The car's year is 2002

 

All I can say are two things.
First that is very harsh to be brought to court for that offence.?
Secondly,yes it's a very common problem on RHD 206`s.The brake light switch is just a small plastic push in job. As it's located in the passenger side footwell it can be kicked by a passenger's foot and worked loose.All its needs is pushing back into place.

 

I agree sounds very harsh to convict you for it but you say 2 convictions so sounds like something else your not telling us.

No its not a manufacturing problem to be honest as it does not always happen and is mainly caused by passengers with big feet and can usually be fixed by reseating the switch.

Problem is YOU as the driver are responsible for checking the vehicle is roadworthy at all times and if the brake lights were stuck on the vehicle was not safe to drive.

 

Hi guys, thanks for the reply. There was two other charges which I was not convicted on. The judge convicted me on the 2 brake light charges to teach me a lesson I suppose (although he did give me a brake with the other 2 charges).

One conviction for each brake light. Looking at the legislation, I think I should have only been charged once so I am appealing on that. Also it says in the legislation that it would be a good defence to show that the contravention of the law was due to a defect which I dont really understand as that was the problem. Maybe it means that the brake lamps werent never there, but just happened to be temporarily not working.

Anyway, has there ever been any public acknowledgement by Peugeot about this? Am I correct in thinking too that usually the brake light switch is usually behind the steering column and not above the footwell?

Cheers for the replies.

 

That is 1 offence you should have challenged that at the time and could have got away completely.

It really does not matter where the switch is located it's not an argument they are going to accept you are responsible for checking your lights.

 

Ireland is different to many countries in that you can appeal the decision even if you plead guilty. The appeals court wont know you pleaded guilty only that you were found guilty. Its a whole rehashing of the first instance.

The switch is a mechanical part and may simply have failed through fair wear and tear. The car is 14 years old and likely never had the brake switch replaced. Frankly, even thinking of claiming on the grounds of manufacturing defect on a 14 year old part is nonsense. Where I live, if you had been stopped for that reason the car woould have been impounded as it was not roadworthy and therefore you wouldn't be allowed to drive it any further - not even to a repair shop round the corner.

It didnt fail through wear and tear. It failed because it was knocked loose from the passengers feet. I know this because I went to the mechanic and he did not have to replace the part. No problems since and that was a year ago.

I am not claiming that it was the parts fault, I am trying to build a defense and avoid a 100% increase in my insurance for the next 7 years. Brake lights faults are difficult to detect. Since then I check them every now and again when against a wall or car. It was a genuine mistake. I have had no crashes, penalty points, speeding tickets nor failed the NCT (MOT).

 

The switch is a mechanical part and may simply have failed through fair wear and tear. The car is 14 years old and likely never had the brake switch replaced. Frankly, even thinking of claiming on the grounds of manufacturing defect on a 14 year old part is nonsense. Where I live, if you had been stopped for that reason the car woould have been impounded as it was not roadworthy and therefore you wouldn't be allowed to drive it any further - not even to a repair shop round the corner.

 

You didn't mention that it was the switch was out of the bracket until your reply to me. I am not a mind reader so wasn't aware that was the reason. If all the relevant facts are given in the first instance then people wouldn't make incorrect assumptions. The switches do NOT just fall out. It's not a manufacturer defect. The manufacturer covers the switch from below. The manufacturer cannot be blamed for a fault that occurs 14 years after it left the factory. It is still nonsensical to try and use a manufacturing defect as mitigating circumstances on such an old car. Any real manufacturing defect would have been rectified long ago. If the protection for the switch was missing then it isn't reasonable to suggest that is the fault of the manufacturer rather the person who removed or dislodged it.

As for brake light faults being hard to spot - not really. If you use the handbrake at lights or junctions you would be able to see the brake lights on as a car pulls up behind you. Many other ways to check correct operation without an assistant.