Headlight lens stickers for driving LHD car in UK?

[Pickles]

[quote user="Ron-sur-Marne"]ECE regulations for lighting have been modified, so that current cars have a "flat top" beam, with no difference between left and right drive vehicles.

The date at which different vehicle manufacturers applied this varies, but I do know that my 2007 (07 reg) Vectra has flat top beams.

If you have half a day to spare, Google UNECE regulation 112.... I think the date of proposal of modification was 2004, but I can't find the date of application - which would vary from country anyway.

I don't suppose that the UK ferry/port scammers who like to sell you "deflectors" will not like to make this information too well known.[/quote]

I'm not sure which document you've been looking at, but from what I can see, the following seems to be the case:

The ECE regs simply specify such things as basic requirements, testing and marking systems for approved components and systems which, if they have been followed in one contracting state, mean that the vehicle concerned has to be accepted by any other contracting state.

Regulation 112 specifically allows for asymmetric passing beams which may EITHER be designed for driving on the left OR driving on the right OR both.

Regulation 113 covers symmetric passing beams.

So from what I can see, new cars can still have beam patterns specifically for driving on the left (or right, as the case may be). Certainly my 2010-reg car (model introduced in 2007) does not normally have a flat-topped beam - though mine doesn't have HID lights.

[sid]

[quote user="idun"]Sid, I drove for about 15 years on yellow headlamps and was not blinded by on coming traffic and could see perfectly well. What I am wondering is why you are implying that you couldn't, and then I got to thinking that  maybe you didn't, as you may never have driven a french car  at all or very much, and you would simply be seeing it from a white head lamp driver point of view.

And France's accident/death statistics are far far better than they were, probably because people have been forced into respecting the speed limits. Bad drivers are everywhere I'm afraid.

[/quote]

Idun

My first opportunity to reply as I've been away. I've driven over here in France since 1981 off and on, and driven in UK since 1964, so I can speak from experience. France was the only country to have this ridiculous yellow light rule; if it had been of any benefit whatsoever it would have been adopted by other countries, but instead it's been abandoned (thank goodness). It DID NOT work. The reason that you weren't dazzled by oncoming lights is that the light output was reduced by the yellow filter effect. The feeble beam projected by a yellow lamp does not throw as far and you cannot see as far down the road; France has a far higher number of unlit roads than UK.

The accident statistics here have improved despite, the higher performance (speed) of the vehicles, simply because of great technical improvements such as anti-lock brakes, air-bags, crumple-zones and better headlamps! Not forgetting tyre technology of course.

I don't understand why there is any need to continually harp back to how you used to do things years ago; we're talking about today's conditions here, and what the OP needs to do to stay within the law.