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DRLs - On or Off


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On 15/03/2017 at 20:05, Wino said:

Against.  The safer you make people feel in their cars, the less attention they'll give to the road. 

Counterproductive.

There is always one! 

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Here in Switzerland it's the law to have them on if fitted...hence they are automatically 'on' if your car is fitted with them. If an older car, it's illegal not to drive with at least Drls or sidelights on when on the motorway, and in some cantons (counties) its mandatory on B roads too.

 

Regarding bulb life, my car is three years old to me now (it's a 2010 car) and a Ive not replaced any bulbs at all and I have the drls on all the time. It is a good safety feature in my opinion.

 

Dave

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I replaced mine with LED bulbs and they are on all the time. :)

 

Not sure I'd say they were the easiest bulb to replace in the car as someone did earlier.... Quite a hassle I thought having to remove the lower front grille panel at either side and then reach through and remove the foglight housing from the car to then replace the bulb.

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I drive all over the country with my job and have lost count of the vehicles I see, when it is still dark in the morning or getting / is dark at night, that only have their front drls on because the driver doesn't know the rear lights don't turn on with them.

 

I don't know which cars, if any, also turn the rear lights on also by default but it seems, by my experience, most don't.

 

I think this is a feature that causes a serious road safety problem that should not even exist and all because most owners / drivers don't familiarise themselves with the functions of the vehicle they are driving.

Edited by jt57
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1 hour ago, jt57 said:

I drive all over the country with my job and have lost count of the vehicles I see, when it is still dark in the morning or getting / is dark at night, that only have their front drls on because the driver doesn't know the rear lights don't turn on with them.

 

I don't know which cars, if any, also turn the rear lights on also by default but it seems, by my experience, most don't.

 

I think this is a feature that causes a serious road safety problem that should not even exist and all because most owners / drivers don't familiarise themselves with the functions of the vehicle they are driving.

 

+1

 

This is the reason I have activated the rear DRL’s on both my Superb and SWMBOs Yeti.

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On ‎15‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 21:34, Awayoffski said:

It is amazing how many years car bulbs can last in the likes of a Volvo with front & rear lights on always.

 

It's cos they get to keep toastie warm.........Lol.

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On ‎17‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 16:11, Conor1974 said:

My bulbs are standard.  Never did get around to changing all my front lights for LEDs.

 

I think the point was that some are silly shaped fancy multi led's as standard......................like you have a mini Christmas tree on the front corners of your car.

 

Some look good, but others..............:sick:.

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5 hours ago, Tilt said:

 

I think the point was that some are silly shaped fancy multi led's as standard......................like you have a mini Christmas tree on the front corners of your car.

 

Some look good, but others..............:sick:.

I can't stand the 'new' face of Porsche 4 LED dots in the headlight housing. Looks like a cheap Chinese torch.

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'Dim Dip'  for daytime running was just perfect for UK weather and conditions pretty much like Volvo's were for a UK vehicle.

Lights, heating, de-misting etc. Even when right hand drive seating, steering, pedals.

 

It really is strange how badly performing vehicles can be or the design is when Continental European Manufacturers get to be controlling Government and EU Type Approval.

Europe has cold weather and roads and much more extreme conditions in parts compared to much of the UK yet what is offered for sale can be just so so.

 

Hopefully BREXIT UK will change the Highway Code and the Law and require Sidelights and Dipped Beam on with moving vehicles as a minimum all the time.

(Sidelights / Position lights as they are now on cars are an odd thing to still exsist in 2017 IMO.)

Edited by Awayoffski
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25 minutes ago, mikeholroyd said:

Front only lights must be one of the most stupid bit of road "safety" legislation that has ever been brought out. A few times I have told folks to switch lights on, and they have been totally oblivious that the rear has been in complete darkness - and I'm not even going to go into those same folks blinding everyone with bright LED DRLs at the front.

 

Even previous to that, the old Volvo 240 had twin filament bulbs in the front sidelights, and used the brighter one for DRLS, but always had the rears on. Far safer in my opinion, knowing the car is properly (and legally) lit if the lights are "forgotten" to be switched on when it goes dark.

 

I like DRL's (so front only for safety & looking after battery in winter re- short trips) mike, and used sensibly I think they are a good idea, but yes I get your point that there are far too many numpties not knowing (or caring) how to use them properly, or how they work (that they are front only).

I had a 345DL, but think it was my Honda Accord 2L that had a similar set up light wise that you mention. Sidelights were standard but when you turned the ignition on this lighted a DRL style bulb also. Not as bright as the dipped beam but a lot brighter than the sidelight only.

 

You had to have the sidelights on for this to illuminate so (as you say) the rears would be on, too.

 

I liked this set up and think todays set up on most cars encourages idiots to drive with sidelights only, which the fronts are useless for anything other than parking.

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Read the Highway code and the outdated stuff on Sidelights in 30 mph street lit areas when driving.

Sidelights are not for sitting stationary and parked in Street Light areas.

 

Parking Lights are a requirement for parking in Unlit Street light areas.

We know what Parking Lights were, a little light you clipped on the window , white to front, red to rear plugged into a 'Cigar Lighter'. 

 

Now put the Indicator down, one front sidelight (position light) on and one rear Sidelight (Position light) on.

 

All very so 1950's / 60's UK Highway Code in 2017.

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Yesterday i did more miles on a Sunday daytime to evening than i normally do on the A77, M77 & M8 then M90, daylight to night time and sometimes in the rain, 

lots of Average speed cameras that somehow have nothing to do with HGV's on the A77,

& lots of no rear lights and even in the dark Edinburgh to Perth no front or rear lights.

 

The Marked Police car at Harthill Services on the M8 really did make me laugh as it travelled at 65 miles per hour in the inside lane and the car in the outside lane would not go passed it and just sat in the outside lane and there was miles of vehicles behind it and just the Police car in the inside lane..

 

PS,

A9 Perth to Inverness has a pilot scheme for the speed of HGV's.

Edited by Awayoffski
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2 hours ago, Awayoffski said:

'Dim Dip'  for daytime running was just perfect for UK weather and conditions pretty much like Volvo's were for a UK vehicle.

Lights, heating, de-misting etc. Even when right hand drive seating, steering, pedals.

 

It really is strange how badly performing vehicles can be or the design is when Continental European Manufacturers get to be controlling Government and EU Type Approval.

Europe has cold weather and roads and much more extreme conditions in parts compared to much of the UK yet what is offered for sale can be just so so.

 

Hopefully BREXIT UK will change the Highway Code and the Law and require Sidelights and Dipped Beam on with moving vehicles as a minimum all the time.

(Sidelights / Position lights as they are now on cars are an odd thing to still exsist in 2017 IMO.)

Not really sure what Brexit has to do with it as a number of European countries already mandate either always on dipped or at least for certain portions of the year. However, I really would like to see that in law here. There are so many people who drive with no lights on in all sorts of conditions just because they can see where they are going, even though pretty much the only lights on the outside of the car that are purely for the driver are the main beams.

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BREXIT means the UK can set UK Legislation for vehicles travelling in the UK, even overseas vehicles visiting the UK.

 

BREXIT means the UK Government can tell UK Manufacturers or those Manufacturing in the UK to exceed EU Standards for Type Approval.

It means lots of things, like MPH will stay since we never went KMH anyway.

 

If the UK Law changes that you must turn on Headlights all the time it will not cost a fortune or increase the Emissions that much will it?

Maybe Manufacturers can be told faulty bulbs must be able to be changed in under 10 minutes at the roadside, 

and if faulty bulbs are not fixed within 2 hours or restarts of a vehicle the car must immobilise.  All simple stuff in a Small Island Nation.

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I can only imagine the uproar there would be in Ireland if cars were programmed to refuse to start after 2 hours or 2 restarts. There are so many people driving with failed bulbs here (And presumably getting away with it) it's past a joke. If the VAG range were the only cars that tell the driver immediately there's a bulb out this might not be negligence, but I know Mercedes vans since the early 2000s have this feature, so I suspect it's just another warning light people ignore until the next NCT.

 

I'm not a huge fan of DRLs because they unfortunately are a further step in the arms race that sees pedestrians and cyclists at an ever bigger disadvantage when it comes to being seen on the road. The data seems to be pretty solid that cars with DRLs are less likely to be hit accidentally, but the human brain is always looking for shortcuts for routine jobs, so if 99% of the things drivers need to keep an eye on while driving have lights during the day, then over time people will subconsciously train themselves to look only for lights and ignore everything else while driving.

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12 hours ago, psycholist said:

I can only imagine the uproar there would be in Ireland if cars were programmed to refuse to start after 2 hours or 2 restarts.

 

Half of County Clare wouldn't make it home. The roads would be full of tractors driven by school kids, with no lights at all, rescuing their mammies.

 

Of course, they could stop at a "service" station and ask the staff for help. They won't have a clue about any bulb you may need and will probably say they dont sell them. This shouldn't worry you too much as they will be a dab hand at selling you a hot gourmet panini, crisps and water for a tenner. If you want oil, theres Extra Virgin on special in aisle three. Water? Sport water with essence of jock strap is in aisle four. Battery? Hell, you can buy four for 3.99 but they are out of the really skinny ones. 

 

I think a lot of people go for the Mr. Bronsons full strength gin with free tonic (this week only!). Its great, you can do a full weeks shopping and get totally wasted with your new pal Mr. Bronson while you wait for that tractor to haul your arse home....  ;)

 

 

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Ireland fully joined that EU club and Euro Zone where anything seems to be allowed,

then there are EU counties that want Spare Bulb Kits carried but no need to be able to change them, Hi-Viz vests for every occupant inside cars, 

warning triangles, chains carried, or winter tyres fitted, speeders dealt with pretty much on the spot, and then so much other stuff like Manufacturers 

doing what they want with Grey Areas on Emissions as long as they meet outdated stuff some Civil Servants came up with after advice from Experts / Car manufacturers.

 

The one thing you can be sure about the EU and everyone held to the same laws and regulations is that it never happened, 

just the UK was told to assume the position often and thankfully MP's and Peers had motoring enthusiasts among them and car collectors, 

so no MOT's or VED for some vehicles old enough and then the very lax MOT's that pith off many EU Governments.

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The big problem in Ireland (And I suspect a lot of the EU) is lack of enforcement rather than lack of rules. The only laws that are enforced are the ones that are cheap/profitable to enforce such as speeding cameras. Pulling people for driving 30% below the speed limit on national roads with a line of traffic stuck behind them happens so rarely that the time last year that some farmer was fined for it after collecting a 2 km tailback, it made the national news here.

At the same time in terms of per capita deaths/accidents per hour driven or per km driven, Ireland has probably never had safer roads. Even though traffic levels are now higher than they were in 2007 before the government sold the country to stock market gamblers at a fire sale discount, road deaths have pretty much halved - they're not at UK or German levels, but without massive upgrading of road junctions I can't see how this could happen anyway:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_road_traffic_accidents_deaths_in_Republic_of_Ireland_by_year 

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Skoda have improved things recently.

 

When the lights are turned off (DRL's on) or in the sidelight position the needles light up but not the dials themselves.

 

As it gets dark it becomes increasingly difficult to see the speedo etc. unless dipped headlights are on, only then do the dials illuminate.

 

Some cars will fully illuminate the dials and needles regardless of the status of the external vehicle lighting. This is where the issues arise, the driver can be fooled into thinking all is well as the interior is properly illuminated.

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I checked this on mine this morning (up and out early... :( ) after reading the comments above.

 

Default driving lights at front also has rear lights on. I have no doubt it is a swiss thing from the factory...

 

I would imagine this can be changed from within the electrickery set up via a plug in code changer thing (tech mode definitely off :D )

 

Dave

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Here are in denmark it's also required to have DRLs during the day with rear lights on. All cars sold here for the past 3-5 years have been required to that automatic drls set w the ignition. But a year or so ago the law changed to include rear lights as well I believe. But the auto companies haven't quite got it worked out so the tears aren't automatic. My work van( a 2016 Opel Vivaro) has drls set to the ignition. But I have to physically turn on the main lights in order to get the tears to light up. Lol. That's what happens when your a governing body (DK) within a governing body (EU) inside a world economy (cars from mainly Asia, France, Germany, and England ) 

Joe.

 

On the the other hand, I'm hoping the 2012 Superb I just bought and will pick up Thursday will have auto light functions like my Nissan Juke had 

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My 2011 Superb was a lease car from Denmark. DLR's go on with ignition, but nothing in the back. As far as I've seen, all new cars here (Estonia) are the same with DLR's during the day and nothing on in the back. I'm considering changing that with VCDS.

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