Is it illegal to drive at night with an interior light on?

My son is terrified of the dark and as I drive a Fiat Doblo which has a light in the boot area I was wondering if I can drive legally with the light switched on. The light is on the drivers side near the roof but is enough to stop him freaking out . Alternatively, would I be allowed to put on the back of the passengers seat one of those stick-on lights that you can put in cupboards and that you press to turn on? Thanks guys - the fact that I've got both yes and no answers means that I think I'd better contact the police and see what they say ! My son is disabled so that adds another side to the problem as it's not that easy to explain to him why he has to sit in the dark !

andy w	NO it is not illegal in the UK. It would be best not to have a light on on the drivers side though purely from a safety point of view.

Ian	I believe it is, as it is a distraction to the driver. Your idea sounds good. You can get map lights on stalks, if you have a rear cigar lighter.

The original Peter G	Provided the white light can't be directly seen from behind the car it's ok. You need to be sure it won't interfere with the drivers night vision. If it can be seen from behind then put a red filter over it (Mustn't be seen from in front)

yankeedave20	it's legal for buses

caseihgirl85	yes

Chris A	well i wouldn't av thought so as that's of course the whole point of them so you can see inside the car at night whether your moving or stationary, it's not the same as having your full beams on when behind or approached by someone or having fog lights on when it ain't foggy etc and the same with those stick on lights i would have thought is fine as well

kevusaborn	When I first read this I thought your son couldn't drive the car without a light on. I'm relieved of this from having read the other answer, and quite humbled by it if I might add..... There are so many diffrerent type lights you could use. What you need to be sure of is that it doesn't impair your night vision at all, legal or not. The whole idea here is to transport you two safely from destination to destination. Try an amber bulb ( if available ) or even something that he can hold that will illuminate. Something glow-in-the-dark for example. If that doesn't seem to work, try the push-button battery light, or a dimmer switch. Whatever you use, keep it below eye level so you are not affected at all. Floor lighting is always pretty cool too. See Ya....

wrxjima	its not illegal in England, just makes it frigging hard to see out at night! but its no worse than having a dvd player/satnav on at night! and there a plenty of them in cars now! why dont you try one of those clip on book lights and clip it on in the back of the car somewhere?

Wendy	You can get pulled over by it because it's a distraction. It all depends on how strict the county is. The stick on light sounds better.. those are dimmer.

Justin P	depends if its white its legal

Jan409	In the UK, yes it's illegal The only lights you are allowed are indicators, brake lights and normal headlights Any additional interior lights would also be illegal as its a distraction to other drivers What you reaaly need to look at is working with your son, so that he knows his fears are normal for some, but shouldn't prevent him leading a normal life. Make it a game and see what he CAN see in the dark, maybe guess the colour of other cars, or play eye-spy to keep him occupied

Doctor Watson	It's quite legal in my country, not sure about yours!