Vehicle Lights and Their Functionalities

Vehicle Lights and Their Functionalities

New owner of a car? Have you noticed those red, amber, small and big lights? What are those and what do they do? Let's chat about these lights that shine bright.

You must have noticed many different lights in a vehicle located in different parts of it. Some names are, side marker lights, parking lights, turn signal lights, bumper lights, tail lights, corner lights, repeater lights, and reflectors. But what are those? And what are their functions and differences? Let’s have a look.

Side Marker lights Side marker lights are similar to parking lights. The key difference is that they are mounted on the side of the vehicle. Front side marker lights are located at the front wheel, rear ones behind the rear wheel on the side of the body. Side marker lights can sometimes be attached to a bumper, fender, or at the rear panel depending on the type of vehicle. They sometimes glow with the headlights, sometimes blink with the blinkers, and sometimes do both. The side marker light consists of either LED bulbs or regular bulbs. These lights either blink during you take direction or lit up when the headlights turn on.

Parking lights Parking lights can be found at the front of the vehicle. You can mount them in the front bumper or the grille. The lights flash brightly when you switch them on. They can also turn on with the headlights sometimes. The functionality depends on the vehicle itself.

Turn signal lights These lights go by various names such as directional and blinker. Turn signals lights are mostly situated at the left of the steering wheel. They blink when you take the direction of getting green in color.

Bumper Lights Bumper lights can be anything. Any lights whether, parking, side marker or fog lights that are mounted to the front bumper. Similarly, the rear lights like reverse or tail lights are also called as rear bumper lights. This can raise confusion whenever you’re shopping for lights. Therefore, mention specifically which lights do you want.

Tail lights Tail lights are red lights located at the rear side of the vehicle. Tail lights sit at the rear end of the vehicle. They get turned on simultaneously with the headlights. The red light glows brightly when a vehicle stops and gives off a much dimmer glow when in motion. Most countries in the US restrict the colors of the tail lights to red.

Corner lights The light gets the name due to the placement of it, that is, at the corner of the front fender. It can be found right next to the headlights. Corner lights usually have yellow, amber, or orange reflectors built inside them. Corner lights can also be found in colors such as white or transparent.

Repeaters Repeater lights are most commonly found on European model vehicles, but many car brands are adopting them nowadays. They keep blinking repeatedly and hence got the name Repeaters.

Located on the side of the vehicle between the front door and the front wheel on the fender, these lights are usually smaller in size. Depending on the make, the repeaters may or may not glow with the headlights.

Reflector A reflector is not really a light. It reflects coming from other sources and doesn’t contain electrical equipment. They can be located in the front or rear bumpers, or on the corners of the grille or fenders.

Conclusion I have included all types of light I could think of. However, if I’ve missed anything to mention, you’re more than welcome to mention them in the comment section. Hope to see you soon with another article. Till then, take care.