Lights and visibility: what the law and the official guidance say.

How to read the Highway Code

The Highway Code's own introduction (GOV.UK, last updated 22 October 2025) says rules worded MUST or MUST NOT are legal requirements, and breaking them is a criminal offence; each such rule cites the law behind it. Rules worded "should" or "do" are advisory. They are not offences in themselves, but the Code can be used in evidence in proceedings under the Traffic Acts to help establish liability. The two rules below are of different kinds, and the difference matters.

Great Britain: Rule 60 (a legal requirement)

Highway Code Rule 60 for Great Britain (page updated 22 October 2025) says that at night a cycle must have:

• a white front light, lit;
• a red rear light, lit;
• a red rear reflector;
• amber pedal reflectors, if the cycle was made after 1 October 1985.

The law it cites is the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (RVLR), regulations 13, 18 and 24. Rule 60 also says white front reflectors and spoke reflectors help riders be seen, and that flashing lights are permitted, though it recommends a steady front lamp where there is no street lighting. Those parts are advice, not requirements.

Northern Ireland: the same rule, different dates

The Northern Ireland Highway Code's Rule 60, which applies between sunset and sunrise, requires amber pedal reflectors on cycles made after 24 January 1996, not 1 October 1985, and cites RVLR regulations 13, 15, 21 and 27 rather than 13, 18 and 24. The two texts are not in conflict: each is the rule for its own jurisdiction.

Rule 59: clothing and being seen (guidance)

Highway Code Rule 59 is advisory. It suggests light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and poor light, and reflective clothing or accessories, such as a belt or arm or ankle bands, in the dark. It also advises against clothes that could catch in the chain or wheel or hide the lights. Rule 59 is also where the Code advises wearing a helmet; that too is guidance, not law. More on clothing rules is on the clothing page.

United States: reflectors on new bicycles (16 CFR Part 1512)

In the US, the federal rule is about bicycles as sold. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's bicycle regulation, 16 CFR Part 1512, covers assembly, braking, protrusions, structural integrity and reflectors, among other things. Under it, bicycles other than sidewalk bicycles generally need:

The CPSC exempts certain competition track bicycles and one-of-a-kind custom bicycles built from non-stock parts. Its guidance also says Part 1512 covers two- or three-wheeled vehicles with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of under 750 watts whose top speed on the motor alone is under 20 mph, which matches the federal definition of a low-speed electric bicycle in 15 U.S.C. 2085.

Lights for riding at night in the US

Part 1512 sets reflector requirements on bicycles when they are sold. Rules on lights for riding at night are set by each US state, and we did not collect state laws, so none are given here. The road rules for cyclists page covers what official US pages say about riding.

What this page does not cover

Lighting laws elsewhere, such as Germany's vehicle construction rules, were not collected, so this page makes no statement about them. It also gives no advice on how to ride in traffic or in the dark; that is learned from a qualified cycle training instructor. The learning to ride page lists national training schemes.