BP's 20,000 'Thank You' buttons don't break road rules, NZTA says

July 9, 2019

Concerns have been raised about BP's so-called thank you buttons by some motorists, who think they could confuse other drivers or lead to a failed WOF.

The transport agency has confirmed, however, they don't break any rules and were consulted before the promotion went live.

The devices are made up of a button which can be mounted to a vehicle's dash, and a round LED sign which flashes a green thumbs up icon when the button is pressed, thanking drivers behind.

BP gave the devices away to customers who spent more than $60 over the past two weeks or so, and a spokesperson says 20,000 were given out across the country.

Concerns were raised online last week by some Kiwis who suggested that having green lights on the back of a vehicle could be confusing, distracting or even violate land transport rules.

"Sorry but adding another distraction button to driving is wrong, now it will be focus on communicating with others when you should be constantly focused on driving," one commenter wrote on the Seven Sharp Facebook page.

"Probably get a ticket for it and or fail WOF," said another.

One Kiwi Reddit user put it simply: "Green lights on the back of a car ... what could go wrong?"

An NZTA spokesperson said BP had consulted with them before releasing the product, and confirmed that it doesn't violate any rules.

NZTA said, in their view, the devices are classified as "vehicle-mounted signs" - these mustn't be fitted "so as to dazzle, confuse, or distract other road users when operated".

They said the button are unlikely to confuse or distract motorists, and they had given them the thumbs up.

"It is unlikely to cause more distraction than vehicle sign writing, bumper stickers, or waving to another driver, and is unlikely to create any safety issues," a spokesperson said.

Under vehicle lighting rules  "a lamp that emits other than red or amber light must not be fitted to a vehicle if the light is directly visible from the rear of the vehicle".

This rule excludes reversing lights, which must emit a white light.

NZTA said it doesn't consider the device to be "lamps", and said it was satisfied that the LED panels do not break any rules.

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