What kind of lights are these?

I have a very basic and simple question. I see a lot of cars with small amber lights on the front. I attach some pictures for examples:

http://skautoimports.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/330__400x_pc160055.jpg

http://reviews.turbometal.com/wp-co...d-led-halo-projector-headlights-2-600x450.jpg

Image tags removed see Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm

I am talking about the smaller orange lights. I have seen them on many different cars and they are usually next to the head lights. What kind of lights are these, marker lights, fog lights, daytime running lights or something else? They are obviously legal because they come with the car but I want to know under what category of lights they classify that allows them to be amber. Can motorcycle or scooters have similar amber lights on the front?

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nikosb said:

I have a very basic and simple question. I see a lot of cars with small amber lights on the front.
I am talking about the smaller orange lights. I have seen them on many different cars and they are usually next to the head lights. What kind of lights are these, marker lights, fog lights, daytime running lights or something else? They are obviously legal because they come with the car but I want to know under what category of lights they classify that allows them to be amber. Can motorcycle or scooters have similar amber lights on the front?

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They are "front position lamps" (which many will call "parking lights"). They may be white or amber in the U.S. and Canada; white in the Rest of World.
In the U.S., motorcycles *may* have them, but are not required to have them. If equipped, they may be white or amber.

You're seeing the vehicles' front position ("parking") lights. They are allowed to produce white or amber (officially called "yellow") light in North America and a few other countries, but in most countries they must be white. They can be separate like the ones in your pictures, or they can be incorporated into other lamps such as headlamps or front fog lamps. In North America motorcycles and scooters are permitted but not required to have one or two front position lights, which can be white or amber. In most of the rest of the world, motorcycles and scooters are required to have one or two front position lights, which must be white. As with all vehicle lights, there are specific requirements for the design, construction, performance, etc. of these lights; it is not acceptable, safe, or legal to just throw on any light you happen to like and call it a parking light.