Daylight running lights

[Dorsetmike]

Are they really such a good idea? EU legislation has seen fit to enforce their fitting to new cars since 2011, probably at the instigation of the motor trade and LED makers. Saab and Volvo have had them for years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp

In many cases they appear to look like nothing other than illuminated bling, it's become a styling gimmick; in addition many of them are so bright and stupidly positioned that the turn indicators are less visible, which to my mind is probably more dangerous than not having DRL, a few I believe do dim when indicators are operating.

If they must have them then further legislation should enforce maximum size, intensity and position. It occurs to me that a real advantage would be to enforce use of bi-coloured white/amber LEDs and they could then serve a dual purpose as DRL and turn indicators without the problem of the DRL masking indicators.

 

[Corno Dolce]

Are they really such a good idea? Saab and Volvo have had them for years.

Saab and Volvo as are all cars subject having headlights beaming at all times whilst the car/truck/bus is in operation. This is the law in sweden - they say it makes for safer traffic - hogwash!!!

 

[Dorsetmike]

I can understand it within and nearer the arctic circle where they have little or no daylight in the winter months. Motor cycles do need some means of being more easily seen.

The more recent EU legislation though seems to have led (sorry!) to some manufacturers treating it as a styling exercise with little or no regard to the actual intention of the legislation, particularly the German brands.

 

[DrBen]

In Canada, DRL have been required equipment on all new cars sold since 1990. The police usually don't cite violators unless they have been stopped other violations.

According to the Australian government (where DRL are permitted but not required) "studies that have been conducted since the reports of Elvik (1996) and Koorsntra et al. (1997) have generally confirmed the reduction in crash rates associated with DRL, although the size of the reduction varies. Tofflemire and Whitehead (1997) compared crash rates in the same year for Canadian cars with and without DRL, eliminating factors such as weather, economic climate, and enforcement as a possible source of differences. They found an overall reduction of 5.3%, principally due to a reduction in crashes involving vehicles travelling in opposite directions."

In the U.S., the 2000 study by the National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) found a 7% reduction in crashes in other jurisdictions. In 2008, the NTSA made a new study and found that DRL reduced crashes but that the reduction was "not statistically significant".

 

[Dorsetmike]

My beef is not so much against DRL per se, but the use of them for garish styling exercises and masking of turn indicators due to their position and intensity.

 

[teddy]

As an ex motorcyclist I think they are a good idea for bikes. On cars they can be a nuisance if badly sited or too bright. On Audis they look plain childish.

teddy

 

[JHC]

I am in favor of driving lights when the condition is adverse in such conditions I always use them and they help pick out approaching vehicles, a big safety plus from me.

 

[Krummhorn]

I disabled mine by bending over a tab on the back of the switch. There is no law in the US that requires car owners to have them enabled, although most cars come with them now.

- people forget that they have DRL's and when driving at night "see" that their headlamps are on (albeit dimmer than normal) and get the false impression that the side markers and tail lights are also on, which they are not. I see more boobs running around town at night here with just headlights on and no tail lights ... one would think that being as how the dash lights are also not on, that their tails lamps were not on also ... one would think ... or not.

- the headlights on some US made cars with DRL's here use the high beams for reasons unknown ... so in broad daylight, these cars are coming up on your rear bumper with high beams on which is a huge distraction. Then, of course, they forget that they have DRL's, and then go about their drives at night with these bright high beams glaring at oncoming traffic ... if they would switch on their headlight switches, the lamp illuminations would be normal.

I agree that some of the newer European cars' DRL's are getting pretty snazzy with LED's and such ... but some of the LED's are so bright that they outshine the turn signal lamps (as Mike mentions above) and that makes for a different problem ... not that everybody here in Arizona actually uses their turn signals ... I do though - ingrained and etched into my brain permanently from my bus driving days in California.

Kh ♫

 

[JHC]

I must have been confusing ordinary driving lights with the monster LED beggars. sorry