I don’t like the Audi DRLs, as they look like Halfords add-ons imho. In fact any of the VAG DRLs that are made up of individual LEDS look a bit naff…..again all imh(umble)o. Bit of a shame really as I have ordered an A4 personally I prefer the Saab and BMW types.

I had my first experience today of seeing a new (59 plate) VRS with its LED DLRs on. From all the various posts on this thread, my first reaction was it seemed very distracting as opposed to making it seem more visible. I also noted as it flew past that there were no tail lights on. Having previously owned a variety of Saabs and Volvos, these also had tail lights as part of the daytime running lights and you would often get "flashed" to be told your lights were on. Is the new legislation for front lights only?

So, I guess I am a basic supporter of the DLR concept, particularly in the winter months, but have to say that the Skoda VRS seemed to be catering more to fashion than function. I believe my humble Elegance Estate when it arrives shortly will have some method of enabling a DLR setup through the Maxidot - though I am not entirely sure.

I had my first experience today of seeing a new (59 plate) VRS with its LED DLRs on. From all the various posts on this thread, my first reaction was it seemed very distracting as opposed to making it seem more visible. I also noted as it flew past that there were no tail lights on. Having previously owned a variety of Saabs and Volvos, these also had tail lights as part of the daytime running lights and you would often get "flashed" to be told your lights were on. Is the new legislation for front lights only?

So, I guess I am a basic supporter of the DLR concept, particularly in the winter months, but have to say that the Skoda VRS seemed to be catering more to fashion than function. I believe my humble Elegance Estate when it arrives shortly will have some method of enabling a DLR setup through the Maxidot - though I am not entirely sure.

Scandinavian DRLs use front and rear lights. Canada has had a requirement for DRLs for sometime now, and they are front lights only too (or at least it was last time I was over there)... It appears to vary from country to country as to what is required...

Had some tool swearing and shaking their fist at me today whilst pointing at my DRL's.

Yes g=has someone flashing lie mad at me today. Gave them the appropiate response!!!

Do you think these Forums are really for you ? Believe me if I had 40k to spend on a car I would have still ordered my Scout and had the rest in the bank.

Oh I suppose I could have had a 4 or 5 year old Audi Allroad ? Maybe older ?

Damn wish I had done that now. Bet it's MUCH better but together than the Scout.

OK, I admit it - I've bought both an A6 allroad 3.0TDI and a Scout 2.0PD in the last year because I recognise both value and quality. I also shop at Lidl and Aldi but don't invest in property as I've yet to sell a house for a profit since buying my first in 1988.

In the same way that I don't like chrome and other bling, I don't like DRLs and indeed made it a condition of the purchase of the allroad that they be removed or turned off in some way. I can see the benefit in a perfect world, but the more prevalent they become the less is their safety advantage. Whilst they may make car drivers feel marginally safer and possibly faster as a result (someone said that about winter tyres too but there's a definite safety advantage there) I think lights are best reserved for motorbikes.

Scandinavian DRLs use front and rear lights. Canada has had a requirement for DRLs for sometime now, and they are front lights only too (or at least it was last time I was over there)... It appears to vary from country to country as to what is required...

Thanks for the clarification.

have to say this post has made me chuckle!

Its simple if you dont like them turn them off and if other drivers flash just ingore..................far more important things in the world to worry about!

I dont agree that they only look good on a 40k car. Its use is for safety reason and even though there is mix opinions on how effective this is never the less at the moment its the way forward. So why should only £40k plus cars have this safety feature? I would also say the £17k (depending on spec of the vRS) its not a cheap car! Its cheaper than some but not cheap.

I'm in favour of anything that will:

a) make a pedestrian notice me coming towards them so they dont step out in front of me

make a driver notice avoided them pulling out on me.

As for the audi ones, I like them but like everything (lexus lights for example) that then gets copied cheaply it makes them well abit pants.

In the same way that I don't like chrome and other bling, I don't like DRLs and indeed made it a condition of the purchase of the allroad that they be removed or turned off in some way. I can see the benefit in a perfect world, but the more prevalent they become the less is their safety advantage. Whilst they may make car drivers feel marginally safer and possibly faster as a result (someone said that about winter tyres too but there's a definite safety advantage there) I think lights are best reserved for motorbikes.

I disagree, lights on will always be safer than lights off, especially on silver or grey cars when the light is not great. The whole point of the DRL is to increase the visibility of the vehicle, which it does... I usually drove round with dipped headlights on before I got the vRS and noticed less people pulling out in front of me than when I didn't have the lights on...

Its simple if you dont like them turn them off and if other drivers flash just ingore..................

If you haven't got maxidot I don't think you can turn them off

If cars were the only things that used roads then I'd have no objection to DRLs - the problem I see with them is that they raise the bar for all other road users in terms of the minimum required to be noticed. If all cars have DRLs turned on, then motorists will only look for other lights to identify other vehicles on the road, making bicycles and pedestrians (The most vulnerable road users) less likely to be noticed as without their own lights, they're harder to see and therefore more likely to be hit. The piercing LED lights on Audis in particular have no place on the roads - not only are they distracting, but they're bright enough to leave spots in your vision after you've looked at them, which affects your ability to see things for a few seconds afterwards.

If cars were the only things that used roads then I'd have no objection to DRLs - the problem I see with them is that they raise the bar for all other road users in terms of the minimum required to be noticed. If all cars have DRLs turned on, then motorists will only look for other lights to identify other vehicles on the road, making bicycles and pedestrians (The most vulnerable road users) less likely to be noticed as without their own lights, they're harder to see and therefore more likely to be hit. The piercing LED lights on Audis in particular have no place on the roads - not only are they distracting, but they're bright enough to leave spots in your vision after you've looked at them, which affects your ability to see things for a few seconds afterwards.

People can rant or rave about DRLs as much as they like but from 2011 all new cars will be required to be fitted with them. And a good idea too!!!!

Had my first experience of DRL aggression yesterday.

Older gent pointing at the front of my car whilst I overtook him.

I let him overtake me again, put my fog lights and pointed at them, and promptly overtook him.

Tool.

He'll struggle next year.

Some interesting opinions... However:

I have not read the whole thread so forgive me if i am going over old ground but as i know at least one other person has said:

Driving with fog lights on front or rear when the visibility is greater than 100m is illegal and in England and Wales punishable by a £30 Non Endorsable ticket for each offence.

DRL will be mandatory on most cars by 2011 and all NEW cars by 01/03/12.

We (the UK) have escaped having to have dipped beam lights on at all times, for now.

As for the court case of flashing headlights.. There is already case law that states that anyone who pulls out after being flashed is in the wrong as flashing main beam simply means WARNING I AM HERE same as using the horn. So that case will be closed very promptly if it ever made it to court which i doubt.

/2p.

The exact same complaints (they're too bright, they'll ruin vision, they're not fair on others etc.) were raised when halogen headlights were introduced.

Everyone will get over it in time. Till then just need to keep the trigger finger on the fog lights switch.

of course to the members that have had the flashing and moad that they are too bright simple problem is solved by yurning your side lights on there by making them dimmer.

Personally I dont have a problem with them and until the ruling bodies say so they are here to stay.

People can rant or rave about DRLs as much as they like but from 2011 all new cars will be required to be fitted with them. And a good idea too!!!!

Why is it a good idea?

It strikes me as working on the same principle as making the roads safer by buying the biggest heaviest SUV you can get so that if you're in a crash you'll come out of it better than the lighter car you hit. This works until everybody does the same thing, bringing everyone back to where they started, namely equal distribution of damage between crashing vehicles, except now everything on the road costs way more to buy, run and maintain (This is pretty much what's happened in cars for the past decade or two anyway, very few small cars weigh under a tonne now, while 20 years ago most small and even some larger family cars were well under that). No question cars are a lot safer now thanks to better structural parts and safety equipment, but a lot of the weight added seems to be to give cars a fighting chance against SUVs...

My guess is that cars that run DRLs now while most people don't run them are involved in slightly fewer accidents than the average, but that any reduction in car to car collisions will be more than offset by an increase in pedestrian and cyclist injuries once everyone uses DRLs.

I will say right now that I haven't seen data either way on this though, so I could be wrong, but its well known that people will always look for the easiest possible way to do any job, so if the job is looking for other road users and an overwhelming number of other road users have lights, then the simplest way to do that job is to look for lights.

Had our vRS for a week now. Must apologise to the person in Lincoln with the very shiny boot that we were sat behind at the traffic lights - spent a couple of minutes finding out what all those light switch combinations really do!!!!

The first 2 weeks i had my car over in Germany, i got stopped 5 times by the RMP in JHQ, conversation went like this:

(imperious looking RMP Corporal, bit wide around the middle) "excuse me sir, do you know its illegal to drive with fog lights on during the day?"

"yes" replies i, thats why i`m not driving with fog lights on during the day"

"yes you are"

"oh no i`m not"

"ooooh yes you are" (in a pantomime stylee) whilst standing staring at the front of my motor.

" no mate, the fog lights are the big round thing at the bottom"

"are you sure ?"

"ummmm yes"

"oh.......ok can you prove ownership, insurance etc"

cue spending the next 5 minutes showing chubby copper all my docs, triangle, med kit, lumi vests and all other prussian requirments,

with pretty much the same conversations another 4 times the next few days,

a week later German Copper stops next to me at some lights Near Borussia park in MG, winds down window, points at front of car & says...................................................................................................Hey, nice lights, i wish they would give us vRS`s instead of crappy Passats, then dissapeared in a cloud of dieselly smoke.

god bless the forces of law & order.

Never been flashed or pointed at by other motorists but I do get some incredulous looks.

Perhaps they are just thinking whos that ugly git driving a vRS :'(

Why is it a good idea?

It strikes me as working on the same principle as making the roads safer by buying the biggest heaviest SUV you can get so that if you're in a crash you'll come out of it better than the lighter car you hit. This works until everybody does the same thing, bringing everyone back to where they started, namely equal distribution of damage between crashing vehicles, except now everything on the road costs way more to buy, run and maintain (This is pretty much what's happened in cars for the past decade or two anyway, very few small cars weigh under a tonne now, while 20 years ago most small and even some larger family cars were well under that). No question cars are a lot safer now thanks to better structural parts and safety equipment, but a lot of the weight added seems to be to give cars a fighting chance against SUVs...

My guess is that cars that run DRLs now while most people don't run them are involved in slightly fewer accidents than the average, but that any reduction in car to car collisions will be more than offset by an increase in pedestrian and cyclist injuries once everyone uses DRLs.

I will say right now that I haven't seen data either way on this though, so I could be wrong, but its well known that people will always look for the easiest possible way to do any job, so if the job is looking for other road users and an overwhelming number of other road users have lights, then the simplest way to do that job is to look for lights.

I think its a good idea because it makes vehicles more visible to other road users.Why else would lots of countries make them mandatory. Would you say that your argument above would apply to motor cycles using headlights as well?

I think its a good idea because it makes vehicles more visible to other road users.Why else would lots of countries make them mandatory. Would you say that your argument above would apply to motor cycles using headlights as well?

You'd be amazed how many motorists pull out on me when I'm riding my bright white road bike while wearing luminous / flouro cycle strip. I can see cyclists and pedestrians blending even more into the background, many motorists refusing to register you unless you've got several watts of LED shining forward.

I've got DRLs on my car by the way, I like the look of them from an aesthetic point of view, but I'm coming around to the negative aspects of a time when the majority of cars have them.

Edited 10 May, 201016 yr by Dodgy

switched mine off until winter as had so many people flashing and shouting at me you wou'nt believe it. now i can just blend in rather than stand out. daft i know.

For the argument that DRLs will make cars safer at the expense of other road users without DRLs (cyclists etc):

Is this hypothesis reflected in the accident statistics of countries already using DRLs?

If it's not, what would be the reason(s) for this disconnect between hypothesis and recorded stats?

I run my TDLs (Tool Detection Lights) all the time. When people point at them, rant, rave or flash their headlights then I know they are working just fine.

I think the idea is to separate a bright fast moving object from a dull background for the sake of everybody's safety. The point about other non-DRL equipped vehicles suffering as a result may have some validity though, I guess the stats would show that.

I am PRO DRL as in my present car, I run with side lights on, on the motorway.

More and more, I think that many drivers of a certain make of car (beginning with an a, and end in Udi) use them to be aggressive.

Just to point out, next time you are on the motorway and see a VOSA car, have a look at the front. They use their FOG lights all the time to be more visible. Shall I stop one next time and tell them it is illegal!!!!