Daytime running lights

Lum

pitkin2020 wrote: »

SO what you saying is then BY YOUR WORDS is that people will become reliant on seeing this DRL's and could basically miss you if your car doesn't have them? So the moneysaving top tip would not have them?

Can you still not see why your argument is still flawed, everything your saying is the reason to get them. As clearly by your logic without them cars are going to become invisible but the general population of drivers will become incompetent without having a light to lead them!!

This is the reason why I'm complaining about them now before they are commonplace. Once they become commonplace it will be too late and as you rightly state, I'll have to fit some to my car in order to protect myself. By that point it'll be a real problem for pedestrians and two wheeled road users which will be unaffected by whether or not I put fairy lights on my car.

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

truckers put all sorts of lamps and green red blue leds on the front of their trucks to make them more visable have done for years, i dont drive about looking for them on the motorways so to say we'll all drive about being light led is an excuse to jusify a rant about the DRL's.

Truckers have a different problem. There are some people who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between a truck and a car, therefore they assume it's safe to pull out in front as the oncoming vehicle will be able to stop or change lanes just fine.

By covering the truck with lights that draw attention to it's size, shape and the 44 tonne box hanging off the back of it, they stand a better chance of all the dozy gits out there realising that this is actually a truck and not a Ford Escort van or something.

pitkin2020

Lum wrote: »

This is the reason why I'm complaining about them now before they are commonplace. Once they become commonplace it will be too late and as you rightly state, I'll have to fit some to my car in order to protect myself. By that point it'll be a real problem for pedestrians and two wheeled road users which will be unaffected by whether or not I put fairy lights on my car.



Truckers have a different problem. There are some people who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between a truck and a car, therefore they assume it's safe to pull out in front as the oncoming vehicle will be able to stop or change lanes just fine.

By covering the truck with lights that draw attention to it's size, shape and the 44 tonne box hanging off the back of it, they stand a better chance of all the dozy gits out there realising that this is actually a truck and not a Ford Escort van or something.

If DRLs are now required on new cars it won't be very long before it is common place. Why wait. New legislation means all new trucks have to have the cabs taped up with reflective tape aswell as the trailer corners, most hauliers haven't waited until its common place or they buy a new truck/trailer. A lot of have had them retro fitted to existing trucks already.

I understand what your saying but aren't trucks already doing effectively what the DRL's are doing?? At the end of the day the motorist shouldn't need all these lights/reflectors etc to judge whats coming towards them and if they are capable of pulling out in front of it without causing an issue for themselves or the oncoming vehicle.

Lum

I'm well aware that I'm most likely fighting a losing battle on this one, and that eventually I'll have to give in. I even have in mind the way I'm going to do it. My car has an illuminated front number plate, so I'm just going to replace the 5W bulbs in it with LEDs and rewire it to come on with the ignition rather than with the sidelights. It's an import so does not need E marked lighting.

I should probably get around to fitting a high level brake light at some point too.

anotherbaldrick

Lum wrote: »

I'm well aware that I'm most likely fighting a losing battle on this one, and that eventually I'll have to give in. I even have in mind the way I'm going to do it. My car has an illuminated front number plate, so I'm just going to replace the 5W bulbs in it with LEDs and rewire it to come on with the ignition rather than with the sidelights. It's an import so does not need E marked lighting.

I should probably get around to fitting a high level brake light at some point too.

What you definately do not want is a lot of after-market DRL's fitted to cars in the manner you used to get with fog and spot lights . After a short time and a few kisses from obstructions and in car parks with bags and trollies the lights ended up pointing in every direction.

Lum

No danger of that. It's a 13" x 6.5" square with a translucent numberplate that acts as a diffuser, couple of LEDs to make it brighter and it'll become visible in the daytime.

To give you an idea, here's the rear one at night time and with the standard bulbs. It'll be the same only brighter and not yellow. I guess I'll have to wire it up to turn off when the sidelights come on too. Easy job for a single relay that one.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Lum wrote: »

This is the reason why I'm complaining about them now before they are commonplace. Once they become commonplace it will be too late and as you rightly state, I'll have to fit some to my car in order to protect myself. By that point it'll be a real problem for pedestrians and two wheeled road users which will be unaffected by whether or not I put fairy lights on my car.



Truckers have a different problem. There are some people who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between a truck and a car, therefore they assume it's safe to pull out in front as the oncoming vehicle will be able to stop or change lanes just fine.

By covering the truck with lights that draw attention to it's size, shape and the 44 tonne box hanging off the back of it, they stand a better chance of all the dozy gits out there realising that this is actually a truck and not a Ford Escort van or something.

draws you back to DRL'S purpose really doesnt it. truckers use lights during the day as well as night to draw attention to their presence and size it seems to work effectivly. as the dimmness of the "fairy lights" give pedestrians cars bikes a better feel of how far away they really are from you gives you better judgement to the possible hazard.

no one complains about truckers having a christmas tree front end, but come to cars and the indevidual, its a big safety hazard, where we will all be guided by FAIRY lights and bad habbits to follow the lights rather than observations and all pedestrians and cyclist and bikers will be at risk.

Lum

It's all about the lighting drawing attention to something different from the norm. Trucks aren't that common on our roads, relative to cars, and the lighting draws your attention to the fact that it's a truck and so you might want to consider not pulling out in front of it*. Likewise the motorbike headlight achieves the same thing.

Once cars have them too, they become the norm. Truckers will likely be ok because their lighting is very distinctive, motorbikers are going to have to come up with something else and I'm not sure what that would be. Maybe they'll have to put lighting strips down the sides that draw attention to the shape of a bike, so they all look like the Tron lightcycles, but they'll still be stuffed when viewed head on.


* Of course, it'd be ideal if they didn't pull out in front of cars either, but that isn't going to happen is it?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Lum wrote: »

It's all about the lighting drawing attention to something different from the norm. Trucks aren't that common on our roads, relative to cars, and the lighting draws your attention to the fact that it's a truck and so you might want to consider not pulling out in front of it*. Likewise the motorbike headlight achieves the same thing.

Once cars have them too, they become the norm. Truckers will likely be ok because their lighting is very distinctive, motorbikers are going to have to come up with something else and I'm not sure what that would be. Maybe they'll have to put lighting strips down the sides that draw attention to the shape of a bike, so they all look like the Tron lightcycles, but they'll still be stuffed when viewed head on.


* Of course, it'd be ideal if they didn't pull out in front of cars either, but that isn't going to happen is it?

brings me to my point that everone is banging on about safety of other on the road with them becoming the norm, but my valid point is DRL have been used for many many years primerily by volvo and volvo trucks, you can tell when a volvo car is about becuase of it side light DRLs and the truck with its glowing emblems at quick glance you know what it is and how big it is and how for away it is.

you can even tell new BMW to AUDI and CITROEN by the shape of the contoured DRLS, you know it there you know its coming and you know how far away. not like just normal dipped beam or HID where it glares to the roads shiny surface in the wet or off refelctive things, yes you know its there but when your sat in a junction waiting for the thing to appear and its way down the road is quite annoying. i havent seen personally these lights causing a "flashing effect" i'm not doubting its happening, but if they are they need to review the mounting points of them this is the only thing that could cause a flash effect if their loosly fitted or angled wrong. i'm dazzled at night with them, why i belive manufaturers should fit a switching relay to stop them being on when the sidelight is activated, or have light sensor fitted to them once it goes dark by a certain percentage they go off anyway and not in drivers control.

pitkin2020

I think atrixblue has hit the nail on the head and why a lot of people have a dislike to them - night time use. People who use them not for their intended use, in fairness though its no different to the tits who drive around at night (in clear conditions) with the front fogs on. Misuse. Thankfully technology is advancing pretty quickly and it won't be that many more years before DRL (aswell as normal lights) will be automatic, who knows where it will go.

20 years there maybe no need for car lights what so ever with radar technology and automated driving!!

anotherbaldrick

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

brings me to my point that everone is banging on about safety of other on the road with them becoming the norm, but my valid point is DRL have been used for many many years primerily by volvo and volvo trucks, you can tell when a volvo car is about becuase of it side light DRLs and the truck with its glowing emblems at quick glance you know what it is and how big it is and how for away it is.

you can even tell new BMW to AUDI and CITROEN by the shape of the contoured DRLS, you know it there you know its coming and you know how far away. not like just normal dipped beam or HID where it glares to the roads shiny surface in the wet or off refelctive things, yes you know its there but when your sat in a junction waiting for the thing to appear and its way down the road is quite annoying. i havent seen personally these lights causing a "flashing effect" i'm not doubting its happening, but if they are they need to review the mounting points of them this is the only thing that could cause a flash effect if their loosly fitted or angled wrong. i'm dazzled at night with them, why i belive manufaturers should fit a switching relay to stop them being on when the sidelight is activated, or have light sensor fitted to them once it goes dark by a certain percentage they go off anyway and not in drivers control.

When the main headlights switch on, either full or dipped beam DRL's are turned off. The fixing of the DRL's is not the issue ,they do not move, what causes the light to deflect is the nose up or nose down attitude of the car in response to road humps and potholes.