Add hazard lights to your classic

Although hazard warning lights have been used since the 1960s, and have been compulsory in some territories since those days, they became set in UK law only decades later. Of course, by then most cars were manufactured with them, but there was no legislation to force their use in earlier classics.

For a long time a high-vis and a triangle were about all the precautions you really needed to take, but with the advent of ‘smart motorways’ in the UK – by which the hard shoulder becomes a lane and there is only periodic refuge for stranded vehicles – early advance warning to other traffic that you are either slow-moving or stationary has become safety-critical.

So, hazard warning lights are officially A Good Idea. Especially for an old car in modern traffic. And, if your classic already has a flashing indicator system, it should be a doddle to convert. All the bits you need can be picked up cheaply at your local motor factor and it is all easily reversible and removable should you have a concours to win.

Many cars will already have a spare switch but, if not, you will need to buy a single-pole switch (most motor factors have ones that even look like a traditional hazard switch) and wire it into the circuit. It will vary for many cars, but the basic principle is the same: you need the switch, a live feed from the fusebox – or, better still, direct from the battery so it will work with the ignition off, with an in-line fuse for safety – plus a feed from the left and right indicator circuits into a flasher unit, and a relay.

Alternatively you can wire what you have into a combined hazard and flasher unit and then loop in a separate switch, but remember that would require the ignition to be on and for the indicators and the hazard switches both to be on.

To simplify matters, the classic-car aftermarket has plenty of kits that can be fitted to many models, and there are also simple kits for scooters and motorcycles that can be used.