Kangaroos, Fog and Driving Lights on the New England Highway

This guide is for anyone who drives the New England Highway and the back roads around Armidale, Guyra and Uralla early, late or in poor weather. It covers why wildlife and low visibility make good lighting so important here, how to get the most from your headlights, and what NSW rules say about fitting and using driving lights, light bars and fog lamps.

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Why lighting matters on the Tablelands

The New England Highway links Armidale with Uralla to the south-west and Guyra to the north, then carries on to Tamworth and Glen Innes. Outside the towns it runs through open grazing country and patches of timber, mostly unlit. Add the side roads such as Thunderbolts Way and Waterfall Way, and a lot of local driving happens on dark roads with no street lights at all.

Winter makes it worse. Short days mean many people commute, do school runs or head to work in the dark at both ends of the day. Fog, rain and low cloud can cut visibility on the high country too. Good lighting won't make up for the wrong speed, but it does give you more time to see what's ahead.

Kangaroos and other animals

Transport for NSW says 1 in every 41 casualty crashes on country roads involves a vehicle hitting an animal. Kangaroos and wallabies are most likely to be on or near the road around dawn and dusk, when visibility is poor, and near waterholes and creeks. Stock can be on country roads at any time, signs or no signs.

Transport for NSW's advice is to slow down, stay alert, brake in a controlled way and not swerve, because swerving can cause you to lose control. If you hit an animal, stop only if it's safe. For injured wildlife, Transport for NSW points drivers to WIRES on 1300 094 737 or the IFAW Wildlife Rescue app. You can read the full advice on its page about animals on country roads.

Start with the headlights you have

Before spending money on extra lights, make sure your headlights are doing their job. Many vehicles around Armidale have years of grit, frost and sun on their headlight lenses, and cloudy or yellowed lenses can scatter a lot of the light. Globes also dim with age, often so slowly you don't notice.

A simple checklist:

• Clean the lenses, and restore or replace them if they're badly clouded.
• Replace headlight globes in pairs so both sides match in brightness and colour.
• Check the headlight aim, especially after replacing globes or carrying heavy loads in the tray or towing.
• Make sure high beam works on both sides, and that the high-beam indicator lights up on the dash.
• Check the wiring and plugs behind the headlights for heat damage or corrosion.

Driving lights and light bars: the NSW rules

Many Tablelands drivers fit driving lights or an LED light bar for highway and back-road driving. In NSW, Transport for NSW sets out the requirements in Vehicle Standards Information sheet 64, Aftermarket forward facing lamps. At the time of writing, the key points include:

• A maximum of four driving lamps, and a light bar counts as a driving lamp.
• The light must be white.
• Driving lamps must turn off automatically when the high beam is switched off, and must be able to be switched off while high beam is on.
• A single lamp or light bar must be mounted on the vehicle's centreline, and pairs must be mounted symmetrically at the same height.
• Roof or other elevated mounting is not prohibited but is not recommended, because of the greater risk of dazzling others.
• Driving lamps must not be used where they are likely to dazzle other road users, where there is street lighting, or within 200 m of a vehicle you're following or an oncoming vehicle.

Wiring driving lights properly

The usual way to meet the high-beam requirement is to trigger a relay from the high-beam circuit, with the lights powered through their own fused feed from the battery. That keeps the heavy current away from the headlight switch and wiring, and means the driving lights can only be on when high beam is on. A separate switch lets you turn them off while keeping high beam. Our guide on how to wire a 12V relay explains how it works.

Use cable suited to the lights' current, fuse it close to the battery, and seal every connection against water and dust. On newer vehicles, the high-beam circuit may be controlled by a body computer, so tapping into it the wrong way can set off warning lights or damage modules. If you're unsure, a vehicle-specific harness or an auto electrician is the safer path. Aim the lights carefully once they're fitted, so they reach far down the road without throwing glare back off the bonnet.

Fog lamps are not driving lights

Fog lamps have a wide, low, flat beam designed to light the road surface just in front of you without bouncing back off the fog. They are not for extra light on a clear night. The NSW Government's lights and horns page says to use fog lights only in fog, rain, or when smoke or dust limits your vision, and to switch them off once you can see clearly again. VSI 64 also says front fog lamps must not be used in place of daytime running lamps or to add to the headlights in fine weather.

In fog, slow down, use low beam rather than high beam, which reflects off the fog and makes visibility worse, and keep a long gap to the vehicle ahead. If your vehicle has rear fog lights, switch them off when the fog clears so you don't dazzle drivers behind you.

High beam etiquette

On roads with traffic, NSW rules say you must dip to low beam when an oncoming vehicle is within 200 m, or when you're 200 m or less behind another vehicle. Driving lights must go off at the same time, which is another reason to wire them through the high beam. Trucks are common on the New England Highway, so be ready to dip early on crests and bends. These rules can change, so check the current versions on the NSW Government website before relying on this guide.

Getting it done

If you want driving lights fitted, or your headlights are dim and you can't work out why, an auto electrician can test the voltage at the globes, check the earths and fit lights to suit your vehicle and the rules. Find local help on our Armidale and Guyra pages.

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Questions Armidale drivers ask

Is a light bar legal in NSW?

Light bars can be fitted in NSW, but they count as driving lamps under Transport for NSW's VSI 64. That means a maximum of four driving lamps in total, white light only, mounting rules, and wiring so they turn off automatically with high beam. They must not be used near other traffic or where there's street lighting. Check the current VSI 64 before you fit one.

When are kangaroos most active near Armidale roads?

Transport for NSW says kangaroos and wallabies are most likely to be on or near roads around dawn and dusk, and near water. On the Tablelands, that often lines up with winter commuting times. Slow down at those times, especially on roads through grazing country and timber, and brake in a controlled way rather than swerving.

Can I use my fog lights at night on a clear road?

No. NSW guidance is to use fog lights only in fog, rain, or when smoke or dust limits your vision, and to switch them off when you can see clearly again. On a clear night, use your headlights, and high beam when there's no traffic within 200 m. Rules can change, so check the current NSW rules.

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