometric values at each test point specified in the referenced SAE Standards, if the sum of the candlepower measured at the test points is not less than that specified for each group listed in Figure 1 of this section, or for motorcycle turn signal lamps, not less than 1/2 of such sum.

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